Tribal groups in northeast India

Introduction
TRIBE= A social division in a traditional society consisting of families or
communities linked by social, economic, religious, or blood ties, with a
common culture and dialect, typically having a recognized leader.
Northeast India is well known for its distinct culture and traditional lifestyle.
It is a land inhabited by more than 200 fascinating tribes. Each tribal group of
northeast India has its own unique tribal culture and ethnic diversities of the
tribal world in India.
It is no wonder the region has ever since captured the imaginations of
anthropologists from all over the world.
The North-Eastern part of India shares its boundary with China, Nepal,
Bhutan, Myanmar, and Bangladesh. The closeness of the region and so many
international borders have left the region much unexplored due to its
sensitivity.
Northeast India is full of lush green valleys, mountains, springs, and green
vegetation. The land with its natural beauty and cultural heritage has always
topped the list of the ideal destination for travelers from India and the
World.
Different ethnic groups and tribal groups inhabit the region of northeast
India. They all have their own culture and tribal tradition and all speak their
tribal languages. This has made Northeast India one of the most culturally
diverse regions of the world. The cuisines and attires also vary among the
tribes. Each tribal community has its unique way of living. Tribal people
mostly live and earn through the hills and forest areas.
 ORIGIN OF THE TRIBES

North East Indian tribes have originated from the ethnic groups of
TibetoBurmese, proto Austrioloids, and some groups of Indo Mongoloids.
The trend can be seen in the looks and traditions that are visibly followed by
these communities. They also show a cultural bridging with the neighboring
countries. And India has till now provided them with a haven, compared to
living in neighboring communist nations of China and Burma.

TYPES OF NORTH-EAST INDIAN TRIBES

North-East tribes constitute a major part of the Indian tribal community.
They are all scattered over all the states of the North East. Arunachal Pradesh
consists of around 25 types of tribes.
Nagaland has around more than 16 major tribes even. Some examples of
prominent tribes are Garo, Khasi, Jaintia, Adi, Nyishi, Angami, Bhutia, Kuki,
Rengma, Bodo, and Deori. They are scattered throughout the region.
Christian-ism is followed among many of the tribes and some also follow
Hinduism and Buddhism. The rest still have their indigenous beliefs and
practice animism.

THE BODO TRIBE

The Bodo Tribe is vast and shares a good number of populations in Assam.
The tribal people have also migrated to other parts of India as well as to
neighboring countries. It’s said that Bodo tribes have introduced rice
cultivation, tea plantation, poultry farming, and silkworm rearing in the
North-Eastern parts of India.
RELIGION: The Bodo people believe in worshipping their forefathers known
as Bathouism. Ba means five and thou mean deep in the Bodo language. The
number five is considered lucky and is a significant number in the Bodo
religion.
Nowadays the Bodos have started to follow other religions like Hinduism and
Christianity.
DRESSING: The men of the Bodo tribe are simple dressers and can be seen
wearing the common dress of Assam i.e. the Gamosa. They use the Gamosa
to cover the body from the waist down to the knee and the upper half was
meant to be kept bare.
DIET: Bodos are nonvegetarians and rice is considered a staple food, and the
traditional favorite drink of the Bodos is Zu Mai (rice wine). Rice is usually
accompanied by a nonvegetarian dish such as fish, meat, or pork.
OCCUPATION: Weaving and silkworm rearing is another part of Bodo culture.
Many families rear their silkworms. The cocoons of the silkworms are spun
into silk. Bodo women teach their girls the art of weaving from a young age.
One can always find a Bodo courtyard with a loom. Women weave and wear
their own Dokhnas, which is the traditional dress of the Bodo women with
shawls. The Bodos are also experts in making beautiful crafts from bamboo.
FESTIVAL: Baishagu is the most cherished, springtime festival celebrated by
the Bodo Tribe at the advent of the New Year. Famous for its myriad colors
and merriment, Baishagu is celebrated in mid-April. The other festivals
that Bodo Tribe celebrates are Hapsa Hatarani, Awnkham, Gwrlwi, Janai,
Bwisagu, and Doshi.

