Struggle for existence is an innate urge with each and every human being--primitive

or modern. To have his existence on this earth he is in need of three fundamental

necessities food, shelter and clothing. The other objects come as parapheranalia
to him. Thus he requires two important things- material and spiritual. Both are
interrelated. When the material comfort is satised he then turns to the spiritual
one. The world of the day is more or less oriented into the material aspect of life. So
the study of material culture offers a denite scope for nding out the unity and
diversity of a culture. The study of material culture helps in the understanding of
material traits of a culture, origin, distribution, environmental adaptation and
diffusion, etc. The study of the aspect of material culture of the life of a people is of
great interest and importance not only from the intrinsic interests and values of the
artifacts themselves, but, for the sources of invention and the knowledge of
diffusion. Besides, these artifacts and techniques have great importance by virtue of
their relations to the whole economic and social organisation and to religious and
0therceremonial practices. An anthropologist nds curious interests and
technological processes are means of gaining condence of a people.

On analysing the nds the ritual aspects of the material culture are of great
importance. Many ritual practices are so interlinked with technical processes that
they are considered as an integral part of a given technique. Sometimes they inhibit
the development of new methods and guide them in the line of, predetemined
channels. So any account of a particular occupation of a people gives full weight to
both ritual and ceremonial actions on one hand and to technical processes on the
other. Therefore, the attitudes of the people with respect to their own techniques
and their effects on the practical applications require proper investigation for their
material status.

means of exchange. So the interrelations of all the phases give

the complete picture of the material life of a group of people,
Thus economic, social, magical, religious, legendary and
mythological considerations help in the understanding of the
material culture of a people. All are inter-mingled, inter-related
and inter-Woven with material culture. So material culture is
so intimately connected with the economic, social and religious
conditions of the people that thy am1t b6 SePaTatd in

anthropological studies
P

Every human being primitive or modern to have his existence on earth is in need of
three fundamental necessities i.e. food, shelter and clothing. The study of material
culture helps in understanding the material traits of a culture, origin, distribution
and
enviromnental adaptation. The study of these aspects of material culture of the life
of
people is of great importance and interest not only for intrinsic interest in the values
of the artifacts themselves but also as a mark of invention. According to the local
availability of the raw materials and ecology of the place material life of a place
varies from place to place. The material life of the villagers of Garigram has been
discussed here.
In this short time period it is not possible to cover all the aspect of their material
aspect of their culture. But a selected features and aspect of their material life is
observed by me and this are basic material culture of a community or society. ln this
chapter a brief discussion of material culture of Bhumij of Garigaram is discussed in
the following paragraphs.

F MATERIAL CULTURE AND ITS

B;-\gi3%N CULTURAL ANTHROPOLOGY
Sts from his habitat by means of his technology
Iii/[arcll svtvurff the shelter, the lowing and the appliances h
the oo . h is to survive The objects he makes and um
.f 6 ,
111" have ' RE. In
for these Purposes are termed MATERIAL CULTU short by
the term material culture it means all the objects used or made
.0d'0
by man for his survtval or for suPPTl5'ng an lmpmvmg his
life In other words material culture of a man 1s represented
' his technology Tacrmoroov is the combination of technics
1H - . _
and techniques common to a 81'0"}? devlsed by man for ms
existence Onthis earth Teehnics refer to tools, ll11pllIll1l$
and machines; whereas techniques mean skill So technics
and techniques are mechanical, symbolic and Olg&I1lSa'[l0I1tl.
These three types of technics are always constant factors in an
economy. So mechanical technics are represented by tools,
instruments, implements and machines; Whereas ideas, traditions, sciences and philosophies represent symbolic technics;

and groups and institutions are the manifestations of organisational technics. The employment of the three types of technics
develops three kinds of skills-mechanical, symbolic and organisational techniques. Technology is, therefore, broadly
speaking an enveloping and inclusive term. The study of
technology is essential for an understanding of culture, just as
a comprehension of the material basis of social life is indispensable to those concerned with human group behaviour. Moreover, one has seen that the technological equipment of a mall
gures more than any other aspect of his culture when current
judgments of advancement or retardation are drawn. Thcrc
are various reasons why such judgments are made, but in short
they may be referred to the fact that technology is the only
359 f culture Susceptible of objective evaluationf These
evaluations fuW 3 Patl1'I1 lht, with rise of scientic tradition
-4A

