Tribes of India: Realities and Representations

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The term 'tribe/tribal' is at the heart of several contentious issues of contemporary Indian society. For centuries the tribal communities have been subjected to domination and control by the outsiders and been victims of cultural genocide. As a result, their relationship with forests has been violated, their lifestyle that epitomised harmony with Nature, stands denigrated causing colossal disruption of the everyday practices. Does the process of subjugation and assimilation imply a complete disintegration of tribal practices and tradition? What are the challenges posed by modernisation, sankritisation, and globalisation on linguistic realities and its effect on tribal identity and culture? What happens when the indigenous language faces threat from the outside world? Does it succumb to the pressure and becomes extinct?

This book offers critical insights into questions that are fundamental as well as contemporary in the field of tribal research. From oral cultures and language issues to the radical aspects in tribal Ramayanas and Mahabharatas, to ethnographic studies on tribal monetary traditions, textile, and handicrafts, not to mention the chapters on literary studies of authors like Mamang Dai, Hansda Sowvendra Shekhar, and Mahasweta Devi, the book encompasses a variety of research work that is multidisciplinary, heterogeneous in scope and yet, incisive in argumentation.

Ruby Bhardwaj, Associate Professor, Department of Sociology, JDMC, has researched and published on medical pluralism, assisted reproductive technologies and other issues of relevance in Medical Sociology.

Charu Kala is an Associate Professor at the Department of Sociology, JDMC. Her areas of interest include Sociology of Religion, Kinship and Social Research.

While definitions of 'tribe' abound across disciplinary studies and even in common parlance, the one trait that is most significant is, solidarity. Whether the tribe is one that is formed due to a common interest or occupation, cohabitation in a region, a specific social identity or political ideology, it is clearly discernible that every individual in a tribe has a tremendous sense of belonging and of connectivity, with the spirit of the tribe. In a world that is constantly fractured by conflict, where mud, barbed wire and the sound of ammunition seem to be the only 'talk' one can hear despite aspirations of engaging in 'dialogue', it is the concord that exists in a tribe that in itself makes it compelling for study. Of course, nothing is ideal and tribes too have their share of discord that ruptures the fabric of their society.

How do tribes build the sense of community of a collective? And, how do we form certain perceptions of a tribe?

The tendency to romanticise the tribal way of life in India springs largely due to folk literature, but mainly due to folk songs.

External forces are dispossessing traditional peoples of their lands, resources, and lifestyles; forcing them to subsist in highly degraded environments; crushing their cultural traditions or ability to maintain a balance between Nature and human life. Dislocation of a community from mother earth in the name of 'Development' dislocates languages and ultimately kills them. Over generations, tribes have accumulated a wealth of wisdom about their environments and their functions, management, and sustainable use. Traditional ecological knowledge and practices often make indigenous people, minorities, and local communities highly skilled and respectful of the ecosystems. Indigenous tribes carry unique philosophies, histories, cultural artifacts, ceremonies, and irreplaceable environmental knowledge of biodiversity accumulated over millennia through their tales and stories. The folklore of the tribal world always connects the integrated worldview of man with nature. Their nature includes the entire cosmos as well as the environment they live in. Tribes live with nature and are solely integrated into it, so much so that the two entities, the 'self and the 'world of nature' they live in is ONE.

The term 'tribe/tribal' is at the heart of several contentious issues of contemporary Indian society. An examination of these issues becomes a valuable resource in comprehending the complexity of Indian life and reality. Some of the major questions that this examination brings forward are related to the contemporary political and social concerns of the country: forest rights, acquisition of agricultural land, loss of tribal identity, language, and culture.

Janki Devi Memorial College, University of Delhi, in collaboration with Mahatma Gandhi Government College, Pondicherry University, Mayabunder, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, under the Vidya Vistar Scheme of the University of Delhi organised a two-day National Seminar Tribes: Learning and Unlearning Tribal Culture on 9-10 December 2021. The seminar received a tremendous response and participants from across the country presented papers on the multiple themes related to tribal life and culture, and their representation in mainstream literature, cinema and arts.