Tribes of India l State Wise Complete List

Do you know about the different tribes of India? If not, don't worry. In today's article, we are going to tell you about the major tribes of India. Questions related to different tribes of India are often asked in competitive examinations.

The people of the tribal community living in India belong to the Negrito, Australoid, and Mongoloid races.

In today's article, we will discuss these major tribes with their related state.

Let us first know what is a tribe.

What is a Tribe?

'Tribes are those human communities that have a distinct culture, language, customs, and dress.’

The tribe is a traditional social group of people. Most of the tribes have been in existence for much longer than the existing states and countries.

Article 366(25) of the Constitution of India stipulates that Scheduled Tribes means such tribes or tribal communities which are deemed to be Scheduled Tribes under Article 342 of the Constitution.

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Tribes follow rules and traditions that are not associated with modern governments or mainstream societies.

Even today, their lifestyle is being conducted according to ancient methods. Now even though some tribes have started taking interest in agriculture, animal husbandry, etc. but most of their population subsists by hunting, fishing, wood cutting, etc.

The tribe is actually a statutory term used for the Adivasis of India.

Indian tribes have been addressed by scholars by various names, such as tribals, hill tribes, jungle tribes, ancient tribes, jungle dwellers, backward Hindus, merged humanity, etc.

The Indian Constitution has called them 'Scheduled Tribes'.

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According to the tribal areas, the country is divided into 7 parts, North, Northeast, East, Central, West, Southern, and Island regions.

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The list of major tribes of India state-wise is given below. 

What is the Tribal Population of India?

• According to the 2011 census, the total population of Scheduled Tribes in India is 10,42,81,034 which is 8.6 percent of India's population, in which the rural population is 11.3% while the urban population is 2.8%. And it covers about 15% of the country's area. 
• The draft National Tribal Policy, 2006 records 698 Scheduled Tribes in India. 
• The number of individual groups notified as Scheduled Tribes as per the 2011 census is 705.
• About 80% of people of Scheduled Tribes are employed in the primary sector. 
• The sex ratio of scheduled tribes in India is 990. The sex ratio in rural areas is 991 and in urban areas is 980. 
• The literacy rate of Scheduled Tribes is around 29.60 percent, as against the national average of 52%.

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Which state has the largest tribal population in India?

• According to the 2011 census, Madhya Pradesh has the largest tribal population in India.
• The population of scheduled tribes in the state is 153.16 lakh (according to Census 2011) which is 21.10 percent of the total population of the state, thus Madhya Pradesh is such a state in the country, where every fifth person belongs to the scheduled tribe category. 
• Madhya Pradesh is followed by Maharashtra (10.1 percent), Odisha (9.2 percent), Rajasthan (8.9 percent), Gujarat (8.6 percent), Jharkhand (8.3 percent), Chhattisgarh (7.5 percent), Andhra Pradesh (5.7 percent) respectively. ), West Bengal (5.1 percent), Karnataka (4.1 percent), Assam (3.7 percent), and Meghalaya (2.5 percent). 
• The state with the highest percentage of the tribal population is Mizoram, where the percentage of scheduled tribes is 94.4%. 
• The union territory with the highest percentage of the tribal population is Lakshadweep, where the percentage of scheduled tribes is 94.8%. 

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Which is the largest tribe in India?

• The Gond tribe is the largest tribe in India according to its population. They are related to the pre-Dravin race.
• These are spread over the states of Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Uttar Pradesh, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, and Odisha.
• The language of the Gond tribals is Gondi. 
• The total number of Gond tribes in India is about 4 crores. 
• The highest population of the Gond tribe is in Madhya Pradesh. Their population in the state is 5,093,124.

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Which is the 2nd largest tribe in India?

• The Bhil tribe is the second-largest tribe in India by population.
• The maximum number of Bhil tribes is in the state of Madhya Pradesh. The population is about 4,619,068. 
• The total population of the Bhil tribe in India is 17 million (1.7 crores). 
• The Bhils are a scheduled tribe in Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra, and Rajasthan.
• Colonel James Todd called the Bhils 'Vanaputras'.
• The Bhil tribe is the oldest tribe in Rajasthan. 
• The Bhil tribe lives in Banswara, Dungarpur, Udaipur (mostly), and Chittorgarh districts of Rajasthan.
• People of the Bhil tribe speak the 'Bhil' language. 
• The Bhil tribe is called "the brave bowman of India".
• In the Bhil tribe, the head of the village is called  'Gameti'.
• The word Bhil is derived from "veal" which means "bow" in the Dravidian language.
• The Bhils are known for their 'Pithora' paintings.
• 'Ghoomar' is a traditional folk dance of the Bhil tribe.

