Tribes in India

Tribes in India are at various stages of development, several are facing extinction and several others enjoying all the fruits of human development. Many are absolutely in primitive stages and living in pre-historic era thousands of years behind, and many are ultra modern. All other tribes are living between the two extremes. Among the 645 tribal communities enlisted as Scheduled Tribes under the provisions of the Constitution of India, there are many sub-tribes too. Altogether 75 of them are categorised as ‘primitive’ and have almost no access to the fruits of modern civilization. Most of the other indigenous people or tribes are not so threatened but their conditions are pathetic.

They constitute 8.2% of the nation's total population, over 84 million people according to the 2001 census. This creates not only political interest in them but also cultural interests. For years, we have been trying to bring them into political mainstream and the cultural mainstream too. Missionaries have been working hard to convert them into their religious fold. Many have been eying on their natural resources and their people including their children and women for ulterior motifs. Many see them as curious objects not human beings, especially the tourists. Our developmental activities cause their displacement uprooting them from where they live. Many of them are fighting tooth and knell for their survival attracting national and international interests. It is in this backdrop the Tribal Talk is going on for years. Some of us are participant in the show, some are just spectators, and only a handful of us are doing something for them. Enormity of the work and our efforts are obviously no match.

It goes without saying that their pathetic conditions are the result of neglect and apathy. We took almost 25 years after independence to merely enlist ‘the primitive tribal groups’ facing extinction. Only by 1975, we were able to enlist 75 such primitives facing extinction. At least four of them have population of less than hundred, and two of them less than 50. These primitive tribes are spread in various state of India.

We took almost half a century, by 1999, to know that the task in hand cannot be handled by partial attention of certain ministries, and therefore, Union Government had constituted a separate ministry - the Ministry of Tribal Affairs – for the first time in October 1999 with the objective of providing more focused attention on the integrated socio-economic development of the most under-privileged sections of the Indian society.

The most striking example of the primitive tribes are in the Andaman and Nicobar islands. The four of them are Jarawa, Sentinelese, Onge and the Great Andamanese.

The Jarawa hunt pig and monitor lizard, fish with bows and arrows, and gather seeds, berries and honey. They are nomadic, living in bands of 40-50 people. In 1998, some Jarawa started coming out of their forest to visit nearby towns and settlements for the first time. The principal threat to the Jarawa’s existence comes from encroachment onto their land, which was sparked by the building of a highway through their forest in the 1970s. The road brings settlers, poachers and loggers into the heart of their land. This encroachment risks exposing the Jarawa to diseases to which they have no immunity, and creating a dependency on outsiders. Poachers steal the game the Jarawa rely on, and there are reports of sexual exploitation of Jarawa women. Tourism is also a threat to the Jarawa, with tour operators driving tourists along the road through the reserve every day in the hope of ‘spotting’ members of the tribe. Despite prohibitions, tourists often stop to make contact with the Jarawa.

Sentinelese continue to resist all contact with outsiders, attacking anyone who comes near. They hit the headlines in the wake of the 2004 tsunami when a member of the tribe was photographed firing arrows at a helicopter. Like the Jarawa, the Sentinelese hunt and gather in the forest, and fish in the coastal waters. They live in long communal huts with several hearths, and use outrigger canoes to travel the seas around their island.

Onge were decimated following contact with the British and the Indians, their population falling from 670 people in 1900 to around 100 today. They live on a reserve less than a third of the size of their original territory. Little Andaman is now also home to Indian settlers, and much of the island has been deforested. Being able to hunt wild pigs is essential to the Onge, as according to their customs men cannot marry until they have killed a wild boar.

When the British arrived there were more than 5,000 the Great Andamanese; today, only 52 survive.

The essential characteristics of the tribal communities

Irrespective of the level of progress in various tribal communities, they have five essential characteristics: Primitive traits; Geographical isolation; Distinct culture; Shyness in respect of contact with people; and Economic backwardness.

The distinctiveness of the tribes lies in these five essential characteristics. The primitive traits are found in all their activities – be it their living places, livelihood pattern, or the culture. Their beliefs and rituals are all in harmony with the nature and in no way disrupts the ecological balance.

The uniqueness of their culture has to be understood by us if we want to do something for them. Warm hospitality, simple ways of living and sincere judgment of the opinions are some of the remarkable traits. Even their customs show their belief in simplicity. Most of the tribes have their own gods and goddesses. They have even their own languages and many of them have their own scripts. They mostly depend on nature. Except for the few most of the tribes in India is sociable, hospitable, and fun loving along with strong community bonds. Some of the tribes shares patriarchal cultural ties and some of the tribal societies are women oriented. They have their own festivals and celebrations.

In course of time, they have been subjected to external influences by invaders and exploiters, apart from the influences of industrialization, urbanization or other developmental activities. However, the tribal people are clinging to their identity and struggling against the enforced external influences that threatened their culture.

