EDEN IAS Anthropology Optional

ANTHROPOLOGY OPTIONAL – PAPER II

LIST OF IMPORTANT TRIBES IN INDIA

STATE WISE LIST OF IMPORTANT TRIBAL PEOPLE IN INDIA

STATE/ UT TRIBAL GROUPS

1. Jammu and Kashmir Balti, Beda, Brokpa, Drokpa, Changpa, Gujjars, Bakarwals, Gaddis.

2. Ladakh Balti Beda, Bot, Brokpa (Drokpa) Changpa, Garra, Mon and
Purigpa

3. Himachal Pradesh Gujjars, Lahaulas, Khas, Pangwala, Lamba, Gaddis

4. Rajasthan Bhils, Damaria, Dhanka, Meenas(Minas), Patelia, Sahariya.

5. Gujarath Katkaris, Patelia, Bhil, Dhodia, Bamcha, Barda,

6. Maharastra Warlis, Khond, Bhaina, Katkari, Bhunjia, Rathawa, Dhodi

7. Karnataka Parivaras, Talwaras, Siddhis, Gond, Patelia, Barda, Yerava, Bhil,

Koraga, Adiyan, Iruliga.

8. Kerala Irulas, Kurumabas, Malai, Aarayan, Arandan, Uralis, Arandan,

Eranvallan

9. Tamil Nadu Kotas, Todas ,Kanikar, Adiyan, Aranadan, Eravallan, Irular, Kadar.

10. Andhra Pradesh Chenchus ,Yerukula, Sugalis, Bhil, Gond, Andh , Bhaghata , Koya,
Konda Reddis.

11. Telangana Chenchus ,Gonds, Bhils, Yanadis , Yerukula, Koya, Banjara,

Lambadi.

12. Madhya Pradesh Kharia, Muria, Birhors, Baigas Bhi, Kol, Khond, Gonds.

13. Chhattisgarh Nagasia, Biar, Khond, Agariya, Bhattra, Mawasi, Bhaina,

Dr. Suresh Gurramkonda Sir

EDEN IAS Anthropology Optional

14. Odisha Gadaba, Ghara, Kharia, Khond, Oraons, Santhals

15. Jharkhand Gonds, Birhors, Mundas, Santhals, Khaira, Bhumji

16. West Bengal Asur, Khond, Hos, Parhaiya, Rabha, Santhals, Savar.

17. Uttarakhand Bhotias, Buksa, Jaunsari, Khas, Raji, Tharu.

18. Uttar Pradesh Bhotia, Buksa, Jaunsari, Kol, Raji, Tharu.

19. Bihar Gond, Birjia, Asur, Savar, Parhaiya, Chero, Birhor, Santhals, Baiga.

20. Sikkim Bhutias, Khasas, Lepchas.

21. Assam Khasis, Chakma, Dimasa, Gangte, Garos, Hajong.

22. Arunachal Pradesh Daflas , Miris , Mishmis, Abors, , Apatanis , Mikir

23. Nagaland Nagas, Angami, Sema, Garo, Kuki, Kachari, konyak naga.

24. Manipur Thadou, Aimol, Maram, Paite, Chiru, Purum, Kuki, Monsang,
Angami

25. Mizoram Dimasa, Raba, Chakma, Lakher, Khasi, Synteng, Kuki, Pawai.

26. Tripura Bhil, Bhutia, Chaimal, Chakma, Halam, Khasia, Lushai, Mizel,
Namte.

27. Meghalaya Pawai, Chakma, Raba, Hajong, Lakher, Garos, Jaintias, Khasis.

28. Andaman and Andamanese, Onges, Sentinelese, Shompens , Jarawas ,

Nicobar Nicobarese.

Dr. Suresh Gurramkonda Sir

EDEN IAS Anthropology Optional

SOME IMPORTANT TRIBES IN NEWS – INDIA

DONGRIA KONDH TRIBES

• A Recent Supreme Court order triggered panic among forest dwellers over possible eviction,
however Odisha’s Dongria Kondh tribals have resolved to resist any attempt to force them
out.
• Dongria Konds people are members of the Kondhs, of the Munda ethnic group.
• They are the inhabitants of the Niyamgiri hills Odisha . Niyamgiri is a hill ranges of the
Rayagada and Kalahandi District in Odisha.
• Language: The people of Niyamgiri use Kui language. Kui language is not written, but it is
spoken among the people of Kondh community.