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Which is the third largest tribe in India?

• The Santhals are the third largest tribe in India by population. 
• The total population in India is 7.4 million (74 lakh). 
• The largest population of the Santhal tribe is in the state of Jharkhand. The total population in the state is 2,752,723. 
• Apart from this, this tribe is also found in the states of Assam, Tripura, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, and West Bengal.
• The people of the Santhal tribe speak the ' Santhali' language.
• Santhal language is a recognized regional language of India according to the Eighth Schedule of the Indian Constitution.
• The marriage of Santhali tribals is called  'Bapala'.

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Which is the oldest tribe in India? 

• Jarawa tribe is the oldest tribe in India. This tribe is still living in the Stone Age. 
• The people of the Jarawa tribe still hunt with a 'bow arrow'.
• The Jarawas are a major tribe of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands of India.
• At present their number has reduced from 250 to 400. 
• Jarawa people have very dark skin color and short stature.
• This custom is prevalent in this community that if the mother of the child becomes a widow or the father of the child is from any other community, then his child is killed. 
• If the child's complexion is even a little fair, then his father is considered to be of some other community and he is murdered and there is no provision of any punishment for doing so.

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Which is the smallest tribe in India?

• According to the population, the smallest tribe in India is the Great Andamanese.
• According to the estimated figures of 2010, their number was 52.
• The great Andamanese tribe was once the largest population in the Andaman Islands. In 1789 they had an estimated population of 10,000.

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What is the most Dangerous tribe in India?

• The North Sentinel or Sentinelese tribe is the most feared and dangerous tribe in India. 
• The North Sentinel is an aboriginal tribe of the North Sentinel Islands in the Andaman Islands.
• The people of this tribe speak the 'Sentinel language'.
• For food, people depend on hunting and no evidence of fire has been found here yet. 
• This tribe is far away from modern civilization. 
• This tribe does not want to contact the outside world. 
• Whoever went to this island, did not come back alive. 
• The Government of India tried many times to establish contact with them but could not succeed. 
• Due to this tribe being so violent, the Government of India has banned the entry of an outsider on this island. 

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Some other important facts

• The Gurjar tribe living in Jammu and Kashmir is a Muslim tribe. 
• The Tharu tribe living in Uttarakhand celebrates the festival of Deepawali as mourning. 
• Kalbelia tribe of Rajasthan is a snake charmer. 
• ‘Sarhul festival’ is celebrated by the Munda tribe of Jharkhand on the arrival of spring. 
• The Tharu tribe is the largest tribe in Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand. 
• Most of the people of the Meena tribe live in Rajasthan.
• Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi, and Puducherry do not have any tribal communities as per the 2011 census. 
• The 'Hornbill Festival' is celebrated by the Naga tribe of Nagaland. 
• Gond is the largest tribe in India.
• Bhil is the second largest tribe in India.
• Santhal is the third largest tribe in India.
• Madhya Pradesh state has the maximum tribal population in India.
• Jarava is the oldest tribe in India.
• Sentinelese is the most dangerous tribe in India.
• The great Andamanese is the smallest tribe in India.

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Major Tribes of India: FAQs 

Q.1 Which is the largest tribal group in India?

Ans. Gond 

Q.2 In which state do the Panyan and Irula tribes live?

Ans. Kerala 

Q.3 In which region are Dafla and Sinhpo tribes found?

Ans. Arunachal Pradesh 

Q.4 Where is the Lepcha tribe found?

Ans. Sikkim 

Q.5 Where is the Onjo tribe found?

Ans. Andaman and Nicobar Islands 

Q.6 Where is the Munda tribe found?

Ans. Jharkhand 

Q.7 In which state does the Kuki tribe live?

Ans. Manipur 

Q.8 In which state Garo, Khasi and Jaintia tribes reside?

Ans. Meghalaya 

Q.9 In which state does the Chenchu tribe live?

Ans. Andra Pradesh 

Q.10 Where is the Toda tribe found?

Ans. Nilgiri Hills 

Q.11. What is the literal meaning of Birhor?

Ans. Jungle man 

Q.12. Where is the Bhil tribe mostly found?

Madhya Pradesh 

Conclusion

In today's article, we have given you important information about the major tribes of India.

This article will prove to be useful for competitive examinations, as well as this article will increase your knowledge about the tribes of India.

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