Distribution of Linguistic & Socio-economic tribal populations | Anthropology Optional for UPSC PDF Download

Introduction

• Article 366(25) of the constitution of India refers to the schedule tribes to those communities. Who are schedule according to article 342 of the constitution and has been declared by the President of India. They are called denotified tribes or schedule tribes of of India.  Total scheduled tribes population in India is 47.10% in 2001 census. According to the list of Ministry of Tribal affairs. The characteristics of the schedule tribes are the following:
  • Distinctive culture.
  • Geographical isolation.
  • Indications of primitive culture.
  • Shyness with the contact to other communities.
  • Backwardness.
• India is country wit h vast diversity and culture. Tribes in India are distributed to all over the country. Foot- hills of the Himalayas to land dip of Lakshwadeep India. From Hills of the North-east state to the plains o f the Gujarat. Highest percentage of tribes in Chhattisgarh state of India i. e 30.6%.  There are total 641 tribes in India. Out of these 176 tribes are inhabited in central India. 

The distribution of tribal population in India is based on the linguistic, cultural, racial group, economic and geographical location.

Classification on the basis of the geographical location they are following: 

• North- North- eastern zone.
• Central zone.
• Southern Zone.
  
  

1. North- North-Eastern zone:  it consists the state such as Eastern Kashmir, Eastern Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Northern Uttar Pradesh, Assam, Sikkim, Meghalaya, and Nagaland.
2. Central Zone: It consists the state such as Bengal Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Southern Rajasthan and southern Uttar Pradesh.
3. Southern Zone: It consists the stat e such as Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil nadu and Kerala.

• The population of India is consist mixture of many people, culture and ethnic group. Due to diversity in the population there is high degree of variant in languages. It consists the heterogeneous population and languages. Every population having there dialects and developed in the regions due to isolation. Large number of different variety of population also create difference between the socio-economic culture of particular communities.
• According to the constitution of India eight schedule recognized twenty two national languages. When the eight schedules was written in its init ial t iming having fourteen languages. But after the amendment of ninety second more eight languages were added to list of eight schedule.  These are the following twenty two recognized languages of India:  Assamese, Bengali, Bodo, Dogri, Gujarati, hindi, kannada, Kashmiri, Konkani, Maithili, Manipuri also called meiti, Marathi, nepali, oriya, Punjabi, Sanskrit, santhali, sindhi, tamil, telugu and urdu. But languages are official languages of the Union of India is Hindi and English.

Classification of tribes on the basis of the language speaking:

• Austric- Asiatic family is divided into two sub group they are:
  • Mon-Khmer branch: It includes tribes like Nicobari and khasi tribe.
  • Munda branch: It includes tribes like Santhal, Munda, Kharia, and asavar etc. This branch is the largest in Austro- Asiat ic family. Include tribes from the chott a 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.
• Dravidian linguistic family: Includes tribes such as Mallers, Ollars and Oraon. Dravidian family is sub- group in three groups they are following:
  • North Dravidian Group: It includes the language are Malto, Kurukho/ Oraon.
  • Central Dravidian Group: It includes the language are Gondi, Koya, Parji, Kolami, Kui.
  • South Dravidian Group: It includes the language are Tamil, Malayalam, Kannada, corgi, Toda, Tulu, Telugu.
• Indo-European linguistic family: include tribes such as Banjara, Haojong and bhills o f western India. Aryan sub family is divided into three branches they are following:
  • Iranian Branch:
  • Indo- aryan branch.  This branch is further divided into two i.e. i) outer branch ii) Mediate subbranch.
  • Dardic branch.
• Tibeto – Chinese: is divide into two sub group i.e. i) Siamese- Chinese group sub family
  • Thai linguistic family includes such as Phakial Khamti and ahoms.
  • 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.
  • Tibeto-Himalayan Family.
    • Himalayan group.
    • Bhotia group.
  • North-Assam Group.
  • Assam- Burmese branch.

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.

