Tribes of India
Over 700 Scheduled Tribes make up 8.6 percent of India; 75 of the most vulnerable are PVTGs; exams ask which tribe lives where.
What the paper can ask
- 8.6 percent of India's population, about 104 million (2011 Census); Mizoram and Lakshadweep have tribal shares of about 95 percent.
- The term Adivasi was coined by tribal activists in the 1930s; the Constitution uses 'Scheduled Tribe'.
- PVTGs: 75 groups in 18 states and one UT, identified after the Dhebar Commission (1960-61); renamed from 'primitive tribal groups' in 2006.
- PVTG examples: Birhor, Onge, Shompen and Great Andamanese; the last addition was the Maram of Manipur in 1993-94.
Why exams ask
Which state a tribe lives in, which language family it speaks, and which festival or custom marks it are the standard questions.
The full story
Scheduled Tribes (STs), often called Adivasis, are communities listed by the President under the Constitution for special protection. They are about 8.6 percent of India's population (104 million in 2011), concentrated in a 'tribal belt' from Gujarat and Rajasthan through central India to Bengal, and in the north-east, where Mizoram and Lakshadweep have the highest shares (about 95 percent).
In the news
Test yourself
1.Saura (Sora) paintings, known as 'Ikons', are made by a tribe of which state?
Correct. The Sora, a Munda tribe in southern Odisha (Rayagada, Gajapati, Koraput), paint Ikons for rituals.
Not quite. The Sora, a Munda tribe in southern Odisha (Rayagada, Gajapati, Koraput), paint Ikons for rituals. It goes into your error book.
2.Wangala, the 'Festival of the Hundred Drums', is celebrated by which tribe?
Correct. Wangala thanks the sun god Misi Saljong for harvest and is celebrated by the Garo of Meghalaya.
Not quite. Wangala thanks the sun god Misi Saljong for harvest and is celebrated by the Garo of Meghalaya. It goes into your error book.
3.The Toda people, known for barrel-vaulted huts and buffalo herding, live in the Nilgiris of which state?
Correct. The Toda are a pastoral people of the Nilgiri district, Tamil Nadu; Toda Embroidery is GI registered (2012-13) under Tamil Nadu.
Not quite. The Toda are a pastoral people of the Nilgiri district, Tamil Nadu; Toda Embroidery is GI registered (2012-13) under Tamil Nadu. It goes into your error book.