Journal of the Anthropological Survey of India最新文献

{"title":"Nomadic Roots and Contemporary Realities: An Exploration of the Waghri Community in Punjab","authors":"Priyanka Airi Goyal, Ankita Das, Ankita Singh","doi":"10.1177/2277436x241250194","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/2277436x241250194","url":null,"abstract":"Nomadism persists as a relevant phenomenon in contemporary society. This study delves into the Waghri community, a nomadic community that originally hails from Gujarat but settled in Punjab for the past three or four generations. Having encountered stigmatisation during the British rule, the community was labelled a criminal tribe in the Bombay Presidency. This study aimed to understand the culture, belief and practice dynamics of the Waghri community, shaped by their nomadic history and current circumstances. Furthermore, it seeks to delve into their experiences with historical stigmatisation, contemporary adaptation strategies and the cultural forces moulding their identity and means of sustenance. This study was carried out in the urban areas of Punjab under the national project of the Anthropological Survey of India entitled Ethnographic Study of 226 De-Notified, Nomadic and Semi-Nomadic Communities. The data were collected using snowball and random sampling methods. The tools used for data collection included a structured schedule, focus group discussions and individual interviews. The findings of the study reveal that the migration of the Waghri community, driven by the pursuit of enhanced livelihoods, has resulted in a widespread presence across India, featuring various sub-castes distinguished by traditional occupations and territorial affiliations. Remarkably, these sub-castes lack social hierarchies, uniting around their common clan deity rather than fostering internal divisions. Devotees of the goddess Durga, the community now identifies as Devipujak. Engaged in the trade of recycling second-hand clothes, they have established harmonious ties with the neighbouring communities, predominantly residing in urban areas, as their livelihood depends on middle and upper-middle-class families. Despite facing stigma in their native Gujarat, the Waghri community finds acceptance in Punjab, where they are recognised more as Gujarati than Waghri. Economically disadvantaged and educationally marginalised, the community leads a precarious existence unaccounted for by the government. This study illuminates their resilience in preserving cultural traditions amidst uncertainties about their future. Their adaptation strategies, including social cohesion and niche economic activity, offer insights into social mobility, identity negotiation, and the complex realities of marginalised communities in India.","PeriodicalId":198822,"journal":{"name":"Journal of the Anthropological Survey of India","volume":"29 12","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-05-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141107518","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Tribal Communities, \u2028Their Quality of Life \u2028and the Differences: \u2028Evidence from an India District","authors":"Priyanka Debnath, A. Debnath, Kaustav Chakrabarti, P. Roy, Abhijit Sarkar","doi":"10.1177/2277436x241242528","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/2277436x241242528","url":null,"abstract":"The history of quality of life (QoL) of the tribal population in India is mostly oral and not well documented. The only known fact is that they used to live within the forest and struggle for their existence. This study aims to investigate the QoL of the major tribal communities in Alipurduar—a forest endowed district in Eastern India—and analyse the differences in their QoL to provide a comprehensive understanding of the socio-economic issues encountered by tribal communities who have been living in a geographically disadvantageous area endowed with tea plantations and forests. Five tribal communities, namely Mech, Santhal, Oraon, Toto and Rabha, were selected from Alipurduar district, West Bengal, for the study, with a total of 384 samples. The WHOQOL-BREF (1996) questionnaire was used to assess the QoL of the mentioned tribal communities. Factorial analysis of variance (ANOVA) was employed to analyse the data to find out the difference in QoL among different tribal communities. The study findings indicate that there is a significant positive correlation between the different domains of QoL, including physical health, psychological health, social relationships and environmental conditions. The ANOVA results demonstrate significant differences in QoL among different tribal communities. The results show that the Toto tribe has enjoyed a higher QoL (M = 3.87, SD = 0.763) compared to other tribal groups, while the people of Oraon tribe have reported a lower QoL (M = 3.10, SD =1.065). Therefore, longitudinal studies need be conducted to get a more comprehensive understanding of the factors influencing their QoL to identify the reasons for the differences. Additionally, the government needs to understand the problems of each tribe and, accordingly, appropriate policies need to be implemented in a timely manner to improve the QoL of different tribal communities and, thus, minimise the differences and bring a balanced way of life.","PeriodicalId":198822,"journal":{"name":"Journal of the Anthropological Survey of India","volume":"42 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-05-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141110884","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Effect of Dance on Body Type: A Study on Adult Bengalee Female in North 24 Parganas, West Bengal","authors":"Solanki Joarder, N. Parvin, R. Kundu, Subir Biswas, Premananda Bharati","doi":"10.1177/2277436x241242525","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/2277436x241242525","url":null,"abstract":"Due to the economic development in Indian society, most people are experiencing a sedentary lifestyle and least physical exercise, which is responsible for the increase in various health issues. Exercise plays a great role in maintaining our health, and dancing is an enjoyable exercise which involves various body movements to stay fit and maintain the