The Personality of India: Pre- and Proto-historic Foundation of India and Pakistan c14.s2.24

c14.s2.24

Besides, we should not forget that the so-called tribal areas are also the chief sources of raw materials like minerals and timber. This has probably enabled a harmonious development of the higher cultures of the plains and the lower cultures of the hills and forests, maintaining each other's economy and institutions without much interference. Since none of the Indian tribes use or manufacture chipped stone implements and weapons, it is a very moot point to consider when this change took place. But if one were to see the very rapid spread of metals after their introduction, the chances of a long survival of stone tools are remote. But this problem needs to be investigated as an essential adjunct to our Prehistoric studies. To give a single example, which can be easily verified, it is the Chakradharpur area of the Chota Nagpur basin in the valleys of Sanjaya and Vijaya. In the summer of 1953, it was noticed that none of the Uraon and other tribal village sites yielded any stone implements and at the abandoned sites in the vicinity of the rivers an entirely new type of pottery different from that in current use occurred. At these sites we made a large collection of stone implements. Probably small scale soundings in selected tribal areas will solve this problem.