Tribal of India

The tribes are the autochthonous people of the land who are believed to be the earliest settlers in Indian peninsula. They are generally called adivasis, implying original inhabitants. The ancient and medieval literature mention a large number of tribes living in India. Before the introduction of the castes system during Brahminic Age, people were divided into various tribes. A tribe was a homogeneous and self contained unit without any hierarchical discrimination.

      According to 2011 census, the scheduled tribes (ST) constitute about 8.6 per cent of the total population in India. The proportion of ST population was 8.02 per cent in 2001. The proportion of the STs in total population in 2011 was the highest in Mizoram (94.4 per cent), Lakshadweep (93.8 per cent), Nagaland (87.5 per cent), Meghalaya (86.1 per cent), Dadra and Nagar Haveli (52 per cent) and Arunachal Pradesh (68.8 per cent). In all these states/union territories they constituted more than half of the total population. Haryana, Punjab, Delhi, Chandigarh and Pondicherry had no ST population. Goa and Uttar Pradesh also have very small populations of scheduled tribes, the proportion of the STs in the total population in these states being less than 0.25 per cent. In terms of their total numbers the STs are most numerous in Madhya Pradesh followed by Maharashtra and Orissa. The largest population of STs among the union territories is in Dadra and Nagar Haveli.

     

      The total number of individual ethnic groups etc. notified as STs is 705 and the population of STs in India as a whole in 2011 was 104.3 million while it was 84.3 million in 2001.

      Although some of the tribal people have joined the national mainstream, a majority of them live in different parts of India under almost primitive conditions. It is believed that the tribal people are the direct descendants of various primary racial stocks. Most of the tribes of India are believed to have been related to the Proto-Australoid group and are thus among the most ancient people of the country. The Mongoloids are the second major source race of the tribal people. Some of the tribals owe their ancestory to the Negrito race. The people with a Negrito ancestry are the fewest in number. In fact, their number is declining further. Most of the tribal population lives in relatively less accessible areas with low resource potential. They have perhaps been pushed into these areas of less hospitable environment by the groups that came later and had a better technology at their disposal. The later arrivals like the Dravidians, Indo-Aryans and even the Mongoloids who came from west, northwest and northeast, respectively, pushed the earlier inhabitants to the forest tracts of central and southern India. Today the tribals are found living in forested and hilly regions that have a low agricultural potential. A belt of such areas covers the entire Satpuras extending south of the Central Plateaus on the eastern boundary of Gujarat and eastwards and westwards up to the Vindhyas. The northeastern hilly region (Assam region) is the second major area of concentration of tribal population. On the basis of geographical location or distribution, Indian tribes are divided into three broad groups:

·         Northern and Northeastern region

·         Central region

·         Southern region

      Northern and Northeastern Region. This region includes the tribes inhabiting the Himalayan foothills region in the north and the hilly tracts in northeast along Indo-Myanmar (Burma) border. The region thus includes the hilly areas of Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram, Meghalaya, Tripura and Manipur. The major tribal groups of this zone are Garo, Daffla, Naga, Lushai, Kuki, Khasi, Amor, Miri and Mikir. In West Bengal, Bihar and Sikkim are found people belonging to Munda, Lepcha, Kharia, Orab, Birhor, Santhalo, Bhuia, Asur and Birja tribes. The Tharu, Bhuia and Bhoksa or Buksa, Karvo, Jaunsari, Manjhi, Bhotia and Birkol tribes are found in the hilly regions of Uttaranchal. Khasas are a polyandrous tribe of this region while Gujjars are a pastoral tribe.

      Central Region. This is the second major belt occupying the hilly and forested regions extending between the valleys of the Narmada and the Godavari. This zone separates the northern Indian plains from the peninsular plateau region. Tribals of Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh, Southern Rajasthan, northern Maharashtra, Bihar, Jharkhand and Orissa are included in this group. The major tribes include Asur, Baiga, Birhor, Oraon, Munda, Bhil, Santhal, Daffer, Patelia, Meo, Rawat, Bhilara, Maria, Gond, etc.

      Southern Region. This region includes the tribal inhabited parts of the peninsular plateau region. Among the tribes living in this zone are included the tribes of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu. Toda, Gond, Parja, Lambari, Irula, Chenchu, Sumali and Puniyan are the important tribal groups inhabiting this region.

      In additional to the three major regions, some tribal people also inhabit parts of Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir region. Among them are included the tribes of Kinnar, Gaddi, Lahaula, Bakkarwal and Laddaki. People of Jarab, Jong, Zarawa, Andamani and Nicobari tribes inhabit tribal pockets of Andaman and Nicobar Island.