Museum of Tribal Arts and Artefacts

9.7 percent of the total tribal population in India resides in Odisha. 22.1 percent of the total population within the state are scheduled tribes (STs). This facet alone makes the museum – also known as the Museum of Man – a highly recommended point of interest. Photography, though, is not permitted within the premises of the museum. The museum is well laid out – wherein you walk around rooms that help familiarise you with the indigenous people’s way of life. There is a collection of the objects and tools the tribals that were used in their everyday life, right from wooden guns to bird traps and wine pipes to cow bells. On the outside of the museum there replicas of homes built by each of the tribal communities.
It is sure to leave you amazed at how much has been made possible by communities who have no access to the kind of technology and infrastructure that is found in the urban centres. The dexterity with which tools had been crafted, and the acumen with which houses were designed or even how the print on fabrics worn were distinct from each other is indeed eye-opening.

The museum also offers an insight into the belief system of the tribal community; for instance, “Mandua Sum” translates to invisible village deity and is the god of the dead.