Attempts have been made to trace the history of a particular caste culture through living biographies and oral literature.  Such scholars outline folklore in their field of research and study through the remnants of the past that have survived the flow of time in current folklore and oral literature.  

Even what is gained from oral literature expresses only the context of the present life, it cannot be said that much of it is ancient.  Current culture is not only a practice of contemporary times and a practice of contemplation but also a tradition.  A lot of this tradition is preserved old.

Preserved relics reveal the history of their own era – the culture of that time.  These relics, which have remained stable in the course of time, and the traditional way of life that continues to this day, are a valuable tool in defining the structure of any culture.  

Rather than exploring these preserved relics, we can reach the roots of any culture.  Here the writer has tried to outline a tribal culture-society based on the tribal way of life, the pre-existing social relics surviving in the oral literature and the preserved material cultural heritage.

The beginning of the prehistoric age in India is said to have started more than one lakh years ago but its last period is believed to be 10 to 6 thousand years ago, which is known as the last Paleolithic age.  At this time the Nishad people were populated.  

Nishad is the famous historian of today’s tribals.  Robert Schaefer and D.D.  Kosambi strongly believes.  Indigenous peoples have made significant contributions to the development of Indian civilization.  

The influence of early tribal religious rites and the origin of the earth sung and narrated at this time, the story of ‘Avatar Katha’, the story of Gotamarakhi (Gautam Rishi) and Indra (Indra) is still prevalent in the socio-religious life of the tribal society.  There is no denying the possibility that the material of the memorized literature of this tribal culture may have been assimilated by other ancient tribes in their own language.

The religious-social foundation of Indian culture is the legacy that Ian inherited from the Achaitar cultured people like Dravidian, Pulin, Nishad or Bhil tribes.  Thoughts about karma and reincarnation, worship rituals different from the Vedic rites of the serpent tree linga puja ‘home, etc., are in the original Aryetar people.  

The form of present day Indian culture is mainly built on the union and contribution of the Aryan and Dravidian, Nishad or Adivasi people.  ‘Indian civilization is not just the culture of the Nordic Aryans, the aristocracy.  It is the shared culture of various peoples, from the people who worship the vermilion book by placing a stone on it, to those who fill their lives with variety from the diversity to the maximum realization of Advaita and make India colorful, thoughtful, dynamic.

There are many misconceptions about tribal society among the people of other communities living in villages and towns.  This book is also useful for breaking down such misconceptions and for establishing emotional unity among the society.  In addition, the book is useful for establishing tribal unity.

In addition, the concept behind the book is that social-educational activists working between tribal brothers and sisters can identify the tribal society in its cultural context.  The book also hopes that future historians, archaeologists and social anthropologists will not lose sight of the past and use these tribal cultural resources in a time when tribal culture is changing as fast as village and town culture under the influence of machine age and modern education.

This book would not have been so eloquent and artistic without the generous cooperation of the Gujarat State Information Department.  I am grateful to the Director of Information, Mr. Ashok Kalaria for this.  Dr.  Bhagwandas Patel