| Tribals
The tribals of Gujarat are found concentrated in the
south-eastern part of Gujarat particularly in the district of
Panchmahals, Surat, Baroda, and Broach. The main tribal groups are the Bhils, the
Dublas,
the Naika-Narkdas, the Gamits and the Dhankas.
The infertile soil in the hilly areas of the tribal settlements left
no choice except that of subsistence farming to the tribal people. Rice,
jowar, bajra, and groundnut are the main crops grown by them. The tribals
engage themselves in wood-cutting with which they descend to the small
towns for getting the daily necessaries of life. Many have been engaged
in organised forest industry, some collect
lac and toddy. Tied down to their ancestral and social traditions,
living in a microcosm of their own where they are governed by their own
social laws, the tribals of Gujarat have yet to develop an awareness of
the fast-changing social and economic conditions of life in the outer
world.
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