In the contemporary technologically advanced world, the Nomadic lifestyle of hunter-gatherers depicts a sharp contrast. Inevitably, the monsoon in Asia forces the nomads to take temporary shelter. The Birhors, one of the nomadic tribes of India are found in Bengal (Purulia), Jharkhand (Ranchi, Hazaribag), Odissa, and Madhya Pradesh. Birhor being a nomadic tribe, their principal occupation is to secure food by hunting. Rope making and monkey catching are their other two favorite occupations of them. The monkey hunt or gari sendra is conducted jointly by the members of the tanda. Initially, the Birhors were nomadic or uthlu in nature however, their close association with settled life and assistance from the Government transformed their livelihood from nomadic to semi-nomadic or settled lifestyle. Moreover, hunting-gathering is possible only when there is dense forest, water sources, and availability of game for hunting and wild roots for gathering. For example, the Birhor tribe in Purulia now not only lives a settled lifestyle but has also become ignorant about their nomadic past, and also by coming in contact with the other neighboring tribe they have now adopted Hindu culture. However, the majority population of the Birhor tribe is found in Jharkhand, Odissa, and MP and they still follow nomadic and semi-nomadic lifestyles. This paper aims to comprehend the transformation of the Birhor tribe from Nomadism to a settled lifestyle. Endeavors have also been taken to analyze the different aspects as well as magnitudes of influence of various elements like climate conditions, Government and non – Government interventions, and socio-cultural practices of neighboring settlements in the very transition.
