INSTITUTIONS OF ANTHROPOLOGY AND ETHNOLOGY
The Anthropological Survey is a subordinate office of the Department of Culture. with its headquarters it Calcutta. It is a specialised agency for conducting advanced scientific research in anthropology. It conducts study and surveys of the tribes and other communities of India. It acts as a clearing house and coordination centre at national level for all agencies in the field of anthropology.
The National Museums of Man has been set up as a subordinate office where man and his activities from the earliest pre-historic times to present day shall be dealt with taking into account the biological and cultural development of man, considering man in the total perspective of mankind.
Two Advisory Committees have been set up to advise the institutions.
Anthropological Survey of India,
Calcutta The anthropological Survey of India started functioning as an independent unit since December 1, 1945, under the administrative control of the then Department of Education, Government of India. At present it has seven regional offices and one sub-regional office located at different parts of the country with headquarters at Calcutta. Since its inception it has been conducting researches to record and understand the bio culture diversities of Indian population and to serve as information bank for national planning and development. It further endeavours to unearth, preserve and study the ancient skeletal remains in the context of bio cultural history of Indian population. The Survey also carries out field and laboratory based investigations among the Indian population with emphasis on tribes and weaker sections on the Problems of contemporary relevance. It organises training courses, acts as a Clearing House and publish" the result of the researches. The Survey also collects, documents and displays ethnographic materials through its museums located at the headquarters and Regional and Sub-Regional Offices.
Physical Anthropology The research activities of physical anthropology division were several and varied. During the, year under review the skeletal remains obtained from Maski, Ujjain and Kausambi were chemically treated for preservation. Skeletal remains from Kalibangan, a site of Ganganagar district, Rajasthan, were studied in the osteological Laboratory. The data on ethnicity, language, state, origin, height, and chest girth were partly analysed- in consultation with all India Bio-anthropological Survey.
The Collaborative project 'Portrait Building System" was taken up with the Bureau of Police Research, and Development (Ministry of Home Affairs) for developing kits for identification on the basis of morphological traits. Under this project field work was undertaken in Jammu and Kashmir, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Tamilnadu, Mizoram and. Manipur to collect photographs of front and profile views from. different populations of the country. Field investigations were undertaken in Assam, West Bengal and Bihar under the project "Biological Studies for Migrant for population" to study the environmental effect on human physique. The first phase of field work has been completed among the individuals of Nicobar Islands who were studied 22 years ago to assess the effect of ageing of human body. Studies on growth and development were conducted among the tribes of Madhya Pradesh (Children only), Orissa, Chotha-Nagpur, Tribals settled in Andamans, Mopla Muslims and rural and urban girls of lower Assam. Investigation were conducted on different blood group system, haemoglobin.
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variants, colour vision deficiencies of various castes, tribes and communities from different parts of India to study the diverse nature of physical characters. A study was completed on the incidence of breast cancer among the patients of cancer hospital, Calcutta.
Effect of parental consanguinity on dermatographic characters were studied among the selected population of Andhra Pradesh. Demographic researches were conducted among the population of Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, West Bengal, Orissa, Minicoy Islands, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Rajasthan, Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh. Investigations on nutritional studies among the Dubla and Kokni of Gujarat, the Kawar and Bhil of Madhya Pradesh were completed and research reports were under preparation. The second round of field investigations were conducted among the Nokte, Digaru Mishmi, Khamti, Singpho, Wancho, and Idu Mishmi of Arunachal 'Pradesh under the project. "Survey of Indigenous Health Practices".
Cultural Anthropology During the year under review, research activities of Cultural Anthropology Division were centred round three all India projects, namely (1) Ethnography; Structure and Process, (2) Weaving in India and (3) Tribes in Contemporary India and three regional projects, namely, (a) Karens of Middle Andamans and their habitat, economy and society, (b) Habitat, economy and society of the Malwa Region in the Upper Chamba Valley and (c) Agrarian Situation in Karnataka. These apart, researches were conducted on eighteen individual projects, three of which were collaborative in nature. Field investigations in connection with the project "Ethnography : Structure and Process" were completed on eighteen ethnic groups from ten states and a comprehensive report was under preparation. After completion of field work on fifteen ethnic groups over ten states in connection with the project "Weaving in India" data were being analysed and the report writings were in progress. Researchers of this Division also conducted field investigations on ten tribes in connection with the project "Tribes in Contemporary India". Nine regional studies including those on the Onge, Karen, Naga and the Gond were in progress. Data on "Culture trait and culture area survey" were being analysed. Eighteen research papers were submitted by the members of this Division, out of which sixteen were presented to the seminar on "Environmental Anthropology" at North Western Region, Dehradun organised by the Survey.
