Int.J.Curr.Microbiol.App.Sci (2020) 9(3): 2153-2158 2153 Original Research Article https://doi.org/10.20546/ijcmas.2020.903.246 Sacrifice of Poultry Birds by Tribals of Koraput District of Odisha, India J. Mishra 1 , B. C. Das 1 * and K. K. Sardar 2 1 Department of Veterinary and Animal Husbandry Extension, 2 Department of Pharmacology & Toxicology, College of Veterinary Science & Animal Husbandry, Odisha University of Agriculture and Technology, Bhubaneswar, Odisha, India *Corresponding author ABSTRACT Introduction Every religion nurtures the traditional rituals as a mark of its identity. Remembering one‘s own roots is signified by the old practices. This is a sign of belongingness to a certain group or community. Tribal world has long been glued to their religious beliefs and practices which have been inherited from their forefathers. These people strongly believe that nature, spirits and human beings are not separate entities. They co-exist as a singular organism with subtle level of dependence. So, the primitive people show reverence towards nature and unseen spirits. In Sikkim, Lepcha tribes of Buddhist philosophy, believe that supernatural beings reside in every mountain, hilltop, lake and river. They worship the pious spirits in a way to show their gratitude for their blessings. There is a common belief which says red offerings such as blood and meat are preferred International Journal of Current Microbiology and Applied Sciences ISSN: 2319-7706 Volume 9 Number 3 (2020) Journal homepage: http://www.ijcmas.com Sacrifice of animals and birds for socio-cultural and religious events have long been an indispensable part of human civilization. The present exploratory investigation was directed in this direction to study poultry sacrifices among the tribal people of Koraput district-a tribal dominated area of Southern Odisha. Six tribal people who facilitate religious practices for the tribal people were taken as cases for this study. They were selected on the basis of having long duration of practising the rituals for benefit of the community. To maintain the sanctity and efficacy of the sample, care was taken to cover people of different villages with their own unique effect to the generally accepted practices. The study culminated in the conclusion that, the ancient belief still has its palpable presence among the tribal people of Koraput, even after the effect of modern outlook and rapid development. Keywords Tribes, Sacrifice, Poultry, Koraput Accepted: 15 February 2020 Available Online: 10 March 2020 Article Info