January 13, 2024
Every Day Lifestyle of Tribal people and Living with Familie
A large number of tribals in India live in hilly and forested areas where population is sparse and communication is difficult. They are spread over the entire sub-continent, but are found mainly in the states of West Bengal, Jharkhand, Orissa, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan, Gujarat and Maharashtra.
“In tribal life the principal links for the whole society are based on kinship.” Kinship is not simply a principle of social organisation, it is also a principle of inheritance, division of labour and distribution of power and privileges. Tribal societies are small in size. They possess a morality, religion and worldview of their own, corresponding to their social relations. However, some tribes such as Santhals, Gonds and Bhils are quite large.
The principle of organic relationship explains interdependence of various caste groups upon each other in social life. Caste groups are hierarchically arranged on the basis of certain ascriptive criteria. These criteria do not apply to tribes in India.
The tribals of Jharkhand mobilised their members against their exploiters. They interacted with the administration, town elite and outsiders. The Jharkhand (earlier part of Bihar state), which contains numerous tribes, is a tribal cultural zone comprising several tribal sub-cultures.
The Mundas, Oraons, Hos and Santhals the major tribes of this region – depend upon forest produce, settled agriculture, employment in industries, coal mines and government jobs. Some have settled in towns, others are in villages, and some of the latter are economically very well off. Thus, tribal culture is in part a peasant culture and in part an urban culture.