The Bonda

One of India's oldest tribal communities

Malkangiri, Odisha

The Bonda — also known as the Bondo or Remo — are one of India's most ancient and isolated tribal communities, living in the remote hills of the Malkangiri district in southern Odisha. Their territory, known as Bonda Ghati, is a cluster of villages in the Eastern Ghats, accessible only by difficult mountain roads.

Genetic studies suggest that the Bonda may be among the oldest continuous human populations outside Africa, with lineages tracing back over 60,000 years. Their language, Remo, is classified as a language isolate within the Austro-Asiatic family — meaning it shares no close relatives with any other known language. It is spoken by fewer than 10,000 people.

Bonda women are immediately recognizable by their distinctive appearance: shaved heads, heavy brass and bead necklaces stacked from collarbone to chin, and minimal clothing that has remained unchanged for centuries. This is not poverty — it is identity. The ornaments are passed down through generations and carry deep cultural meaning.

The Bonda have historically resisted outside influence with fierce independence. Contact with the outside world has been limited and often fraught. In recent decades, the Indian government has worked to bring basic services — schools, healthcare, roads — to Bonda Ghati, with mixed results and ongoing debate about how to balance development with cultural preservation.

What is not debated is this: the Bonda are living history. In a world that moves faster every year, they remain — in their hills, in their language, in their ornaments — a thread connecting the present to the very beginning of the human story.