Vedanta mining issue & Dongria Khonds:

• Mining dispute: They have been at the centre of a dispute over mining rights in the area.
• Vedanta Resources planned to extract the estimated $2billion-worth of bauxite that lies
under the surface of the hills.
• The company planned to create an open-cast mine that would have violated Niyam Dongar,
disrupted its rivers and spelt the end of the Dongria Kondh as a distinct people

ASUR TRIBES FROM JHARKHAND

• The Asur tribe has been using mobile radio to transmit local news and songs which is helping
them revive the dying tribal language
• Asur Tribe are an Austroasiatic ethnic group living primarily in the Indian state of Jharkhand.
• They are included in the list of Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTG’s).
• They speak the Asuri language which is on the verge of extinction with less than 8,000 people
speaking it.
• The main festival of the tribe includes Sarhul, Phagua, Navakhans among others.

JARAWA TRIBES OF ANDAMAN ISLANDS

• The Jarawa tribes are indigenous population inhabiting south and middle Andaman Islands.
• They are a nomadic tribe and hunt endemic wild pigs, monitor lizards and other quarry with
bows and arrows.
• They have largely shunned interaction with outsiders but recently have started peaceful
contact.
• They are recognised as an Adivasi group and is a designated scheduled tribe.
• They are believed to have split from their parent Jangil tribe which became extinct.
• Traditionally Jarawas are hunter-forager-fishermen.
• They are also reputed as warriors and uncompromising defenders of their territory.
• Besides meat and seafood, Jarawas collect fruit, tubers and honey from the forest.

Dr. Suresh Gurramkonda Sir

EDEN IAS Anthropology Optional

• They are believed to have survived the tsunami.

Why in News?

• The Upgradation of the Andaman Trunk Road, a key to exploit tourism potential threatens
Jarawas and the forest ecosystem.

CHANGPA TRIBES – LADAKH PASTORALIST TRIBES

• The Changpa tribes of Ladakh are high altitude pastoralists, raising mainly yaks and goats.
The Changpa speak Changskhat, a dialect of Tibetan, and practice Tibetan Buddhism.

Why in News?

• The Chinese Army has taken over 16 kanals (two acres) of cultivable land in Chumur and
advanced around 15 km inside Demchok, taking over traditional grazing pastures and
cultivable lowlands.
• In a cascading effect, this has resulted in a sharp rise in deaths of young Pashmina goats this
year in the Korzok-Chumur belt of Changthang plateau in Ladakh.
• This incursion has destabilized the annual seasonal migration of livestocks, including yaks
and Pashmina goats.

ABHUJ MARIA TRIBES – CHATTISGARH

• The Chhattisgarh government is processing habitat rights for Abujh Marias, a Particularly
Vulnerable Tribal Group (PVTG)
• AbujhMarias is a PVTG community, they are entitled to the habitat rights under FRA.
• Abujhmarh, where this tribe lives, is considered by the government to be one of the last
remaining strongholds of Left-wing extremism.
• Abujh Marias have their own governance structure.
• The Abujhmarh forest is spread over 1,500 square miles in the Bastar region of Chhattisgarh.

BRU TRIBES

• They are also known as Reangs. They are spread across the northeastern states of Tripura,
Assam, Manipur, and Mizoram.
• They are one of the 21 scheduled tribes of the Indian state of Tripura.
• In Tripura, they are recognized as a Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group (PVTG).
• They speak the Reang dialect of Bru language which is of Tibeto-Burmese origin and is locally
referred to as Kau Bru.
• A 1997 intercommunity ethnic violence forced thousands of people from the Bru tribe to
leave their homes in Mizoram.
• The displaced Bru people from Mizoram have been living in various camps in Tripura since
1997.

Dr. Suresh Gurramkonda Sir

EDEN IAS Anthropology Optional

Why in News?

• Recently an agreement was signed between Union Government, Governments of Tripura

and Mizoram and Bru-Reang representatives to end the 23-year old Bru-Reang refugee
crisis

SAHARIYA TRIBES

• Saharias are a particularly vulnerable tribal group (PVTG) of India live in the states of Madhya
Pradesh & Rajasthan.
• They are also found Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, and the Plains
division of Assam.
• The Saharia people of Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan are the largest among the PVTGs with
population more than 4 lakhs
• They speak the Munda language that belongs to the Austro-Asiatic language family.

Why in News?

• An Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) study revealed that, among Saharias, TB
prevalence is an alarming 1,995 per 1,00,000 persons.
• Saharia tribe miners in Madhya Pradesh have appealed to the government to treat them for
silicosis rather than Tuberculosis.

