Synopsis From the early fifties there was a spurt of interest among social anthropologists, both Indian and foreign, in village studies, however, covered the tribal communities with this focus. This study seeks to fill this gap for the Chhotanagpur tribal area. It embraces in its wide sweep an extensive coverage of the tribal scene in Bihar. Taking villages predominantly inhabited by different tribes on various socio-economic levels, the author tries to set up the model of an average tribal village in Bihar. He examines the extent to which such a village can be viewed as a unity and also its extensions in various social fields. The danger of studying a village in isolation from its neighbourhood or from its history has been avoided. The entire social process has been analyzed in the background of the history of the region.