DEFINITION

 The tribal population is identified as the aboriginal in-habitants of our country.

They are seen in almost every State of India. For centuries, they have been living
a simple life based on the natural environment and have developed cultural
patterns congenial to their physical and social environment. References of such
tribal groups are found even in the literature on the ancient period, right from
Ramayana and the Mahabharata periods.
 Most of them live in the north eastern states of Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland,
and Arunachal Pradesh and Sik:kim and in the Union Territories of Dadra and
Nagar Haveli, Andaman Nicobar and Lakshadweep. A few of them live in the
southern states of Kerala, Tamil N adu and Karnataka. Andhra Pradesh has the
largest tribal population among the southern states of India.
 People who share the same language and traditions but live outside towns or cities.
A tribe is a group of people who live together, share the same language, culture
and history and stay outside towns or cities. Forest products and the land is the
source of their livelihood.
 The term 'Tribe' is derived from the Latin word 'tribuz'. Originally it was used to
implythree divisions among the early Romans.
 A tribe has the least functional inter-dependence within the community; • It is
economically backward; • It is geographically isolated from other peoples; • It
speaks a common dialect which may however be subject to regional variations; • A
tribe is politically a unit under a common tribal authority; • A tribe's members are
averse to change; and • A tribe has its own traditional laws which often differ from
those of the majority communities.
 The tribal people of India are differently termed as Adivasi [indigenous peoples],
Vanavasi[forestdwellers],Pahari[hilldwellers],Adimjati[originalcommunities],Jana-
jati[folk people]and the like. It is significant that each of the terms either denotes
their ecological, economic, historical or cultural characteristics. Of all these terms
the most popular one is Adivasi, which co-notate their aboriginality or
indigenousness while the Constitutional term for them is Anushuchi Janjati, the
scheduled tribe peoples.
 The term 'tribe' have not been defined clearly anywhere in the Indian
Constitution.While the term 'Scheduled Tribes' is of recent origin, which came into
being· with the birth of Republican Constitution of India on January 26,1950. Upto
1919 they were included along with other categories of backward classes under the
head 'depressed classes'. Under the present Constitution the tribals are Scheduled
and are popularly termed 'Scheduled Tribes'

CLASSIFICATION

Tribal Communities are classified as per their permanent features and acquired features.
A tribe is a group of people who live and work together in a shared geographic area.
They share a common culture, dialect, and religion. They also have a strong sense of
unity. Tribal communities, or Scheduled Tribes, are groups within such tribes or tribal
communities that are declared Scheduled Tribes for the purposes of this Constitution by
Article 342.

Permanent properties

 They have linguistic, regional, ecological, and physical characteristics.

 Rural plains, hills, urban industrial zones, and woods are examples of
ecological habitats.
 Tribes are classified into four groups based on their language.
 Indo-Aryan and Dravidian are two, and Tibeto-Burman and Austrian are the
other.
 The tribes are classified as Negrito, Dravidian, Australoid, Aryan, and
Mongoloid based on their physical racial characteristics.
 The strains differ substantially in size.
 The Santhals, Gonds, Bhils, Oranoni, Bodas, Minas, and Mundas are the major
tribes.

Acquired properties

 These can be classed as hunters and food gatherers, fishers, farmers,

cultivators, planters, and industrial workers based on their source of income.
 Assimilation extent – tribes assimilated into Hindu civilization by
Sanskritization, cultivation, and adoption of the Shudra tribe. They were
accepted into Hindu society based on their attitudes and financial standing.

CATEGOREIS

Some of the Major Tribes of India

As per the census of 2011, the total number of tribes in India is 705. Very brief
information related to some of the major tribes is given below:

Bhils

 Bhils are one of the largest tribal groups living in Chhattisgarh, Gujarat,
Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Rajasthan.
 The name Bhils is derived from the word ‘bhilu’ which means bow.
 They are experts in archery and guerilla warfare.
 Bhils are now employed as sculptors, agricultural labourers, and farmers.

Mundas
  Munda tribes are spread across Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh,
Odisha, Tripura, and West Bengal.
 The most important festival observed by Mundas is Magha or Ba.
 Mundas observe many festivals and they are fond of music and dance.

