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6
Indian Ethnicity and Religious Heritage
passing through Indonesia, Polinesia and Malainesia leaving some migrating groups in these areas.
So far as India is concerned, Nigritos are practically wiped out. It can be reasonably inferred that they were wiped out by Proto-Austroids who followed them or were intergrated with them. Some ramannts of this race (Nigritos) are still noticed in some tribals of South India, Nagas of Nagaland and Andaman Islands, Cochin and Travancore Hills.
It appears that they were unsettled nomades and were at the first step of the ladder of civilization, not knowing the art of agriculture. They were roaming in jungles in search of food and were thriving on tree fruits and small creatures found in forests. They are, therefore, described as food gatherers rather than food producers.
Scholars believe that they were in India some seven thousand to ten thousand years ago in solithic Age.
Q. What was the contribution of proto-Australoids to the primitive culture of India?
Among all the pre-historic races, which race had the most significant impact on the culture of India?
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