The 'Lodha Tribe' is one of the 3 major tribes of 'Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups' (PVTGs) found in Mayurbhanj district of Odisha. The other two tribes of this group are Khadia and Mankidiya.
Lodha literally means 'piece of fish'. They belong to the Munda ethnic group and speak Mundari language. Apart from this, tribes like Kolha, Santhal, Bhumija, Bhatudi, Ho and Gond are also found in this area.
Their major source of livelihood is small forest produce, which usually includes wild mushrooms, fruits, green leaves, tussar silk and Siali fibers. It is noteworthy that Mankidiya tribe makes rope with Siali fiber fir their livelihood.
Recently, their livelihood has been affected due to forest fire in Simlipal Tiger Reserve (Mayurbhanj).