Classifications of Tribal Societies

The Two-Way Lens on Tribal Societies

Sociologists classify India's tribal communities using two broad sets of characteristics: permanent traits (things a tribe is born with, so to speak) and acquired traits (things that change over time, like how a tribe makes a living or relates to the wider society). This dual approach helps us see both the fixed backdrop of a tribe's identity and the dynamic ways it adapts.

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Permanent Traits: The Fixed Markers

These are the features a tribe does not easily change — its location, language, physical type, and habitat.

1. Region and Distribution

The tribal population is not spread evenly. About 85% of all tribal people live in what is called 'middle India' — a broad belt stretching from Gujarat and Rajasthan in the west to West Bengal and Odisha in the east. The heart of this region includes Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, and parts of Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh. Of the remaining 15%, over 11% live in the North Eastern states, leaving only a little over 3% scattered across the rest of India.

However, if you look at the share of tribals within a state's total population, the picture flips. The North Eastern states have the highest concentrations. Every state there except Assam has a tribal population of more than 30%. Some — Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Mizoram, and Nagaland — have concentrations ranging from over 60% up to 95%. In contrast, in the rest of the country, the tribal share is very small — less than 12% in every state except Odisha and Madhya Pradesh.

2. Ecological Habitat

Tribes live in a variety of environments: hills, forests, rural plains, and even urban industrial areas.

3. Language

Tribal languages fall into four broad categories. Two of these — Indo-Aryan and Dravidian — are shared with the general Indian population. Tribes account for only about 1% of Indo-Aryan speakers and about 3% of Dravidian speakers. The other two groups — Austric and Tibeto-Burman — are overwhelmingly tribal. Tribes account for all speakers of Austric languages and over 80% of Tibeto-Burman speakers.

4. Physical-Racial Type

In racial terms, tribes are classified under five categories: Negrito, Australoid, Mongoloid, Dravidian, and Aryan. The last two (Dravidian and Aryan) are again shared with the rest of India's population.

5. Size and Population

Tribes vary enormously in size. The largest tribes — Gonds, Bhils, Santhals, Oraons, Minas, Bodos, and Mundas — each number at least a million people. At the other extreme, some Andamanese islander groups may have fewer than a hundred members. According to the 2001 Census, the total tribal population of India was about 84 million, or 8.2% of the national population. By the 2011 Census, this had grown to about 104 million, or 8.6%.

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Acquired Traits: The Changing Markers

These classifications look at what a tribe does and how it relates to the larger society. Two main criteria are used: mode of livelihood and the extent of incorporation into Hindu society.

1. Mode of Livelihood

On this basis, tribes can be categorised as:

• Fishermen
• Food gatherers and hunters
• Shifting cultivators
• Peasants (settled farmers)
• Plantation and industrial workers

2. Degree of Assimilation into Hindu Society …