GADABA TRIBE - DOCUMENTATION

- Koraput, Odisha

Introduction

The Gadabas are an ethnic group from eastern India. The subgroups of the gadaba tribe include Bada gadaba, Sana gadaba, Gutab gadaba, Farenga gadaba and Allar gadaba. The Gadabas migrated to their present habitat from the banks of the river Godavari. In Saora dialect, the word ‘go‘ signifies greatness and ‘do‘ signifies water.

Appearance

The women wear long strips of clothing commonly called ‘Kerang‘ (prepared from kerang fibre) tied around the waist and other piece of cloth, worn around the bosom. The men use a small piece of cloth called the ’lunguti’ with a flap that hangs down in front.