Tribal Odisha

The state of Odisha is located in eastern India, bounded by the Bay of Bengal. A large portion of its population is indigenous. While each tribal community has a unique heritage, the peoples of the 62 defined tribes living in Odisha share certain cultural features that signify a primitive level of existence. In the past, tribal customs and traditions were essentially shielded by the remote locations of villages. However, due to social change, telecommunication, and westernization, the process of acculturation has progressed rapidly, changing the tribes' traditional life styles, economic traits, political organization, norms, and values. This ongoing project is made of images that capture scenes of everyday tribal life while it still harbors vestiges of the past, before these defining traits disappear into modernity. The images in this series were made as I traveled through Odisha with a driver and guide, visiting a number of its districts, villages and markets.