Santhal

 Santhals are one of the oldest tribes in India.

 Santhals are spread across Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Odisha and
West Bengal.
 Manjhi-Paragana is the Santhal system of governance.

Gond

 Gond is one of the largest tribal groups in the world.

 Gonds are found in the Bastar district of Chhattisgarh, the Chhindwara district
of Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, and many other states of India.
 Gonds are subdivided into 4 tribes known as Khatulwar Gonds, Dhurve Gonds,
Madia Gonds, and Raj Gonds.
 Kodo and Kutki (two kinds of millets) are the staple food of Gonds.

ETHNICITY

1. Austric- Asiatic family is divided into two sub group they are: a). Mon-Khmer
branch : It includes tribes like Nicobari and khasi tribe. b). Munda branch: It includes
tribes like Santhal, Munda, Kharia, and asavar etc. This branch is the largest in
Austro- Asiatic family. Include tribes from the chotta Nagpur odisha and Central
India. Santhali language speaker are alone the largest speaker of the Austro-Asiatic
family. Some of the following speeches are given here in Munda branch of Austro-
Asiatic family: Mundari, Santali, Kherwari, Agaria. Mundari Speakers are confine to
the tribal area such as Mayurbhunj, ranchi, Betul, Santhal Parganas, Baudh
Khondmals.
2. 2. Dravidian linguistic family: Includes tribes such as Mallers, Ollars and Oraon.
Dravidian family is sub- group in three groups they are following: i). North Dravidian
Group: It includes the language are Malto, Kurukho/ Oraon. ii). Central Dravidian
Group: It includes the language are Gondi, Koya, Parji, Kolami, Kui. iii). South
Dravidian Group: It includes the language are Tamil, Malayalam, Kannada, corgi,
Toda, Tulu, Telugu. 3. Indo-European linguistic family: include tribes such as
Banjara, Haojong and bhills of western India. Aryan sub family is divided into three
branches they are following: a). Iranian Branch: b). Indo- aryan branch. This branch
is further divided into two i.e. i) outer branch ii) Mediate subbranch. c). Dardic
branch.
3. Tibeto – Chinese: is divide into two sub group i.e. i) Siamese- Chinese group sub
family a). Thai linguistic family includes such as Phakial Khamti and ahoms. b).
Tibeto- Burmese linguistic family. Tibeto- Burman are usually mongoloids. The
characteristic of these people are. Skin colour complexion is yellowish, straight hair,
epicanthic eye fold. Yellow complexion came to known in kiratas who are vedic
Aryans. Include Lepcha, Abor, Bhotia, Mir, Mismi.

Tibeto-Burman is also having sub-group i.e. a). Tibeto-Himalayan Family. i).

Himalayan group. ii). Bhotia group. b). North-Assam Group. c). Assam- Burmese
branch. i). Himalayan Group include the people from the belt of south Himalayas
from the Himachal Pradesh. In eastern Himalayan belt is Bhutan. The speeches of this
group are: Dhimal, Sunwara, Lahauli of Chamba, rai, Tamang, Gurung. ii). Bhotia
groups: Includes the ladakhi, balti, Bhotia, Lahuli, Sikkim. These groups include the
following languages. Sikkim bhotia, Lahuli, Sherpa, Spiti, Ladakhi. b). North Assam
includes the languages Mishmi, Miri, dalfa, Hrusso.

c). Assamese Burmese group include group: i). Bodo group. ii). Naga group. iii).
Kuki group. iv). Burma gropu. v). Kuki-chin group. i) Bodo group include languages
are: Dimasa, Garo, Deori, Mikir, Bodo, Koch. ii) Naga group include languages are:
Chang-Naga, Konyak, Kacha Naga, Sema, Nagami, Lotha, rengma. iii) Kanchin
group include languages are: kawri and Singpo. iv) Kuki-Chin group include
languages are: chiru, Aimol, Thodo, Meithi/ Manipur, rangkhol, halom. v) Burma
group include languages are: Mru and Arkanese

