ABSTRACT
Bondo Beads: An Ethnoarchaeological Approach
Alok Kumar Kanungo
When initially reported in 1872 (Census 1872, p. 273), the Bondos, a primitive community, engaged in food gathering and shifting cultivation and resided in the hill tracts of the Malkanagiri district of Orissa. They are considered one of the most ornamented communities of the world. They string beads for the other communities living in the vicinity. Unlike some other communities, the lifestyle of the Bondos has not received much attention from anthropologists. This paper is an attempt at understanding the most visible aspect of their material culture: beads. Beads are often represented in archaeological records and are important markers of economy, trade, social stratification and technological process.
Fully Beaded Bondo woman in the village of Bodopada