Bryan Levman's article argues that Buddhist scriptures contain significant cultural remnants from India's indigenous Munda, Dravidian, and Tibeto-Burman peoples, which have been obscured by a later "brahmanization" that historicized the Buddha within the dominant Indo-Aryan (IA) tradition. The author identifies this indigenous influence by examining the hostility between IA immigrants and eastern ethnic groups like the Buddha's Sakya clan, whose distinct socio-political organization (*gaṇasaṅgha*), rejection of the Brahmanical class system, and non-Aryan marriage customs are evident in the texts. Furthermore, key Buddhist concepts and practices are traced to autochthonous roots, including the idea of the *Mahāpuruṣa* (Great Man), the veneration of trees and serpents (*nāgas*), the culture of sacred groves, and the unique funeral rites described for the Buddha's *parinibbāna*, all of which differ significantly from Vedic norms.
