Castes and Tribes of West Bengal - 1 | WBCS Preparation: All Subjects - WBCS (West Bengal) PDF Download

There is numerous variety of caste and tribes found in the state. They are mostly found in the rural belt of the state.The religious beliefs amongst Bengal tribes are quite varied. Different variations of Bangla are spoken by the tribal people. Farming, fishing, carpentry, weaving and hunting are their major employment sector.

Scheduled Castes in West Bengal 

According to Census 2011, Scheduled Caste population in the state is 2,14,63,270, which constitutes 23. 51% of its total population. Scheduled Caste population of West Bengal is 10.66% of India’s SC population.
The male SC population of West Bengal is 1,10,03,304 which is 10.63% of India’s male SC population. The female SC population of West Bengal is 1,04,59,966 which is 10.70% of India’s female SC population.
The district with highest SC population in West Bengal is Cooch Behar (50.17%) and the district with lowest SC population is Kolkata (5.38%). The state has registered 16.32% decadal growth of SC population from 2001-2011.

• Sex Ratio of Schedule Caste
  The sex ratio of Scheduled Caste population is 951, which is higher than the national average of 945. Bankura district of West Bengal has the highest Scheduled Caste sex ratio of 979 and Kolkata district has the lowest SC sex ratio of 889.  
• Literacy Rate of Schedule Caste
  According to Census 2011, literacy rate of Scheduled Caste in West Bengal is 69.43%, which is higher than the national average of 66.07% (in terms of Scheduled Castes). East Midnapore is the district with highest literacy rate 82.31% among the SC population of the state. The district with lowest literacy rate is Bankura (54. 03%).

Scheduled Tribes in West Bengal 

According to Census 2011, Scheduled Tribe (ST) population in the state is 52,96,953, which constitutes 5.8% of the total population of the state. Scheduled Tribe population of West Bengal is 5.01% of India’s ST population. The male ST population of Bengal is 26,49,974 which is 5.06% of India’s male ST population. The female ST population of West Bengal is 26,46,979 which is 5.10% of India’s female ST population. The district with highest ST population in West Bengal is Darjeeling (21.52%) and the district with lowest ST population is Kolkata (0.24%). The state has registered 20.20% decadal growth of ST population from 2001-2011.  

• Sex Ratio of Scheduled Tribes
  The sex ratio of Scheduled tribe population is 999 which is greater than the sex ratio of the Scheduled Caste population (951). Birbhum (1024) and Hooghly (1024) districts of West Bengal have the highest ST sex ratio and Kolkata (908) has the lowest ST sex ratio.
• Literacy Rate of Scheduled Tribes
  According to Census 2011, literacy rate of Scheduled Tribe in West Bengal is 57.93%. The ST male and female literacy rate in the state are 68.17% and 47.71% respectively. Kolkata district of West Bengal has the highest literacy rate of 82.06% and North Dinajpur has the lowest literacy rate of 43.76%.  

Major Tribal Groups and Castes in West Bengal 

Some of the major tribal groups in the state are as follows: 

• Bauri
  A large number of Bauris are found in Bankura, Birbhum and other districts of West Bengal. The Bauris belong to the Bhil tribes. These are divided into many sub-castes like Mallabhumia, Sikharia, Gobaria, Panchakoti, Mola, Dhalia, Jhatia and Pathuria. Due to extensive deforestation, Bauris became settled farmers. The Bauris are divided into clans, each of which is led by a chief. They believe in Hinduism and animistic (believe that non-living objects have spirits) practices.
• Bhutiya (Bhutia/Bhotia)
  They are mostly found in the hilly districts of West Bengal, including Drajeeling and Kalimpong. Bhutiya tribe is found in of Himalayan region. The main language spoken by Bhutiya tribe is Sikkimese. The Bhutiya cuisine comprises rice, which is their staple food. Other dishes include fried vegetables, pork and beef. Chyang which is prepared from fermented barley or millets, is the favourite drink of Bhutiya tribe. Festivals and fairs are an integral part the Bhutiya tribal society. Most of these Bhutiya festivals and social functions have Buddhist religious significance. Amongst the festivals of Bhutiya tribe, the Losar and Losoong are most significant.  
• Kharia
  This tribe is mainly concentrated in Western region of Bengal in the districts of West Midnapore, Bankura and Purulia. These tribes speak Kharia language. They also speak languages like Hindi, Sadani and few other dialects that have originated locally. Their major source of livelihood is agriculture. Fishing, hunting as well as animal husbandry are exercised as supplementary occupations by them. They also collect honey, edible roots, fruits and herbs. The Kharia tribe believe in worship of spirits. Just like other tribes of the region, these Kharia tribes celebrate festivals like Karma, Sohrai, Sarhul, Nawakhani, etc.

• Magh (Mog)
  This tribe lives in the hilly areas of North Bengal. Thier history is related to Arakan people of South Asia who were pirates and plundered along the river and sea coasts. Magh tribesmen are religious and widely practice Buddhism. ‘Tripitaka’ is their sacred book, written in the Pali language. The main food of Magh tribe is boiled rice and vegetables. A dish known as Mundi is their famous food which is prepared from decomposing fish and rice cakes. Drinking of raw tea, called Lapsy, after meals is the usual practice. Magh tribesmen smoke cheroot with the help of pipe. Few of the Magh tribe consume a type of alcohol known as Arey. Thier main festival is ‘Labrey’ which is on full moon night.
• Mal Paharia
  They are located in various districts including Bankura, Bardhaman and Murshidabad. They speak Mal Paharia language which is considered as a Northern Dravidian language. They also speak a distant form of Bengali. Rice Pulses is their staple food. Pulses like Moong, Masur, Kulthi, etc are consumed by them. They smoke cheroots and consume indigenous alcohol. They do agriculture and collect forest products.   
• Munda
  The word Munda means headman of a village. Munda tribesmen are engaged in shifting cultivation. They are excellent in basket weaving. This tribe lives in the regions of Pukuria (West Midnapore) and Sonarpur (South 24 Parganas). They worship Singbonga, Desauli, Jaher buri, Chandi Bonga and appease a large number of evil spirits on different occasions. They speak Mundari language that is part of Austroasiatic language. This tribe has a well developed script known as Mundari Bani which was invented by Rohidas Singh Nag. They celebrate several festivals like Marge Phagu, Karam, Sarhul and Sohrai, etc. Sarhul is the festival of flowers which is celebrated in the month of March and April. Arisa rotis and Chilka rotis are made by Munda people. Their main food is rice along with fruits, vegetables and meat.