PERSONAL ADORNMENTS
Man does not go blindly into the danger which comes from
the nature or the animals or other men. The faculty of provi_
ding against it has developed in him. He knows how to adapt
the materials in his possessions to make them serve to preserve
his life. He has tried more than one method of survival. But
the law of organic development in the animal kingdom, in the
life of an individual man consists in seeking after food, than
feeling and lastly thinking. The desire to look well by decom.
tion is not a special feature of man alone but many Qther
animals on feeling show their same desire specially during their
gestation period. This is particularly noticed among the birds.
Man is intelligent and superior to all other animals that is why
he uses many artices to look well. Primitive man was rst
nude. d He thought of painting and tattooing the part of the;
body which could be lent to ornamentation. After that scarications, mutilations and deformations came in the mind of man
as a modication to shape. With the gradual progress, he
began to clothe himself for the decorative impulse, then Came
in sense of modesty or self-feeling and also protection against
weather and evil eye.
Painting. It is now common to almost all the primitive
tribes. During festivals the Palayans and the Purayans of South
India paint their faces with various colours and dress themselves
in various costumes to dance before the deity. At a feast the
r

Santals are fond of displaying all colours of a rainbow.

During the prehistoric period the custom of painting the
body was known. Red ochre was the chief article for painting.
Ludwig Stein remarksThe History of cosmetics, dated from
the days of Biblical antiquity and could be traced back to the
man of the ice age. The palaeolithic man was not satised
merely with painting the body but also tattooing was done by
zne int knives.
The motives of painting are as follows :-(i) s Protection against mosquitoes and other insects ;
78

Clothing. Man is not born with his house on his back like

the tortoise or the snail. He cannot cover his body with the
w ll ' f '
oo 3 ur like the sheep or the bear. Even he has no thick
hide like the elephant or the rhinoceros.
The Ona hunts his game guanaco in the snow withoutan);
garment.
The Kirghiz of Turkestan have winter dress of sheep skim
The Eskimos use leather coats in summer and fur in winter.
The Abors and the Nagas of the extreme North East reginn
use fur blankets.
In the tropical region man has to devise suitable protection
against the sun. The people of the upper Nile use helmets
plaited with human hair and topped with ostrich feathers as a
sun protector. In the monsoon ridden and moist laden climate
particularly in lower deltaic Bengal the sons of the soil i.e. the
peasantry group use hat made of palm, cocoanut or hogla
leaves to protect against sun as well as I3.lI1 while working 111
the eld. Besides the climatic conditions, the man has to
protect his body from the attacks of insects. In the tropics he
has to wear sheaths to keep insects off. One uses combs mainly
for decoration but combs are also used to crop out vermin.
In North Eastern India the tribal people like the Khasis, the
Nagas and the Kukis carry burdens by a pack-strap over the
head to prevent chang their foreheads, Foot gear serves as
a protection during travelling. To walk over the snow the
tives of North America, North Japan and East Siberia put

na
on snow shoes. The people of Kashmir use straw shoes and
boots to climb snow capped mountain. Sometimes it is noticed
'r
that the tribal people of Chotanagpar cover the sole of the!
feet with leather against the boulders and gravels, some 1186
bark of betel nut tree against the hard soil for walking.
The most early form of clothing was to cover the bod)
against XPosure, the original idea of which was adornml
and not concealment. At the next stage it is believed that
e.
concealment should be done to protect from the evil ey

Economic Life And Genealogy

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