Tribal people in TN

There are 36 sub-group of Tribes in the State. The main tribes among them are
Malayali, Toda, Kurumbas, Paniyan, Irular, Kattunayakan, Kanikkar, Palliyan, Kadar,
etc. Of which Toda, Kota, Kurumbas, Kattunayakan, Paniyan and Irular have been
designated as ‘Primitive Tribes’. The combined Scheduled Tribes population of the
State as per 2011 Census is 7.94 lakh representing 1.10% of the total population of
the State (which is 721 lakh). Out of the 7.94 lakh Tribal, 50.50% constituted Males
and 49.50% constituted Females. The Tribal pockets are classified as Integrated
Tribal Development Programme (ITDP), Modified Area Development Approach
(MADA) and Clusters, However, Tamil Nadu has only ITDP Areas. Integrated Tribal
Development Programme (ITDP), which are generally contiguous areas of the size of
one or more blocks in which the ST population is 50% or more of the total population.

WESTERN GHATS

The Nilgiri Hills is home to some unusual tribal groups including the Toda, Kota,
Badaga and Kurumba. The steep slopes and the thick forests and high rates of malaria
and other diseases that used to exist in the hills below kept these groups somewhat
isolated from other groups. The Badaga, Toda, Kota and Kurumba tribes have
traditionally relied on each other for different goods and services in a complex trade
network. The also trade with the Irulas, Uralus. Pniyans and Chettos on the
surrounding hills. The Badagas often traded cloth and food with the Kota, who
supplied with music for funerals and thatching and carpentry and other services. The
Kurmabs were employed for protection from sorcery from Other Kurumbas.

Badaga
The Badaga is a group that lives in the Nilgiri Hills where Kerala and Tamil Nadu
come together. Their names means “northerner,” a reference to the fact that they
came the plains of the Mysore district not too far to the north. There live among the
Toda, Kota and Kurmbas. They are also known as the Badacar, Badager,
Baddaghar, Bergie, Budagam, Buddager, Buddagur, Burga, Burgher, Vadaca,
Vadacar, Vuddaghur, Wuddghur. There are about 150,000 Badagas. They make up
about 19 percent of the population of the Nilgiri District. Although they were
originally outriders they became the dominant food producers and political
overlords for the Nilgiri Hills. [Source: “Encyclopedia of World Cultures: South
Asia”, edited by Paul Hockings, C.K. Hall & Company, 1992]
The Badaga are Hindus that practice hypergamy, a system in which women can
marry into a caste that is higher than the one they were born into, and also marry
into of lower caste. Generation levels are only recognized among men. This means
it is theoretically possible for a man to marry a woman and her daughter and
granddaughter as long as they are not his own offspring, and all three would be
members of his generation. Polygamy is practiced and newlyweds generally move
in with the groom’s parents, sleeping on the veranda, until their first child comes
and the establish their own house.
Tattooing used be common with females but is no longer practiced. Important
ceremonies for children include naming (40 days after birth), head shaving, ear
boring, nostril piercing and milking initiation (for boys aged 7 to 9) and the girl’s
puberty right. In some villages fire walking is still performed as way of honoring
the goddess Mari Habba so she will keep small pox away.

Irula
The Irula are a Scheduled tribe that lives in northern Tamil Nadu and the Nilgiri
Hills. They are sort of like a cross between tribals and ordinary southern Indians.
They have many animist beliefs but have had enough contact with Hindu s to
embrace many orthodox Hindu beliefs. Their most important sacred objects are
kept in a secret cave so they are not polluted by coming in contact with things
defiled by humans. Many Irula live near old megalithic sites which has led some to
speculate that are a very old culture. There are around 110,000 of them. [Source:
“Encyclopedia of World Cultures: South Asia”, edited by Paul Hockings, C.K.
Hall & Company, 1992]
The Irula live in villages with special “pollution hut” for menstruating women, lots
of mango and jackfruit trees, and ancestral temples with stones in them that
represent the dead. Many live in two-room houses with a separate room with a
sacred fire. They are known as collectors of honey and hunt with nets and spears.
They harvest millet with impossibly small sickles for harvesting individual grain
heads. Much of their traditional land has been lost to tea and coffee plantations.
The Irula are known for being inspired musicians, They produce their own flutes
and drums and are employed by other tribes such as the Toda and Badaga to
perform at their funerals. During Irula funerals a priest goes into trance and is
asked by the family of deceased whether the death was natural or the result of
sorcery. If the latter is the case a number of rituals are performed before the
deceased is buried. After month a stone is placed in a temple to give the deceased a
place to stay.
The Irula marriage process used to be initiated by a trial cohabitation initiated with
a delivery of firewood to the bride’s family’s house by the groom but this is no
longer practiced. A standard bride price is paid in the presence of elders. The
marriage ceremony revolves around the tying of a necklace around the brides neck.
If a wife is unable to produce a child the husband is allowed to take a second wife.
Some women have tattoos and wear toe rings.