body shape. The present study attempted to find out the differences in body types between female dancers and non-dancers used as a control group. Out of total 140 female participants aged 18–40 years, 70 were dancers and the remaining 70 were age-matched controls. Heath and Carter’s method of somatotyping was used to estimate the somatotypes of dancers and controls. Dancers and controls differed significantly ( t-test, p <.05) in terms of their body types and shapes, with dancers having greater mean values of mesomorphy, while lower mean values of endomorphy and WHR compared to the control group. This study suggests, based on somatotype, that dancers were more muscular and less fatty than the control group. Also, dancers were found to have a lower waist circumference than the hip circumference, resulting in a pear-shaped body. In light of this, the study indicates that dancing is a useful art form and a health-beneficial substitute for other forms of exercise.","PeriodicalId":198822,"journal":{"name":"Journal of the Anthropological Survey of India","volume":"41 17","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-04-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140656972","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Village Formation \u2028Among Sumi Naga of Nagaland: A Case Study","authors":"Inotoli L. Assumi, Q. Marak","doi":"10.1177/2277436x241242527","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/2277436x241242527","url":null,"abstract":"The study of space in anthropology provides an outlook on society and culture from the view of the space that people live in. A study on village formation among the Sumi looks at understanding the Sumi culture and society from the socio-cultural perception of their land, that is, the village, which is strongly connected to beliefs, migration rituals, customs and social and cultural perceptions of their village. The research looks at the village formation using genealogy to understand the dynamics of Sumi kinship fabricated in the cultural construction of their space. The study details Sumi space following the Co-production Model of Low (2009) , which looks at the production and construction of space and the concepts of spatial practices and representational spaces of Lefebvre (1991) . The study uses anthropological research methods such as case studies, participant observations, interviews and genealogy of the village founders [village land is an heirloom of the chiefs ( kukami)] among the Sumi for inquiry.","PeriodicalId":198822,"journal":{"name":"Journal of the Anthropological Survey of India","volume":"8 5","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-04-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140654645","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Assessment of Nutritional Status Using World Health Organisation (WHO, 2007) and Revised Indian Academy of Paediatrics (IAP, 2015) Growth Charts Among Adolescent Girls of Ambala, Haryana","authors":"Rashmi Choudhary Kapoor, I. Talwar","doi":"10.1177/2277436x241226815","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/2277436x241226815","url":null,"abstract":"Assessing a population’s nutritional status and identifying specific causes and factors contributing to malnutrition are essential to implementing relevant interventions. This study aimed to assess the nutritional status and its correlates among adolescent girls and determine the most suitable growth chart/reference to estimate malnutrition among them. The cross-sectional sample consisted of 858 adolescent girls aged 10–19 years belonging to the rural and urban areas of district Ambala, Haryana. Height and weight were measured to calculate Body Mass Index (BMI). Socio-economic, demographic and dietary patterns were recorded using a structured questionnaire. Nutritional status was evaluated with the help of BMI using two different standards. Correlates of nutritional status were investigated using Chi-square test. According to the classification of WHO, stunting was shown by 60.73% of rural and 38.62% of urban girls. Wasting was witnessed in 52.43% of rural girls compared to 25.67% of urban girls. As per IAP growth charts, the maximum percentage (7.32%) of thinness was seen among rural girls, while only 1.96% of urban girls reported thinness. Urban girls exhibited a maximum percentage (19.36%) of overweight and obesity compared to 5.42% of rural girls. Undernutrition (underweight, stunting and wasting) was more prevalent among the rural girls, while the urban girls showed more incidence of overnutrition, that is, overweight and obesity. Socio-economic variables (parents’ educational status, occupation and monthly family income), demographic variables (family size, birth order and size of sib ship) and dietary habits (frequency of meals per day, food habits, consumption of milk and type of lunch) showed significant association with the nutritional status of the girls. Receiver Operating Characteristic Curve (ROC) analysis revealed the IAP growth charts to be the most suitable for assessing malnutrition among adolescent girls compared to WHO criteria.","PeriodicalId":198822,"journal":{"name":"Journal of the Anthropological Survey of India","volume":"13 31","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-02-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140409473","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Human Development Status of the Rabha Community of Assam, India: An Exercise in Constructing a Disaggregated Human Development Index","authors":"Bhargab Das, Ratna Bhuyan","doi":"10.1177/2277436x231161171","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/2277436x231161171","url":null,"abstract":"The Rabha community of Assam, which has been culturally a farming and forest-based community, is one of the most backward scheduled tribe communities in the state. It is assessed that lack of education, lack of access to standard health facilities and widespread poverty have ensnared the tribe to a low standard of living. The present work tries to study the socio-economic status of the Rabha community and measure the human development status of the community by way of constructing a community-specific disaggregated Human Development