🌳 Adivasi Peoples

Indigenous Tribal Communities of India

Who Are the Adivasi?

Adivasi (Sanskrit: "original inhabitants") refers to the collective indigenous tribal peoples of India, officially termed Scheduled Tribes (ST) in Indian law. Comprising over 705 distinct groups with approximately 104 million people (8.6% of India's population), they are recognized as functionally indigenous by the UN and most scholars, though India officially avoids the term "indigenous." Major Adivasi groups include Bhil (18+ million), Gond (13+ million), Santhal (7+ million), Mina, Oraon, Munda, and many others. Adivasi inhabit forest, hill, and remote regions across India, maintaining distinct languages (many from Austroasiatic, Dravidian, and Indo-Aryan families), traditional religions often animistic, subsistence economies, and customary governance systems that predate Hindu caste society.

104M+Total population
705+Distinct groups
8.6%Of India's population
75+Particularly Vulnerable

Major Adivasi Groups and Diversity

The **Bhil** (18+ million across Rajasthan, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra) are India's largest tribal group, traditionally forest-dwelling with Bhili language (Indo-Aryan). The **Gond** (13+ million in central India) maintain rich oral traditions, forest-based livelihoods, and Gondi language (Dravidian). The **Santhal** (7+ million, eastern India) practice settled agriculture, speak Santhali (Austroasiatic), and maintain strong community governance through traditional councils. Other significant groups include **Munda** (ironworking traditions), **Oraon** (agricultural expertise), **Mina** (Rajasthan), **Khasi** (matrilineal Meghalaya), and many others. Additionally, 75 groups are classified as Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs) including Jarawa, Sentinelese, and Great Andamanese—often hunter-gatherers with small populations facing existential threats.

Traditional Religions and Spiritual Practices

Most Adivasi traditionally practice nature-based religions distinct from Hinduism, though often misclassified as Hindu in census data. Common elements include animistic beliefs in spirits inhabiting natural features (mountains, rivers, forests), ancestor veneration, village deities (gram devta), sacred groves protected for spiritual and ecological reasons, and shamanic practitioners who mediate between human and spirit worlds. Major festivals mark agricultural cycles, forest seasons, and life transitions. However, Adivasi face pressure from Hindu organizations seeking to "bring them into Hindu fold," Christian missionary activity (many Adivasi have converted), and cultural erosion from modernization. Some movements assert distinct Adivasi religious identity separate from Hinduism, including formal recognition campaigns like Sarna Dharma Code.

Forest Rights and Land Struggles

Adivasi relationship with forests is central to identity, livelihood, and spirituality. Historically, British colonial forest policies displaced Adivasi from traditional lands, declaring forests state property. Post-independence India continued these policies, establishing protected areas and forest reserves that excluded Adivasi. The 2006 **Forest Rights Act** (FRA) recognizes Adivasi rights to forest dwelling and resources, allowing communities to claim traditional forest lands. However, implementation remains weak, with many claims rejected. Current threats include: mining and industrial projects displacing communities without proper consent, large dam construction submerging Adivasi lands (Narmada, etc.), conservation policies excluding traditional inhabitants from protected areas, and illegal land grabbing. Adivasi resistance movements have long history including the Naxalite/Maoist insurgency partly rooted in tribal land struggles.

Marginalization and Contemporary Challenges

Despite constitutional protections (reservations in education, employment, political representation), Adivasi face severe marginalization: highest poverty rates in India, limited access to education and healthcare, linguistic discrimination (education rarely in tribal languages), land alienation to non-tribals despite legal protections, and vulnerability to bonded labor and trafficking. Development policies often prioritize resource extraction over Adivasi rights. Positive developments include: reserved seats in parliament and state assemblies, scholarship programs, scheduled tribe status providing legal protections, land return movements, and growing political consciousness. Organizations like Adivasi Mahasabha advocate for rights. However, achieving substantive equality and self-determination remains an ongoing struggle for India's first peoples.

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