Kota
The Kotas are a group thought to be indigenous to the Nilgiri Hills of Tamil Nadu.
Also known as the Cohatur, Kohatur, Kotar, Koter and Kothur, they are classified
as a Scheduled Tribe and have traditionally lived among the Badagas, Todas and
Kurumbas. Even though the are small in number (there are around 1,500 of them)
they have managed to rise above their traditional roles as servants and consumers
of carrion flesh to be influential bankers, doctors and civil servants in the Nilgiri
Hills area. [Source: “Encyclopedia of World Cultures: South Asia”, edited by Paul
Hockings, C.K. Hall & Company, 1992]
In the old days the Kota lived in wattle and daub houses with thatched roofs. Their
villages had special houses for menstruating women but no toilets. They
traditionally only grew a few crops themselves and obtained most for their food by
trading various goods and services with their neighbors, primarily the Badagas.
They have traditionally sacrificed water buffalos and were known as fine
musicians and musical instrument makers. They often performed at Badaga and
Toda funerals. The Kotas had a reputation for being a jack of all trades and the
provided services such as blacksmithing, music, leatherworking and pottery
making for other groups such as the Toda and Badanga in return for food and
clothes.
Women have traditionally given birth in special huts. Ten days after birth a child is
given a name. The ceremony for this is often regarded as more important than a
wedding ceremony. In the ceremony a village elder gives the child his or her name
while feeding water and a few crumbs of rice to the child. Afterwards a lock of hair
is cut and wrapped in cow dung and leaves and tossed away. At the age of 16, boys
and girls undergo a head shaving ritual in which all their hair is shaved off except
for one lock. Tattooing is also common.
The Kota practice “green” and “dry” funerals. During a normal or “green” funeral
the deceased in honored in a simple ceremony led by a small boy called the “fire-
keeping boy” and is cremated in a special place called the “dav nar” (death region).
A piece of the forehead bone is saved for the dry funeral. In the dry funeral the
bone is serenaded with special music from double-reed instruments and barrel
drums.

Kurumbas
The Kurumbas are another group that lives in the Nilgiri Hills. There are seven
major Kurumba groups: the Alu (milk)-Kurumbas , Palu (milk) -Kurumbas, Betta
(hill)-Kurumbas, Jenu (honey)-Kurumbas, Mulla (net)-Kurumbas, Urali (village)-
Kurumbas, and Mudugas. Each group[ is regarded as a separate ethnic group, with
its own dialect, religious beliefs and other cultural features. There are about 15,000
Kurumbas. About a third of them live in the Nilgiri District. Others are scattered
across southern India. They are regarded as the poorest of the Nilgiri Hills groups.
[Source: “Encyclopedia of World Cultures: South Asia”, edited by Paul Hockings,
C.K. Hall & Company, 1992]
The Kurumbas have traditionally been hunters and gatherers. They forage a variety
fo foods from the forest and hunted and trapped birds and animals. They lived in
rock shelters and caves and grew bananas, mangos and jackfruit in forest gardens.
Deforestation had driven them out of their traditional villages into the plains,
where they work in tea and coffee plantations.
The Kurumbas have a reputation of being sorcerers. Traditionally, the Badaga
hired an individual Kurumba man who act as hraduan for a specific villages. This
was a lifelong job that was passed down from father to son. This individual over
agricultural festivals and was employed as a diviner, exorcist. and sed gerbs, spells
and rituals to cure the sick. Because of the knowledge of sorcery Kurumba were
greatly feared. When bad things happened they were often blamed. In eh 1800s
there were several massacres of Kurumbas in relationship for perceived acts of
sorcery. Kurumbas are not employed as much as sorcerers as they were in the past,

