Scheduled Tribes in India

A tribe is a group of people who all have the same ancestry or a common ancestor. They also have the same culture and live in their own society. A tribe is also called a clan in some European countries and a family in others. The idea of a tribe goes back to ancient Rome, which used things like class, family, and money to divide people. These groups were called tribes.

What is a tribe?

This word has changed, but the people it refers to may not have changed. A lot of tribes and tribal communities are in places where there aren’t many businesses. Like the Aborigines of Australia, who live in the wilds of the Outback, they live in and build homes that don’t accept the modern conveniences and ways of life. They choose to live close to the land and do things the way their ancestors did.

But some tribes, like the Native Americans in the United States, do accept some modern conveniences while still holding on to their old beliefs. Over 84 million people live in tribal communities in India, which is another thing that makes the country famous. Out of the 84 million people, they are split into only 50 tribes.

Classification of Tribes

Tribes are divided into groups based on where they live:

India’s tribal people live in many different places. Scholars worry about how to put the tribes into groups based on where they live. There is no single, clear, and acceptable way to group the areas where the tribes live. Himalayan region, middle India, western India, south India and islands (Vidyarthi) or north-eastern India, middle India, southern India, north-western Himalayas, and Andaman and Nicobar Islands are the most common ways to divide India (Singh). But the administrative lines don’t always match up with the lines that separate traditional habitats.

Tribes in India are divided into three main zones based on where they live. These Tribes in India are divided into three main zones based on where they live. These are the

1. North-North-Eastern Zone

The east of Kashmir and the east of Punjab. This zone is made up of places like Himachal Pradesh, Northern Uttar Pradesh, Nagaland, Assam, etc. Some of the tribes in this area are the Aka, the Mishmi, the Chulikata, and the Naga.

2. Central Zone

This zone includes Bihar, Bengal, southern Uttar Pradesh, southern Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, and Orissa. There are many tribes in this area, including the Kondh, the Santhal, the Bhil, the Gond, the Muria, and the Baiga. This area is where most of the tribe’s people live. In central India, there are a lot of people from tribal groups. Over 85% of the tribal people in the world live in the eight States that make up this zone.

3. Southern Zone

Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, and Kerala are the four southern states that make up the Southern zone. Some of the most important tribes in this area are the Toda, the Chenchu, the Kadar, and the Koraga.

In addition to these main zones, the Andaman and Nicobar Islands in the Bay of Bengal are a separate zone. The most important tribes in this area are the Jarawa, the Andamanese, and the Nicobarese.

Classification on the Basis of Language

There are three main territory zones that roughly match the languages of the three main tribal groups. Tribes in this area speak languages and dialects that are part of three groups of languages. These are (I) the Sino-Tibetan, (2) the Austric and (3) the Dravidian.

1. The Sino-Tibetan

Nearly everyone in the North-Northeast Zone speaks a language or dialect from the Sino-Tibetan language family. But the Khasis of Assam are not like the rest. They speak a language that is part of the Austric family of languages.

2. Austric Linguistic Group

Most of the languages and dialects that the tribal people of the Central zone speak are from the Austric speech family. The Kondh and Gond, two important tribes in this area, speak languages that are part of the Dravidian speech family.

3. The Dravidian Linguistic Group

In one way or another, the tribal people of the Southern zone speak Dravidian languages like Tamil, Kannada, and Malayalam.

Classification on the Basis of Race

There are three main types of Indian tribes based on their race: the Mongoloid, the Proto-Australoid, and the Negrito.

1. The Mongoloid

The Mongoloid race includes the North-Northeast Asian tribes that live in the Himalayas.

2. The Australoid

Most of the central Indian tribes are descended from Proto-Australoids.

3. The Negrito

This race includes a few tribes, like the Kadar in the south and the Andamanese in the Andaman Islands.

Definition of Scheduled Tribe

The people who made the Constitution were aware that some groups in India were very far behind in terms of social, educational, and economic development.

They needed special care to protect their interests and help their society and economy grow.

Articles 341 and 342 of the Constitution each have a clause 1 that says these groups are “Scheduled Castes” and “Scheduled Tribes,” respectively.

Conclusion 

Tribes make up a big part of India’s population as a whole. It is a part of Indian culture that fits into the cultural mosaic of our civilization. India’s tribal people make up about 8% of the country’s total population.