The beautiful state of Orissa houses sixty-two tribal communities with the total tribal population of approximately 7 million. Among these tribal communities, the name of Saora (or Sabar) tribe is mentioned in the Hindu scripture Mahabharata. Few more characteristics of the tribal people of Orissa can be enumerated on the basis of the study and surveys. The tribes of Orissa though belong to 3 linguistic divisions, namely Dravidian, Indo-Aryan, Austric and Tibeto-Burmese. The tribes of Orissa have the tendency to build their houses with bamboo and thatched roofs.

Most of the tribes of Orissa take up occupations to sustain livelihood, mainly adapt to occupations like gathering, hunting and fishing. Tribal communities residing in the hilly areas of Orissa are adept in shifting cultivation. Some of the tribal people are also engaged in handicraft industries or mills. Among these tribal people, some tribes namely the Gadaba and Bondo people possess their own looms and they are engaged in creating clothes for regular use. Moreover, tribal people like Loharas and Mohali have mastered the art of creating tool making and basket weaving, some tribal communities namely Oran, Munda, Santhals and Ho have switched to the factories, industrial occupations and works in mines. Though the tribal people of Orissa reside together, their cultural and traditional background is the things that distinguishes one tribe to another.

Apart from the Eastern Ghats, the tribal people of Orissa mainly reside in Mayurbhanj, three districts of Koraput, and Sundergarh. Just like any other tribal community, these tribal communities of Orissa also regard marriage as an important institution. Several rites and rituals that are associated with it are feted with lots of joy and fervency. The usual practice is to acquire bride through `capture`. However, the tribes of Orissa execute other modes of acquisition like elopement, purchase, service and negotiation are also there. Over the years however, marriages are being fixed through negotiation between both the families of bride and groom and is also getting popular day by day. Payment of bride price is an integral part of tribal marriage.

The tribal communities of Orissa are very much religious minded, widely practicing religion like animism, animalism, nature-worship, fetishism, shamanism, and anthropomorphism. Worship of ancestor too is in vogue among the tribes of Orissa. These tribes of Orissa carry on theses religious practices in order to ensure personal security and happiness. Well being of the whole of the community and also solidarity of the group are duly respected. The tribal people follow a huge number of festivals including the birth ceremony, harvesting, sowing, marriage etc with their tribal dance and songs. In these festivals one of the most important ways of rejoicing is the consumption of Mahua liquor. Their local and tribal deities are worshipped by sacrificing animals. The tribal people are superstitious and they take the `Ojha` of their community seriously to get rid of evil spirits.

One of the most important things in the costumes of the tribal people of Orissa is metal jewellery. Most of the jewelleries are made of brass and aluminum. Tattooing is favoured among the people of the tribal groups. Women wear long cloth, scarves and jewelleries to bedeck themselves.

The main tribes of Orissa are Bondo Poraja which has the tradition of following the practice of elopement at times of marriage. Another tribal community, Bhunjia is conservative and they follow the rules of females and also worship the deities in great enthusiasm. Bondo Poraja is ancient one with a population of about 5 thousand. Bagata tribal community is considered to be one of the native tribes, conversing with each other in Adivasi Oriya language. Chenchu is another tribal community of Orissa and they reside in a special village, known as Penta, clubbed together on kinship basis. Including these tribes, Dal tribes of the Orissa state follow the religion of Hinduism, also practicing rites and rituals of the same religion. Dharua tribes live specially in the Malkangiri district, chiefly talking with each other in Dharua language.

Moreover, there are some other tribal communities who serve a lot to develop the cultural life of the tribes of Orissa. Several districts of Orissa, namely Puri, Kalahandi etc are hubs of several Holva tribal communities, which is also popular as Kotia. Some tribal people namely the Jatapu tribes speak their indigenous language and Oriya language. Bnadhu and kotumba are the two distinctive totemic clans of Juang tribal community. Another tribal group, Koli, has been divided into distinctive tribal groups, namely, Sea koli, Hill Koli etc. Apart from these tribal groups, Orissa comprises Parenga, Paroja, Saora Tribe, Sitha Khanda, Sounti, Tadvi. Among them Saora tribes, amidst their rich heritage ennobles the ethnicity of Orissa and Sabar tribal community is one of the primitive tribes of the Indian subcontinent, also known to many as Kariya. The people of Sitha Khanda follow Christian religion most fervently. The tribal community, Tadvi stands for `one who taps the palm tree`. These people fall in to the category of forest tribal community and the society of these Tadvi tribes are the followers of the rules and norms of almost all the tribal populous of India. Sounti tribe is one of the main tribes that reside in the Keonjhar district of Orissa.