Several Indian tribes are now at the threshold of assimilation with the larger dominant groups neighbouring them, while many who have succeeded in preserving their tribal identity and maintaining a continuity with adapting to the values of modern culture are finding it difficult to survive as they have in the past. There are very few tribes that earn their livelihood by performing art and music, and one such tribe is the Beda of Ladakh, which is on the verge of extinction. The low-income occupation and social exclusion of the Beda tribe invite the attention of the present paper. It also tries to underline the settlement of the Bedas in Ladakh, different factors that caused the decline in their musical tradition, and the shift in their occupational orientation like intra-societal marginalisation, discrimination, extraneous cultural inroads, etc.