Bhotia groups: Includes the ladakhi, balt i, Bhotia, Lahuli, Sikkim.  These groups include the following languages. Sikkim bhotia, Lahuli, Sherpa, Spiti, Ladakhi.

North Assam includes the languages Mishmi, Miri, dalfa, Hrusso.

Assamese Burmese group include group:

• Bodo group include languages are: Dimasa, Garo, Deori, Mikir, Bodo, Koch.
• Naga group include languages are: Chang-Naga, Konyak, Kacha Naga, Sema, Nagami, Lotha, rengma.
• Kanchin group include languages are: kawri and Singpo.
• Kuki-Chin group include languages are: chiru, Aimol, Thodo, Meithi/ Manipur, rangkhol, halom.
• Burma group include languages are: Mru and Arkanese.

Classifications of Tribes on the basis of Cultural Integration

• Aboriginals tribes of India are the integral part of Indian population. It was beliefs that tribes are associated with hindu neighbours since old centuary. They having isolated ecology, economy, religious beliefs and society. Authors such as Elwin (1943), Mazumdar (1947) and Roy Burman (1971) have tried to understand the level of integration with the main stream population of India. Assimilation is the process of continuous contact of the culture of one population or group to another population or group and led to social reforms and create problem because of their isolation and their limited existence to the world view.
• Kroeber (1948:428) opines that “normally, we may expect assimilation only when the outlook of one society is inclusive and when this society is finitely stronger and its culture is more advanced”. In India tribal people come in contact with the Hindu population and started to do as everything Hindu people do in their culture this process is called Hinduisation and other converted into Christianity. This Culture contact given rise of different set type of tribes on acculturation level. Ghurye (1963:23) divided them into three classes:
  • Members of fairly high status within Hindu society viz., raj Gonds:
  • Partially Hinduized.
  • Hill sect ions.
• In anthropological perspective Bose (1941) drew attention that how tribes get attracted themselves to societies by mixing themselves in production to the non-tribal society which provided them protection and security. According to Bose by this tribes got absorbed to larger Indian society called it “Hindu Mode of absorption”. Srinivasa (1977) talk about sanskritization in which he talked about how lower caste people moving towards upper caste system by changing their lifestyle of the caste above it. Sanskritization is the process of social mobility.
• Surajit Sinha had delineated the process of the assimilation of tribes into caste -peasant base o f Indian civilization through the adoption of agricultural technology and linguistic and cultural norms of the peasant castes. The varnajati model of absorption has given way to the search for political status as an ethnic minority within a constitutional framework informed with an egalitarian democratic ideology. This inspired the rise of ethnic-based solidarity movements led by educated elite; there broad correlation between the intensity of the separatist solidarity movements and the degree of spatial and cultural isolation from the regional caste/peasant society.
• The social historian has seen this process of integration within the framework of the political economy of feudalism and colonialism. Nirmal Kumar Bose described as the Hindu mode of absorption was neither Hindu nor absorption, but a process of integration into the production system of colonialism. This has sometimes been oversimplified: t he transit ion of tribes into peasants and of peasants into depeasantised working class is generally described as a unilinear process. Such studies of a tribe as a class or one ethnic community overlook the complexities of tribal social formations and situations, the pull of ethnicity amidst growing differentiation, etc. But the orientation of tribes towards the Hindu social order has classified by Roy.
• Roy Burman’s are important and they are given below. There are four groups.
  • Assimilated fully and incorporated towards the Hindu social orders. They are tribes such as Raj gonds of Mandala, Bhumij of west Bengal, Ahoms of Assam, Bhills of Rajasthan.
  • Positively incorporated towards Hindu social orders. These tribes have absorbed the cultural belief, symbols and values of the Hindu society. Tribes like santhal, oraon, Munda.
  • Tribes who assimilated to 100 percent to other religion like christens they are Nagas, mizos.
  • Some of the tribes who were neither assimilated towards the Hindu or Christians religions. T hey are different and not aware about the Hindus and Christians community.

