Paper short abstract:

This paper is about Primitive tribal Group Toto in Indo-Bhutan foothills with only a few more that 1000 population living in Totopara village and their contribution in Jaldapara Wildlife Sanctuary of West Bengal, India.

Paper long abstract:

This paper is about Primitive tribal Group Toto in Indo-Bhutan foothills with only a few more that 1000 population living in Totopara village and their contribution in Jaldapara Wildlife Sanctuary of West Bengal, India. They believe that there are ruins of King Nol.

They do not go in jungle for big game hunting, but actually collect fuel and various yam, jungle potato, catechu and fruits. They once developed cane vegetation and bamboo on slopes. From bamboo they still make baskets essential for this porter tribe. They pray to the hills and river and believe that these natural objects possess spirit, and they yearly offer sacrifices to them. They rare rather livestock including boar and hybrid cattle called Mithun.

They have shifted from slash-and-burn cultivation to Swedish cultivation (Shifting Cultivation) and now terrace cultivation on bench terraces. They preserve protect medicinal and fruit plants, catechu, silk cotton, teak and other wood plants. They from orange orchard agro-forestry have now shifted to areca nut cultivation. They propagate millet and corn followed by rice, wheat and vegetables and even spices. They learnt agriculture so well from Nepali speaking groups, but a major section is fallen under agricultural labour category. Their social system comprises of Kaiji, Gapu, Pau, Yongtong, Yangpui and the commoners that generally avoid destroying ecosystem and if they exploit the resource, they do this with notion of feed back.

Elephant and leopard attacks are not reported in Totopara. Toto people have yet now no criminal record.

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