A. V. IVANOV Educational and Scientific Center of Social Anthropology (UCSA) of RSUH Keywords: India, Orissa tribes, social structure, marriage rules, traditional beliefs In 2009-2011. I was in India for a Master's degree in Anthropology from the Central University of Hyderabad (the capital of Orissa). The subject of my research was to find a route to the mountainous part of south Orissa. I was able to conduct field research, visit places where the Toda and Bond tribes live. The search for the latter took a long time, but it was not in vain. I would like to tell you about one of the impressions I received in this search. This is a visit to the city of Karaput and get acquainted with one of the local ethnic groups - Porja. Although the main transport hub and necessary offices are located 30 kilometers to the west, in Jaipur 1, but it was Koraput that gave the name to the" undivided " district (un-divided Koraput district), which gives shelter to most of the 62 Orissa tribes. I arrived in this city on a regular bus at night. Koraput is un-Indian quiet. At first I was a little scared by the dark bus station, but a hotel was opened nearby, and in the morning I was greeted by the city - green, clean and, most importantly, quiet. Anyone who has been to India knows that this is really rare. In this country, people do not hide their emotions: they buzz into horns, laugh out loud; every mobile phone plays a song, and everyone sings along. But Koraput doesn't have the hustle and bustle of a large settlement full of shops and advertising, or the boredom of a village with identical intersections. The houses are painted in incredible Indian colors, and during the rainy season they are covered with a moss patina that accentuates the brightness of the colors. Apart from a few central streets that are similar to an ordinary Indian street (where you can buy everything except what you really need), the rest are sparsely populated. The sidewalks are lined with drainage ditches, and be ... Read more