Christian Missionaries have been active among them and have converted almost one fourth of the tribal population into Christianity. It is seen as a total transformation in the tribal lifestyle and outlook in all over India in general.

Some Hindu organizations are also working among them for their welfare. Culturally many Hindu customs are similar to that of the tribals and many tribals believe themselves to be Hindus. However, there has been consistent efforts by many to alienate them from the Hindu fold. In Sanskrit literature they were mentioned as vanechar and more recently they are termed as vanvasis. They have been friends of all who took shelter in jungles in the time of distress. It may be mentioned here that Nishadraj was a tribal king who helped Lord Ram. Hinduism in itself is a pluralistic culture the tribal culture is also its part. In the Gita, Lord Srikrishna says that it is better to die in our own dharma that to follow another’s. Therefore, the question of conversion here does not arise which is unlike Christian missionaries.

India has been witnessing cultural clashes between tribals and non-tribals mainly due to various forces that are trying to subvert or convert them.

Even the word ‘primitive traits’ used by some carries a bias on the ground that they are nature worshipers, ancestor worshiper or believers in spirits etc. These traits are found even in non-tribals.

It is a grave mistake on our part to call them primitive in their culture and belief. Even the people, who think themselves in the mainstream has elements in their culture and beliefs which are worse than those of the tribals.

One should take note of the fact that people believed to be in the mainstream are doing worst of the things that can be categorized as savage, uncivil or crooked. They themselves need improvement in their character and behaviour. They should not look down upon the tribal communities on the basis of their having little money, little material and intellectual progress.

Bringing tribals into the mainstream

There is no denying the fact that the situation of the tribal communities in genera remains pathetic. It is because we have been trying to improve their socio-economic condition in the manner that threatens their value system and cultural identity. It is due to lack of our understanding about the way of tribal life, our efforts of bringing them into the mainstream has often been viewed by the tribal communities with hostility. Almost all the developmental activities, including construction of roads, dams, railways, factories, mining etc meant for them only displacement or uprooting from their roots. Lately, the tourisms sector has been creating a considerable disturbance in their lives and values. They see and suffer exploitation everywhere and therefore, they have genuine doubt about our intentions as their well wishers.

It is not true that they are not willing to develop themselves socially or economically. They do want to develop, but with their own value system and culture, which we do not understand or refuse to understand. Even when we understand, our understanding is devoid of the appropriate sensibility towards them. The insensible industrialization and urbanization has distorted not only our lives and but their lives too. Most of us now do not mind to lose our character or value system for money, but they do generally care for them until they are compelled to take money or/and lose all.

This is a blot on our civilization which is unable to save their lives and culture. It would be a great loss to humanity if we fail to bring some of our human fellows into the mainstream socio-economic development ladder. Smiles on our faces are futile that smacks only selfishness and nothing else.

The question is what does it mean by bringing tribal people into the mainstream? It has always been a debatable question but we need to know something about ‘the mainstream’ even before venturing into activities relating to tribal welfare. We must understand what ‘the mainstream’ is because it is where we want to bring them to.

Many people or groups are targeting them to bring them into their cultural mainstream, converting them into their religious fold. Some are targeting them to bring them into their political fold which they love to call political mainstream. Some people are subverting their value system by trying to make them believe that their values are primitive and orthodox and they need to shed them to become a part of their so called ‘progressive mainstream’. Some of the people are trying to disturb their natural habitat in the name of saving them from ‘geographical isolation’. Cunning people taking advantage of their simplicity, and so on. Obviously, all such people are doing harm to them and the whole concept of bringing them into ‘the mainstream’.

The concept of bringing them into the mainstream is not yet written categorically anywhere in any public document, however, the plans and policies followed by the government of India and the states along with well intentioned people working among the tribals point out towards ‘the mainstream of civilization’, though imperfect, aims at freedom and democracy which are its corner stones with creation and preservation of human values, beautiful things and general happiness along with all round progress and prosperity. Systemic removal of prejudices and biases to make room for wisdom is its essential element. Injustice in all forms is to be removed. The highest aim is to achieve such a level of civilization where there no one hurts anyone in any way whatsoever.

Thus, when we try to bring them into the mainstream of our civilization, we do not intend to bring them under the influence of our aberrations – like corruption, promiscuity, dishonesty, crookedness, insensibilities etc, but to give them a share of the fruits of the progress and prosperity what human civilization has already achieved without enforcing them to follow our dictates or making them fall into our vicious traps.

What we should intend to do for them

In brief, we should want for them material prosperity and intellectual progress without disturbing their culture, value system, beliefs and identity. It is the need of the hour. The Ministry of Tribal Affair has already been at work for years. Many non government and voluntary organizations as well as individuals are working among or for them. However, situation remains pathetic. Let us streamline our efforts to supplement each other’s genuine efforts. Miscreants should stringently dealt with.

Nearby pages
Tribes of Andaman and Nicobar, Tribes of Andhra Pradesh, Tribes of Arunachal Pradesh, Tribes of Assam, Tribes of Bihar