Published Paper Details:

There are 62 tribes in Odisha, spread over different parts at different levels of socioeconomic development. In Odisha one can find almost a new dialect, culture, and different people after moving one tribal area to another. Likewise, the tribal populations is also very much varied and diversified. Each of the tribal communities belongs to distinctive communities either migrated from another place or the original inhabitants of the land. The distinctiveness of the tribes lays their rituals, cultures, beliefs and above all the harmony which they survive in unison with nature. There are sixty-two tribes inhabiting Odisha. As per 2011 cenus they constituted 22.13% of the total population of the state. Their decadal growth has declined since 1981 upto 2001 as 22.43%, 22.21%, and 22.13% in 1981, 1991 and 2001 census respectively. As per the Census 2011, the state of Odisha has the third highest percentage of tribal population in the country which stands at 9590756. The state has the unique distinction of having 62 different tribal communities spread over 30 districts and 314 blocks. They constitute 22.85% of the total population of the state and contribute 9.17% to the total tribal population of the country. The growth and distribution of ST population have got special significance. Linguistically the tribes of Odisha are categorized as: (1) Indo-Aryan speakers, (2) Dravidian speakers, and (3) Austric speakers.