Index.","PeriodicalId":198822,"journal":{"name":"Journal of the Anthropological Survey of India","volume":"2 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-10-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135740119","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Can Reservation Ensure Women’s Participation in Local Governance: A Study Among Tiwas","authors":"Bhaskar Kumar Kakati","doi":"10.1177/2277436x231192278","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/2277436x231192278","url":null,"abstract":"The 73rd constitutional amendment has made historical changes to Indian local self-governance, that is, Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs), by introducing 33% reservation for women. Accordingly, a considerable number of women entered into these institutions as elected representatives. However, although reservation has enhanced the representation of women, their participation remains an important question due to prevailing patriarchy both within and outside the household. In this background, an attempt is being made to understand and analyse the participation of tribal women in Gram Panchayat—the lowest level institutions of PRIs among the Tiwas of Assam, India. This study found that reservation of seats has indeed enabled women to enter into local governance. However, the reservation could not alter the patriarchal nature of GP. Thus, there is a need for institutional reforms in the GP.","PeriodicalId":198822,"journal":{"name":"Journal of the Anthropological Survey of India","volume":"77 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-08-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"127815035","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A Glimpse Into India’s Palaeoanthropological Past: Fossil Primates of the Pliocene and the Pleistocene","authors":"Sayak Chakraborty, M. Sachdeva","doi":"10.1177/2277436x231189069","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/2277436x231189069","url":null,"abstract":"The Pliocene was a period of major faunal shift in India as older primate lineages slowly went extinct, leaving the niches vacant for cercopithecoids, specifically cercopithecids (Old World monkeys), to occupy. Among them, Presbytis sivalensis, Macaca palaeindica and Procynocephalus subhimalayanus are important, as they are potential kin to many of the South Asian and Southeast Asian monkeys living today. Further in the Pleistocene, as ecology shifted to a more grassland environment, primates such as Theropithecus delsoni and the first people of Homo sp. migrated into the subcontinent and occupied central India. All of these primate fossils are known only from a handful of fragmentary fossil remains. This article aims to discuss the discovery of fossils and the nature of these fossils from the Pliocene and the Pleistocene. Information regarding the phylogenetic affinities of these fossil primates is sporadic as well. There is a need to learn more about these primates by reanalysing existing discoveries and conducting further research into the lives of these primates of a bygone era. Such research, using modern tools and methods, will surely make significant contributions to palaeoanthropology.","PeriodicalId":198822,"journal":{"name":"Journal of the Anthropological Survey of India","volume":"355 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-08-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"115447333","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The Lower Palaeolithic and Microlithic Sites of Dulung River Valley, Eastern India","authors":"Shubhrakanti Baul, Krishnendu Polley","doi":"10.1177/2277436x231180364","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/2277436x231180364","url":null,"abstract":"Lower Palaeolithic and Microlithic periods are considered two of the most important phases of human’s cultural evolution. The Indian subcontinent is one of the few places where the earliest evidence of both the Lower Palaeolithic and Microlithic periods have been found. In this article, preliminary observations on 28 recently discovered Lower Palaeolithic and Microlithic sites in the Dulung River valley of the eastern part of India are described. The sites have been found by intensive foot surveys conducted in the last two years. The Lower Palaeolithic sites are mostly found in the ferricrete deposits of the uplands of this region, whereas Microlithic sites are found deposited in the latosol/oxisol horizons of the badlands of this region. Among recovered Lower Palaeolithic artefacts, Acheulean Handaxes appear to be dominant. Recovered microliths are fewer in number, but they are fresh in condition. The results of this study give a more clear understanding of the distribution of the earliest human cultures in Eastern India.","PeriodicalId":198822,"journal":{"name":"Journal of the Anthropological Survey of India","volume":"313 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-08-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"132627657","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Age- and Gender-wise Differences in Blood Pressure Among the Adult Caste Population (Paundra Kshatriya) Living in Peri-urban Settings, West Bengal, India","authors":"Nitamoni Bharali, Tlanglawmkim Hmar, Niloy Kr. Bagchi, D. Adak","doi":"10.1177/2277436x231171984","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/2277436x231171984","url":null,"abstract":"The Paundra Kshatriya, a peri-urban population, of South 24-Parganas, West Bengal, was studied to examine the relationship of blood pressure with age. Altogether, 240 adults (male: 98; female: 142) were studied. Both systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) (mm Hg) were found to be more among females than among males in different age groups. A gradual increase in SBP and DBP was evident with the advancement of age among both males and females. The coefficient of correlation values depicts a positive relationship between age and SBP as well as age and DBP in both genders.","PeriodicalId":198822,"journal":{"name":"Journal of the Anthropological Survey of India","volume":"49 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-08-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"115141783","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}