Report on "Shifting Cultivation in India" was completed and it was being edited. Field investigations were conducted among different ethnic groups of Jammu and Kashmir, Sikkim, Himachal Pradesh, and Arunachal Pradesh in connection with the project "Human Adaptation in Extreme Climate" to evaluate the relation between environment and human activities, Field work in connection with the project "Congnitive style and Personality Dimension of Bhatra and Gond" of Chindawara Madhya Pradesh was completed and the report was under preparation. A report on the project "Origin and the Etymology of the Bhil" Was completed.
Museum Preservation, maintenance and documentation of ethnographic materials of the central and zonal anthropological museums were done. An exhibition was arranged on the life and culture of the Minicoy Islanders by Zonal Museum of Southern Regional Office at Mysore during the 69th Session of Indian Science Congress Association.
Library During this year 510 books, 1789 issues of journals and 97 reprints were added to the Library. Reference and information service was rendered to research scholars. About 1000 clippings were added to free files which were regularly consulted for research work. Four bibliographies were completed such as (1) Bibliography of the Rabha (2) Bibliography of Dr. D. K. Sen, (3) Bibliography of Dr. Panchanan Mitra and (4) Bibliography of Antro- pological researches in India. Four retrospective bibliographies were under Preparation.
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Printing and Publication During the year under, review five books including one Hindi and four numbers of the bulletin. were published through printing and publication section. These apart, one booklet on environmental anthropology seminar (abstract volume) and one Newsletter of the Survey were brought out.
Fellowship Programmes During the year 1982-83 the Survey awarded one Fellowship, two Senior. Research Fellowships and Fourteen Junior Research Fellowships to the scholars to conduct research in Anthropology and allied disciplines.
Other Activities The Survey organised a three-day Seminar on "Environmental Anthropology" at the North Western Regional Office, Dehradun from September 8 to 10, 1982. The purpose of the Seminar was to bring together information on the bio cultural diversities, of man. in relation, to his environment. The Seminar, entailed a Multi- disciplinary approach and papers were presented from different fields such as physical Anthropology, Cultural Anthropology, Palaeoanthropology, Demography, Human Geography, Linguistics, Psychology etc. All aspects of environment i.e. biotic and cultural environment were considered.
National Museum Man, Bhopal The National Museum of Man is a Subordinate Office of the Department of Culture. This institutions was set up in 1977 to deal with man and his activities from his earliest pre-historical times, with its main focus on topics like (a) Evolution of Man and Human Variation (b) Man and Culture (c) Material Culture, Indian unity and diversity.
In January, 1982 the Advisory Committee of the National Museum of Man decided to have a second look at the Plan outline drawn in 1977, with the assistance of a sub-committee of experts in the fields of Anthropology and related disciplines. The Experts Sub-Committee while endorsing the broad framework, emphasised the uniqueness of the Museum as an Institution. having been conceived as an organic whole; growing as a movement to tell the story of humankind, highlighting human (a) biological and (b) cultural evolution with particular reference to India.
Within the framework of the Plan it was decided to organise the undermentioned exhibitions as a first step, towards operationalisation of the Museum
1. Exhibition of Tribal Habitat..
2. Exhibition of painted Rock-shelters within the site of the Museum,
3. Exhibition of Extinct Hominids.
4. Exhibition of a few pre-historical sites specially one neolithic and one megalithic, by transplantation.
The activities of the Museum were therefore oriented towards the achievement of the above task. Various Tribal Research Institutes were contacted to mist in,organising the Tribal Habitat Exhibition and in two cases the material for the construction of dwelling types has been received. There are already 3 dwellings and one camping hut constructed as part of the planned exhibition. Field parties have conducted ethnographic documentation among the Tharu and Raji of U.P. Hills and collected few ethnographic specimen.
Archaeological excavation in one of the rock- shelters in the site was carried out. The excavated area would be preserved as such as in evidence of occupation of the rock-shelters by pre- historic people. A field party was also sent to the neolithic site of Gufkral in Kashmir valley, where excavation id being conducted by Archeological Survey of India, with a view to transplanting the site as an exhibition in the site of the Museum with the assistance of Archaeological Survey of India.
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The Museum continued the work of plantation and restoration of the vegetation in the site as part of the programme of environmental and land- scape preservation.
Planning of indoor-galleries in the rented accommodation presently housing the Museum has also been taken up so that thematic exhibition could be arranged as a part of operationalisation programme of the Museum. One small exhibition on musical instruments had been arranged.
Selection of an architect and the finalisation of the concept and objective were, two important accomplishments during the year, since translating the concept and objectives into an integrated architectural and landscape masterplan would be the first basic requirement for the Museum to arrive at the take off stage.
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