GUJJAR TRIBES

• Gujjars are distributed across Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir.
• The Gurjars/Gujjars are tribal group with both Hindu and Muslim segments.
• They mainly practise pastoral and dairy farming.
• Practice transhumance

VAN GUJJARS :

• The Van Gurjars (“forest Gurjars”) are found in the Shivalik hills area of Uttarakhand.
• The Van Gurjars follow Islam, and they have their own clans, similar to the Hindu gotras.
• They are a pastoral semi-nomadic community, practising transhumance.

SANTHAL TRIBES

• Santhal tribes belongs to West Bengal, Bihar, Orissa, Jharkhand and Assam.
• Santhals are the First tribe to offer stern resistance to British during 1855 – 56 Santhal
rebellion which resulted in creation of separate Santhal Paragans district.
• They speak Santhali, which is a Austro- Asiatic language.
• They are engaged in hunting, fishing and cultivation for their livelihood
• They have no temples of their own. They even do not worship any idols.
• Santhals follow the Sarna religion.

Dr. Suresh Gurramkonda Sir

EDEN IAS Anthropology Optional

GOND TRIBES

• Gonds are one of the largest tribal groups in the world.

• They are mostly live in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh,
Gujarat, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal and Odisha.
• They speak Gondi language which is related to the Telugu and the other Dravidian languages.
In the northern parts Gonds are often seen speaking the local Hindi.
• Their staple food is two kinds of millet: kodo and kutki.
• They are largely influenced by the Hindus and for the long time have been practicing the
Hindus culture and traditions , Rice is mostly consumed during festival feasts.
• Festivals: Keslapur Jathra, Madai, Pola etc

BHIL TRIBES

• Bhils are Popularly known as the bow men of Rajasthan .

• The Bhil are one of the largest tribal groups, living in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat,
Karnataka, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Rajasthan.
• The name is derived from the word ‘billu’, which means bow.
• The Bhil are known to be excellent archers coupled with deep knowledge about their local
geography.
• Traditionally, experts in guerrilla warfare, most of them today are farmers and agricultural
labourers. They are also skilled sculptors.

Why in News?

• Recent controversial references to the Bhil tribe by Madhya Pradesh Public Service
Commission (MPPSC) has received severe criticism

MEENAS

• Meena tribes are one of the most excluded tribes .They belongs to Rajasthan and Madhya
Pradesh geographically.
• Meenas claim a mythological descent from the Matsya avatar, or fish incarnation, of Vishnu.
They also claim to be descendants of the people of the Matsya Kingdom.
• In Rajasthan, the Meena caste members oppose the entry of Gurjars into Scheduled Tribe fold,
fearing that their own share of Scheduled Tribe reservation benefits will be eroded.
• These are one of the most excluded tribes who are not only isolated but also still primitive in
their living.

Dr. Suresh Gurramkonda Sir

EDEN IAS Anthropology Optional

SIDDHI TRIBES

• They are distributed across Karnataka, Gujarat, Hyderabad, Pakistan .

• The Siddi community is also known by different synonyms such as Habshi and Badsha.
• In India, the Union government in 2003, classified Siddis under the list of Scheduled Tribes.
• They are included in the Centre’s list of Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups
• The siddi Members are descended from the Bantu peoples of the East African region.
• Some were merchants, sailors, indentured servants, slaves and mercenaries.
• Siddis are primarily Muslims, although some are Hindus and others belong to the Catholic
Church.

Why in News?

• Recently, the Lok Sabha passed the Constitution (Scheduled Tribes) Order (Second
Amendment) Bill, 2019.
• It seeks to include the Parivara and the Taliwara communities in the Scheduled Tribes (ST)
category to ensure they get a reservation and other benefits provided by the government.
• The Siddi tribes of Belagavi and Dharwad would also be included in the category apart from
those living in the Uttar Kannada districts of Karnataka.

WARLI TRIBES

• Warli tribes are distributed across Maharasthra, Gujarat, Dadra and Nagar Haveli
• The Warli were traditionally semi-nomadic.
• They lived together in small-scale groups with a headman leading them.
• However, recent demographic changes have transformed the Warli today into mainly
agriculturists.
• The Warli speak in warli language, classified as Konkani, with some degree of influence from
the Gujarati language.
• They are famous for Warli Painting which uses set of geometric shapes like circle, triangle,
square etc

BODO TRIBES

• Bodo tribes are inhabitants of Assam

• They belong to Indo-Mongoloid family. It is believed that their origin was Tibet and China.
• The speak Bodo language that is derived Tibeto Burmese family of language.
• Most of them are engaged in rice cultivation, tea plantation and poultry farming. Women
engage themselves in weaving.

