Tribes of Goa: Their institution and movement

Abstract

The tribes like Gawda, Kunbi and Velip are the first settlers of Goa. It is very difficult to reconstruct their early history as literary sources are not available for the same. The available evidence, particularly archaeological literary and folklore have proved that the tribes are aboriginals of Goa. It is said that the Goan tribes racially belongs to the protoaustraloid group. And also the tribal communities are called as Mull Goenkar i.e. indigenous Peoples meaning the original settlers of Goa. During the period of colonialism, the tribal people also suffered from external and internal invader. The tribal population has contributed to the political, economic and social growth of Goa. However, this aspect of Goa's history is yet to be reconstructed. The present paper deals with the Goan tribes, their institutions and movement. This is based on books, journals, newspaper, and folklore. The data from "Mand" of GKUVD (Gawda, Kunabi, Velip and Dhangar Federation) of Goa is also used here.