Classification A: Based on Ethnicity

Group I: Negritos

are believed to be the earliest inhabitants of the Indian peninsula who

were unable to defend themselves and were gradually forced to recede
before the invading hordes of Indo-Aryans, Mongoloids, etc. coming from the
North-West and North-East.

These tribes were not only superior to them in numerical strength but
also in mechanical equipment.

These tribals took shelter in the mountains and thick forests where a
considerable number of them are still found and have been estimated to be
about ten million.

Those who were left behind in the plains gradually disappeared either by
absorption or by acculturation.

Some tracts of them are still found among the tribals of the Andaman and
Nicobar Islands known as the Onne, the Great Andamanese, the Sentinelese
and the Jarwas

also in Kerala among the Kadars, the Irulars and the Paniyans.

identifying features

are dark skin, curly hair, broad nose and medium height.

Group II: The Mongoloid

represented by the tribal people of sub- Himalayan region.

They may be divided into two categories

Mongoloid Sub-categories

represented by the tribes living in

1.

Palaeo Mongoloids

1 Tibeto -Mongoloids

Assam, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland and Manipur.

Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh.

They are believed to have migrated from Tibet.

They have typical eyes and facial features. They speak M

Group III: Mediterranean (Dravidians)

They form bulk of the tribal population and are generally known as the
Dravidians.

Dravidian is, however, the name of the language group spoken by these
people and has no ethnic significance.

Location

The tribes believed to be belonging to the Dravidian race are found in the
Chhotanagpur Plateau, Rajmahal Hills region, Aravalli ranges, Central
Vindhyachal, Deccan Plateau region and Nilgiri Hills.

Dravidian language still survives not only in Southern India where Tamil,
Telugu, Malayalam and Kannada are its leading representatives, but also in
Central India where its traces are found in the dialects spoken by the Oraons,
Gonds, Mundas, Malers, Khonds and other tribes.

The Dravidians are presumed to be of two stocks,

Dravid Tribes

Dravidian Sub-Categories
Kolarians

Characteristics

speak a dialect called Mundari

Dravidian proper

examples: Mundas, Santhals, Oraons and other t

Speak dailects of Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and K

Gonds, Kondhs, and other tribes found in Central

Classification B: Based on Location

Tribal population of India is spread all over the country. However, in

Haryana, Punjab, Chandigarh, Delhi, Goa and Pondicherry there exist very
little tribal population.

The rest of the states and union territories possess fairly good number of
tribal population

Madhya Pradesh registers the largest number of tribes (73) followed by

Arunachal Pradesh (62), Orissa (56), Maharashtra (52), Andhra Pradesh (43).

In India there is almost a continuous belt of high tribal concentration

starting from the Western coast from Thane district in Maharashtra passing
through Surat and Dang districts in Gujarat to Mayurbhanj in Orissa on the
Eastern coast and Bihar.

The chief concentration is in Dhulia in Maharashtra; West Nimar, Betul,

Chhindwara, Seeni, Mandla, Shandol and Sarguja in Madhya Pradesh; and
Ranchi, Santhal Parganas_ and Singhbhum district in Bihar.

Another long range of tribal belt is found in the North-East spreading over
Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Meghalaya, Mizo Hills, United Mikir and North
Cachar Hills of Assam and hilly regions of Manipur and Tripura.

These belts are also linked up by a chain of pockets of tribal concentration

at Taluk or sub-divisional levels.

Tribal concentrations are also found in Bastar district of Madhya Pradesh,

Korapur, Bauch- Khandenals, and Agency tracts of Orissa and Andhra
Pradesh which are linked up with the Central belt by a chain of small pockets
of tribal concentration.

The scheduled tribes live in exclusive pockets of the territory, upon which
they have traditional ownership rights.

Zone 1: Northern and North-Eastern

In the mountain valleys and other areas of North-East, Indian tribes largely
belong to Mongolian social stock. The tribal people are distributed all over the
sub-Himalayan region and the mountain valleys in the North-East from Simla in
the West to the Lushai hills and the Mishmi track in the East which merge
imperceptibly with those of Burma in the South-East. It covers Assam, Arunachal
Pradesh, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Tripura, Manipur and Mizoram, Eastern Jammu
and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Tarai areas of Uttar Pradesh and the
mountaineous West Bengal.
North East tribe

paro-Barokachari is numerically the strongest tribe in Assam then comes

Miri and Mizo.

The hill districts, i.e., Mikir Hills and North Cachar Hills are predominantly
inhabited by scheduled tribes.

In the plains Goalpara, Lakhimpur, Darrang and Kamrup districts possess

fairly large number of scheduled tribes.

In Manipur, the highest distribution of scheduled tribes is found in

Manipur west districts followed by Manipur east districts. The third highest
position goes to Manipur south districts. North Manipur contains the lowest
number of scheduled tribe population..