Dr. Suresh Gurramkonda Sir

EDEN IAS Anthropology Optional

APATANI TRIBES

• Apatanis are from ArunachalPradesh

• They are settled agriculturists inhabiting the valley around Ziro-the headquarters of Lower
Subansiri district.
• They are famous for wet rice cultivation practice & Their wet rice cultivation has been
proposed for inclusion in UNESCO world heritage list .
• They practice permanent wetland cultivation in hilly terrain by slicing the hills.
• They are loyal followers of the Donyi-Polo faith, who pray to the Sun and the Moon
• Men of other tribes would often steal the Apatani women, which led the Apatani men to tattoo
the faces of their women and make them wear massive nose plugs, in order to make them less
appealing.

LEPCHA TRIBES

• Lepcha tribes lives majorly in Sikkim.

• They are one of the indigenous tribe of Sikkim.
• They look fair in complexion, shy in nature wearing generally a kind of set wear of shirt and
trousers called Hontaj Gyador.
• They call themselves Rong in their language.

CHENCHU TRIBES

• They are majorly Distributed across Telngana ,Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Odisha.
• They live in bee hive shaped tiny huts with wattle walls
• They speak Chenchu language with the Telugu accent
• Most of them inhabit in the Nallamalai hills of AP
• Festivals: Mahashivarathri is celebrated by them with great pomp especially in Amarbad tiger
reserve Telangana.

Dr. Suresh Gurramkonda Sir

EDEN IAS Anthropology Optional

SOME IMPORTANT TRIBAL COMMUNITIES IN NEWS – INTERNATIONAL

HMONG TRIBES

• Hmongs are distributed across Vietnam, Thailand, Laos, Australia, China.

• The Hmong (Miao) traditions and historical evidence indicates that they originated near the
Yellow River region of China.

Why in News?

• In Laos and Vietnam-Hmongs have been subjected to military attacks, police arrest,
imprisonment, extrajudicial killings, and torture on religious grounds.

BEDOUINS TRIBES

• Bedouins are native inhabitants of Iraq, Israel, Saudi Arabia, and Syria.
• The Bedouin tribes were nomadic pastoralists who relied on their herds of goats, sheep, and
camels for meat, milk, cheese, blood, fur/wool, and other sustenance.
• These were used for meat, dairy products, and wool. Most of the staple foods that made up
the Bedouins' diet were dairy products.
• Camels are regarded as gift from God, camel races are organized during celebratory
occasions, such as weddings or religious festivals.

UIGHURS

• Distribution: China, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Saudi Arabia, Turkey

• Term Uyghur has an increasingly expansive definition.
• Initially signifying only a small coalition of Tiele tribes in Northern China, Mongolia, and the
Altai Mountains, it later denoted citizenship in the Uyghur Khaganate.
• UIGHURS are in news due to their continuous presecution and severe restriction in Xinjiang
Province, China.

MAORIS

• Maoris lives in New zealand, Australia and UK & they speak Maorari language.
• The Māori originated from settlers who migrated to New Zealand from eastern Polynesia.
• Warfare between tribes was common, and Māori would sometimes eat their conquered
enemies.

HAZARAS

• Hazaras are Distributed across Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iran

• The Hazara identity in Afghanistan is believed by many to have originated in the aftermath of
the 1221 Siege of Bamyan.
• The first mention of Hazara are made by Babur in the early 16th century

Dr. Suresh Gurramkonda Sir

EDEN IAS Anthropology Optional

• They are being subjected to genocide in Afghanistan due to their minority status.

WAORARIS

• Waoraris lives in Ecuador country.

• Recently they won case against the government with regard to oil extraction in their areas
against their wishes.
• They are Hunting gathering tribe have recently shifted to settled agriculture.

ROHINGYAS

• They are Distributed across Mynammar, Bangladesh, India, Pakistan

• Most presecuted minorities in the World according to United Nations
• During the Pakistan Movement in the 1940s, Rohingya Muslims in western Burma organized
a separatist movement to merge the region into East Pakistan.
• The overwhelming majority of Rohingya people practice Islam, including a blend of Sunni
Islam and Sufism about 2.5% of Rohingya are Hindu and 5.5% are Christian

AHIKUNTAKA TRIBES

• Ahikuntaka tribes are major inhabitants of Srilanka & they are also famous as telugu tribes
• They are the only nomadic group of people living in Ceylon and are known as the Srilankan
Gypsy people otherwise called Kuravans.
• Make their living by fortune telling, snake charming and using monkeys and dogs in
performances.
• The Andhra Government decided to send Anthropologists to study this vanishing tribe.

Dr. Suresh Gurramkonda Sir