Health Education and Quality of Life: The Santal Community in Bengal

The Santals of Bengal are a Scheduled Tribe. The tribe is characterized by a clan –lineage based segmentary social system. The interpersonal and intergroup relationships of the people are primarily based on their kinship status. Kinship plays a dominant role in material transactions. The clans are autonomous yet complementary to one another. Households are the primary production and consumption units of the Santal. But agricultural and most other productive activities of the individual households are tied to the socio-political and ritual institutions of the village community. The people do not perceive any social stratification among them; ideologically they are egalitarian. They are partilineal and patrilocal. Monogamy is the rule among the Santal. Women have freedom to choose their partners. There is also a custom of bride-price among these people. This paper attempts to throw light on the Santal community in India focusing on the parameter of health, education and standard of living.