The major tribes inhabiting the region are Anal, Kabui, Gangte, Zarao,
Moyan-Mansang, etc. In Meghalaya the most important tribes are the Khasis,
Garos and Jaintias. Mizos, Pawis_and Lakhers are of importance in Mizoram.

Nagaland: A tribal state, inhabited by Nagas

Himachal Pradesh
Following tribes are important

1.

Gaddi

reside exclusively on the snowy range which divides Chamba from Ka

1 Kinner

settled in the frontier district of Kinnaur in Himachal Pradesh.

1 Pangwal

the Pangi region of the Chamba district in Himachal Pradesh

1 Lahuli

Lahul-Spiti region of Himachal Pradesh

Uttar Pradesh

declared scheduled areas are hills, Tarai Bhabar, and Southern U.P. The
hill zone is represented by the Jaunsari, Bhotia, and Raji tribes.

Bhotias are a late introduction in the scheduled tribes following the set
back they suffered after Indo-China war.

The eastern and northern parts of Tarai Bhabar tract are inhabited by
Tharu and Buxa tribes.

Zone II: Central

In the Chhotanagpur Plateau, along the dividing line between peninsular

India and Indo-Gangetic basin, live many tribal communities like the Bhumij,
Gond, Ho, Oraon, Munda, Santhal, Bhil, etc.
They belong to Proto-Australoid group.

This group occupy the mountain belt between Narbada and the Godavari
the central barrier that divides the north from the Peninsular India has
provided a shelter for these tribes from very ancient times.

It includes West Bengal, Southern Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Orissa

and Maharashtra. This region further extends to the Santhal Pargana (Bihar)
in the east, Hyderabad in the South and Rajasthan and Gujarat with a strong
Bhil population in the West.

Bihar
Oraon, Munda, Chero, Parchaiya, Santhal_and Asuras are very dominant.

Rajasthan

Banjaras, Moghias and Sathiyas are important tribes of Rajasthan.

They mostly inhabit the Thar desert.

Gujarat and Maharashtra

Bhil is the most important tribe in Gujarat.

Anal, Chiru_and Konkanas_are important tribes inhabiting Maharashtra.

Madhya Pradesh

1.

ia

Mur

1 Dorla

The word Muria is used in Bastar for a tribesman. Murias reside in the Muria Hill

a tribe of south Bastar in Madhya Pradesh. The word Dorla, appears to have bee
Lord.

1 Bhil

West Bengal and Orissa

West Bengal: Mala and Savara tribes. Now speaking of Odisha:

out ofthe 62 Scheduled tribes, Bhuiya, Baiga, Dharua, Gaaro, Ho, Koli,
Lodha, etc. are more populous. The Baiga appears to be a branch of the
great Bhuiya tribe of Madhya Pradesh.
Baiga means a sorcerer or medicine man.

The name Baiga also applies to anyone who serves as a village priest in
the Central Provinces.

Zone III: South-Western

In the hills and converging line of the Western Ghats live the Chenchus,
Irulas, Kadars, Ketas, Kurumbas, Jedas, etc. having Negrito, Caucasoid, and
proto-Australoid features.

This group is chiefly concentrated in the southern-most parts of the

Western Ghats stretching from Vindhyas to Cape Comorin.

From the fact that they occupy the marginal areas and also from the
records in the oldest Tamil literature of the Sangam period, they appear to
be one of the most ancient and primitive inhabitants of present day India.

Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, and Tamilnadu fall within this zone.
South Western Tribes

State

Important tribes

AP

Chenchus_and Lambadi

Karnataka

Koragas, Kuruba

Kerala

Koragas

Zone IV: Scattered Tribes of Andaman and Nicobar

There are various scattered tribal groups like the Andamanese and such other
tribes of Andaman and Nicobar Islands, and other Union territories.
The aborigines of the Andaman Islands may be described as a race by
themselves, and can be divided into two groups, i.e.,

Subgroup
s

Negrito

Mongoloi
d

Andamanese, the Onges and the Sentinelese.

This group is found in the Andaman group of Islands.

has an affinity with the Semangos and Sakais of Malaya, the Vedas of Sri La
Asia

It is believed that these aborigines migrated from the lower regions of Burm
moved to different part of the islands and very likelyon account of the differen
developed different traits.

inhabitants of Nicobar group of islands, i.e., the Shorn Pens and the Nicobarese.

Tribals of Andaman Nicobar

Jarawa

confined to the western part of the south, middle and north Andamans. Th
number, live along the coastal areas.

Onge

inhabit the little Andaman and Rutland island

Sentinelese

are found in the Sentinel island.

Shorn Pens

confined along the eastern and south-eastern coast of Great Nicobar island
Dagmar, Alexandra and Galathoa rivers respectively.

Nicobarese
(Holchu)

inhabiting these small islands are highly unevenly distributed and only in th