[The principal authorities on the Khonds are Sir H. Risley's Tribes and
Castes of Bengal, Major-General Campbell's Wild Tribes of Khondistan,
and Major MacPherson's Report on the Khonds of the Districts of Ganjam
and Cuttack (Reprint, Madras Scottish United Press, 1863). When
the inquiries leading up to these volumes were undertaken, the
Central Provinces contained a large body of the tribe, but the bulk
of these have passed to Bihar and Orissa with the transfer of the
Kalahandi and Patna States and the Sambalpur District. Nevertheless,
as information of interest had been collected, it has been thought
desirable to reproduce it, and Sir James Frazer's description of
the human sacrifices formerly in vogue has been added. Much of
the original information contained in this article was furnished
by Mr. Panda Baijnath, Extra Assistant Commissioner, when Diwan
of Patna State. Papers were also contributed by Rai Sahib Dinbandhu
Patnaik, Diwan of Sonpur, Mr. Mian Bhai, Extra Assistant Commissioner,
Sambalpur, and Mr. Charu Chandra Ghose, Deputy Inspector of Schools,
Kalahandi.]