Classification on the basis of the racial characteristics they are the following

• Classification of tribes in India has been done by the several authors such Risley (1915 ) during the time of the census he collected the several data to classify the people. But he faced criticism by the several authors. B.S. Guha classification was accepted. Here the following classification of Guha has been given.
• B.S. Guha Classifications: He has done his classifications on the anthropometric measurements basis. He classified the racial elements into six major and nine sub type in modern Indian populations they are as following:
  
• Negritos:  they are first comers and true autochomes of India. They are characterized by the medium or either small head, long and bulbous forehead, flat nose and broad nose. Thick and everted nose, form of hair are frizzly with short and longs spirals. Short stature. Finest representatives of this group are Irulas, Puniyans and kadars of South India. Tribes livings in the Rajmahal hills. More resembelance to the African pygymies, Andamenese and Melanesian pygmies. Kerala tribes such as Cholanikyas, Kurumbas, Kadars and Malayan Tribes.
• Proto-Australoid: They believes to the second oldest racial elements of India. Head form is dolicocephalic, Supraorbital ridges are prominent flat and broad nose platyrrhine depressed at root. Proganthus jaws Skin colour is dark brown to black.  Hair is curly and wavy in form. Short in height. Tribes of central and southern India represents this type of characteristic.  Tribes of this classifications are finest presented by the Mundas, santals and oraons of chottanagpur regions. Badagas, Kurumbas and chenchus of Andhra Pradesh. Kols and Bhills of central and western India.

Mongoloids: Flat face wit h prominent cheek bone, eyes are obliquely and presences of the epicanthic fold. Straight hair. Mongolids are sub divided into long headed and broad headed.

• Long headed: Are paleo mangoloids having long head. Medium nose, prominent cheek bones. Skin colour varies from light brown to dark brown. They are presents in Himalayan regions like in Assam and Burma regions.
• Broad headed: Limbus of Nepal nad sema nagas of Assam. Round face, medium nose, dark skin color. They are identified from the hills of the tribes from Chittagung like Maghs and Chakmas tribes etc.

Tibeto-mongoloids: Having Broad and Massive heads, flat and long face. Medium to long nose, epicanthic eye fold with oblique. Scanty hair on the face and body. Skin colour is light brown. They are found in regions of the Tibetans of Bhutan and Sikkim.

Mediterranean: Mediterranean is sub divided into three types they are: 

• Palaeo-mediterranean: Pointed chin narrow face, bulbous and long head, high vault with projected occiput. Scanty hair on face and body. Dark skin colour. They are found from regions of tamils brahmans of Madurai, nairs of cochin, telugus Brahmins. The Dravidian speaking.
• Meditarrean: Chin is well developed arched and long foreheaded. Narrow nose light skin colour, hair colour is dark. Colour of eyes are brownish to dark. Plentiful of hair presences on body and face. Stature is medium to tall. This type of racial elements are presented in region of Bengal, Bombay, Malabar and Uttar Pradesh. True meditteranean are froms Brahmins of Allahabad and bengals, Numbudiri brahmans of cochin.
• Oriental: Nose is long and convex in shape. They are presented from Benia of rajputana, pathans and Punjabi chattris.

Western Brachycephals: divided into three types:

• Alpenoid: Broad head prominent nose rounded face with rounded occiput.presences of  abundant hair on body. Complexion of skin colour is light. They are presents among the Kayasthas of Bengal, Bania of Gujarat and kathis of Kathiawar.
• Dinaric:  High vault and rounded occiput, broad head. Long face, nose is long and often convex. Colour of eyes is dark. Hair colour is also dark. People presents this type of classification are from Coorg, Bengal and Odisha. Populations are from Brahmins o f Bengal and Mysore.
• Armenoid: they are similar to Dinarics in physical characteristics. They are found from the parsis of Bombay, Bengali vaidhyas and Kayasthas.

