In India, the Constitution now includes special educational safeguards for aboriginals (Mohanty, 2003). Aboriginal communities, commonly denoted as "tribal," constitute roughly 8 percent of the total Indian population. In 1960, the Scheduled Area and Scheduled Tribes Commission was established with the aim of integrating the aboriginal people into the mainstream. It was assumed that formal education would enable the aboriginal people to meet their needs and requirements, especially in a changing world, and that it would be instrumental in reshaping their "quality of life" by integrating them into the mainstream (Sachchidananda, 1990, p. 404). Following the recommendation of the Dhebar Commission, a number of Kanyashrams were opened in India during the fifth five-year plan, 1970-75. This article critically examines the process of institutionalization of aboriginal female children in two sample Kanyashrams in Orissa, an eastern state in India. It analyzes the impact of these Kanyashrams on the lives of their aboriginal inmates. (Contains 3 notes.)