Nayaka
The Nayaka are another group that lives in the Nilgiri Hills. Traditionally regarded
as honey collectors and people of the forest, they are also known as the Jenu
Kurumba, Kattu Naikr, Kattu Nayaka, Naicken, Naikr and Sola Nayaka. They have
traditionally lived in huts in the forest and migrated every six to 18 months. There
are only around 1,400 of them.
Nayaka have no history of animal husbandry or cultivation other than having a few
fruit trees near their huts. They have traditionally subsisted primarily on wild yams,
nuts, berries and fruit that they collected and fish and trapped animals. They
sometimes hunted deer with dogs. They also collect items from the forest such as
medicinal herbs that can be traded or bartered for things they need like grain,
cooking pots and utensils. They also have worked on plantations and done other
work to make money.
Nayaka have no formal marriage ceremony. A couple is generally regarded as
married when they start sleeping together and sharing the same hearth. The Nayaka
are friendly but independent. They generally don’t form strong lasting relationships
outside their conjugal families. Their society is very egalitarian, There are no real
administrative groups. Their religious beliefs are mostly animist with some Hindu
deities in their pantheon of gods and spirits. The only life-cycle event that they
honor with a ritual is death.

Hill Pandaram
Hill Pandaram are a scheduled tribe that lives in rain forests of the Western Ghats
in the state of Kerala. Also known as the Malai Pandaram and Malapantaran, they
are a nomadic foragers who speak dialects of Tamil and Malaualam, the language
of the people that live around them, and practice Hinduism infused with beliefs of
hill spirts, ancestral ghosts and other supernatural beings. They are only about
1,500 of them and they occupy an area of forest at a density of 1 or 2 per square
kilometer. [Source: “Encyclopedia of World Cultures: South Asia”, edited by Paul
Hockings, C.K. Hall & Company, 1992] The Hill Pandaram have inhabited the
forest of the Western Ghats at least since the 2nd century B.C. and probably long
before that. They have never been completely isolated. They have always traded
items such as ivory, honey, wax, cardamom, turmeric, dammar (resin), bark
material used in tanning, ginger, bamboo and herbs used in medicines for rice,
palm floors, cassava, cooking pots, utensils, adzes, bill hooks, salt and other items
with the local people around them.
About a quarter of the Hill Pandaram are completely nomadic. The others live in
small settlements with around ten widely scattered bamboo-walled, thatch -roofed
huts They grow a few crops such cassava and have mango and tamarind trees
nearby. These settlement are only rarely habited. When foraging the Hill Pandaram
live in shelters with bamboo frames and palm leave coverings. Marriages tend to
be fairly flexible. There is generally no formal marriage ceremony and many have
several spouses at different during their lifetimes. They sometimes engages in
spirit possession ceremonies to the rhythm of drumming,
The Hill Pandaram possess no land and have few material possessions Social
relations are defined mostly by family and gathering groups. The roles of men and
women are relatively equal. Their main sources of food are various kinds of yams
that the dig up in the forest and nuts and fruit they obtain from trees. They hunt
small animals, monkeys, squirrels and monitor lizards. Much of the hunting is done
with dogs and muzzle-loading guns.

Kani and Their Magic Berry

The Kani people of the rain forest of Kerala are poor and live in thatch huts. Men
go shirtless and wear sarongs. The roam the forest with wooden bows and poison
arrows, shooting birds and fish. Scientist who studied the Kani noticed that they
never seemed to get tired or fatigued and were energized by pale-green berries they
plucked from the "divine" Arogyapacha plant that grows only on Agastyavanam
Mountain in Kerala.
One Kani tribesman said, "We eat its fruit when we go hunting. It gives a sudden
burst of energy. We don't feel hungry for several hours; we don’t feel thirsty or
tired. And I seems we can walk and run in the mountain for hours again. Plaupa
Pusjpangadan, the director of the a botanical institute, has the helped the Kani
market the energy-giving berry in such a way that the Kali get some of the profits.
A tonic made from the berries performed well in trials and sold out immediately
when it was sold on the open market. Efforts have been made to cultivate the
Arogyaepacha plant on 800 hectares near the Kani's forest and grow the plant in
other places.