Nordics:  Physical characteristics are long head, arched and protruding occiput, high bridge and straight nose. Body built is robust, colour of eyes are blue and grey. Skin colour is fair and reddish white.  They are found in different parts of Northern India like from Rajputana and Punjab area.

Classifications of Tribes on the basis of the Economic

Tribes are categorized broadly on the basis of economy into six groups. They were following:

• Shifting cultivation: Tribes o f the hilly area practice the shifting cultivation. On one hill slope the olantt for few years and then cut the tree from there burn the remaining parts of the cultivated hills. And search for the new hill slope for cultivation. This type cultivation degrades the land for cultivation. Shifting cultivation start to raise the level of deforestation and yield of the crops are very poor. Shifting cultivation also known as slashes and burn cultivation because of burning the trees of the previous land. Some of the place in hilly area it’s also known as the jhum cultivation among the tribes. Tribes such as practices the shifting cultivation they are:  Baiga tribes of the central India practices shifting cultivation and among them it’s know by the Bewar cultivation. Jhum cultivation among tribes of North-eastern states such as Garo, Khasi, Jantia, Lepcha tribes. Khalu cultivation among the maler tribes of Rajmahal hill of Santhal Paragana.
• Settled agriculture Cultivation or Permanent Cultivation: These types of cultivation are practiced on plain land. Such as in Central India. Here the agricultural is main source of the livelihood of the tribe. This cultivation is practised among the tribes of the Gonds, Oraon, Santhals, muria tribes, gadaba, Ho and munda tribes.
• Simple artisan: These tribes are well known for their folk arts, handicr afts. Who sold their handmade art icles in the market and maintain their livelihood by selling. Now a day there are good demands of the handmade items in the market. Handloom cloths and various item of bamboo likes chair, tea cup late. Handmade stalls and woollen apparels, jute bag, table and hanging lamp.  These peoples are most nomadic group and primitive tribes. Tribes such as birhor tribes of Bihar.
• Pastoralist tribes: The livelihood of tribes depend upon the dairy products such curd, milk, butter milk. These tribes depend upon the cattle for their earning.  E.g. of these kinds if tribes are Gaddi o f Himachal Pradesh, Toda tribes of Nilgiri hills of Southern India.
• Industrial or road side labour: In these category tribes depends upon on their livelihood on the basis of daily wages. Most of the tribes are engaged in construction of the building on contract basis. Some o f the tribes are hired on the daily per hour bases wages to work in agricultural fields. Many of the tribes are duspalced from their place. Because land taken from the govt. So for rehabilitation they are provided with the employment in the industry project. Such as Bhilai and Rourkela in Ranchi.

Conclusion

• Tribes of India living in different geographical area with different racial groups, and different linguistic.  Such as Dravidian tribes which belongs to the south India. Like todas, Kaddasr, paliyan tribes. Speaking languages are tamil, telugu. Proto- Australoid include oraans, bhumij, santhals belongs to the central India.  Tribes of north eastern consists the mongoloid features. Yellowish skin , presence of the epicanthic fold. Straight and light hair colour. Tribes of north eastern state speak languages such as bod, garo, khasi. Economic such as shifting cultivation, pastotralist, settled cultivation and induatrial labours. They all are st ill low in their economic system due to low technology. 
• Areas of these peoples are still undevelop. So there is difference between the level of socio -cultural integration.  Tribes who are st ill in their traditional form they are backward in socio -economic condition. But tribes who are assimilated with the hindu social orders. Under the influences of neighbouring community.  They are better in socio-economic status. Due to advancement in technology.  Tribes as whole are still backward in technology and education.  Majority of the tribal society is strongly patriarchal society. Only few societies having matriarchal societ y such as khasi and garo tribes of north eastern state. Now day tribes has tried to came up wit h the market with the help of govt.  They are making handicraft, artifacts, handloom apparels, pickels and traditional foods and selling them in market. So economic conditions are improving.