Some methodological remarks at the outset should help in the appreciation of the study. Indigenous systems have been presented in simplistic manner, not merely in terms of their differences with Western societal systems but in terms of their internal structures, too. Our use of certain terms like ‘community’, or the topic itself, may evoke popular images like homogeneity or Asiatic mode. But it should be remembered, that such images were often built upon skeletal knowledge about indigenous societies and are, in effect, deterrant to further development of substantive understanding. A second precaution needed is about concepts of development and evolution. The development theories including the Marxist one, have been accused of West-centricity. It will now be rather easily accepted, that the Western experience of development may not be the universal course of development, even though there may exist some fundamental similarities. We shall be concerned here with environment-specific development possibilities. Undoubtedly, they differ from region to region2 and to that extent at least, developmental alternatives available to different regions are different.