THE KUKI TRIBE

Kuki Tribe or the migrant ones can be found all over the northeastern states.
The language of the tribe varies but is all similar in a way, and can broadly be
termed the Kuki Language. They prefer to live on hilltops. The villages of Kuki
tribes are a cluster of closely constructed houses.
RELIGION: The Kuki tribes are animists. They believe in forces of nature, they
worshiped and celebrated the sun, moon, waters, and the trees to look after
their people, villages, and fields. They sought blessings from and worshiped
and sacrificed both the malicious as well as the benevolent spirits that
resided in the forests.
DRESSING: Kuki men wear colorful Sangkhol, a jacket, and a ‘Pheichawm’
(short dhoti). Sometimes a Chaddar or a wrap is used. They also wear Tuhpah
(head cover). Women wear anih-san underneath a pon’ve or a wraparound.
The dress is worn from above the chest.
DIET: The Sizou Changal Mapo is a special Kuki dish that is much enjoyed by
the people. This dish is a form of paella that is made spicy and without the
cheese. An assortment of meats is cooked with rice into a runny texture
along with special condiments and spices making it a scrumptious feast.
OCCUPATION: The main occupation of this tribe is agriculture and
horticulture but with the impact of western education many people are in
government jobs. The present study is conducted among the Thadou-
speaking Kuki tribe of Manipur.
FESTIVAL: Festivals of the Kuki Tribe are one of the most important aspects of
the social life of the Kuki tribes. Festivals have been an integral part of the
Indian culture that reflects the colors of the land. The festivals of the Kuki
tribe mainly include Sawm Kivah, Lawm-Siel-Kai, Voicha Kih, Puon Kaap, and
Sachan but the major festival celebrated is the Kukis Mimkuut Festival, which
falls in January.

ADI TRIBE
Adi Tribe is found in Arunachal Pradesh. They live on the hills and have their
village council. This group is again divided into various small sub-tribes.
RELIGION: The majority of Adi traditionally follow the tribal Donyi-Polo
religion. Worship of gods and goddesses like Kine Nane, Doying Bote, Gumin
Soyin, and Pedong Nane, etc., and religious observances are led by a shaman,
called Miri (who can be a female).
DRESSING: The dress for women and men is naturally weaved by the
womenfolk of the tribes. Men wear helmets made from cane, bear, and
deerskin, depending on the region. Older women wear yellow necklaces and
spiral earrings. Beyop is worn by unmarried girls (ornament consisting of five
to six brass plates fixed under their petticoats). Tattooing of hands, arms, and
faces is very popular among the older women of the neighboring Apatani
Tribe.
DIET: Rice serves as the staple food for them. Trapping and hunting,
increasingly with firearms, supplement the diet; the favorite prey is the
abundant rat, prepared in various ways, including pieces of rat and other
meat in a rice flour cake wrapped in banana leaves, served during Aran. The
Adi keep pigs, chickens, and mithuns and grow vegetables.
OCCUPATION: The Adi practice wet rice cultivation and have a considerable
agricultural economy.
FESTIVAL: The Adi celebrate several festivals, in particular, their prime
festivals are Aran, Donggin, Solung, podi barbii, and Etor. Solung is observed
in the first week of September for five days or more. It is a harvest festival
performed after the sowing of seeds and transplantation, to seek future
bumper crops. Ponung songs and dances are performed by womenfolk
during the festival. On the last day of Solung, the throne and indigenous
weaponry are displayed along the passage of the houses - a belief that they
would protect people from evil spirits.
APATANI TRIBE
The Apatani, or (Tanw, Tanii) are a tribal group of people living in the Ziro
valley in the Lower Subansiri district of Arunachal Pradesh in India, have a
distinct civilization with systematic land-use practices and rich traditional
ecological knowledge of natural resources management and conservation,
acquired over the centuries through informal experimentation. The tribe is
known for its colorful culture with various festivals, intricate handloom
designs, skills in cane and bamboo crafts, and vibrant traditional village
councils called bulyañ. This has made the Ziro Valley a good example of a
living cultural landscape where humans and the environment have
harmoniously existed together in a state of interdependence even through
changing times, such co-existence being nurtured by the traditional customs
and spiritual belief systems.
RELIGION: The most followed religion by these tribes is Donyi polo, the faith
of praying to the sun (Ayo Danyii) and the moon i.e. Atho Pulo. They refer to
Abotani as the founder of the Apatani people. They hold a strong belief in the
powers of the sun and the moon and also know about herbal medicines to
cure most of their ailments. Their local rituals carried out by their high priests
include chanting prayers, bloodletting, and animal sacrifices for the
betterment of their whole community.
DRESSING: The Appatani tribal people wear bead necklaces, brass chains, and
metal bells along with some heavy bracelets. The woman wears bamboo
insertions in the nose and ears which are steadily being replaced by huge
brass or silver rings. The Apatani wear elaborate and colorful yet simple and
handwoven dresses.
DIET: The primary source of food for the Apatanis includes rice and fish which
they cultivate in their fields using water from the rivers and streams with the
usage of the terrace farming techniques. The apatanis eat everything boiled
which includes rice, green vegetables, Mithun, meat, and fish. Green chili and
ginger are considered important ingredients in their cuisine. Their eating
habits include the practice of taking salt separately which evolved from salt
not being available during old times and the use of shrubs to get their iodine
content.
Rice, pork, fish, and vegetables can be considered to be the staple food of the
tribe. Sudden yo (bamboo meat) is the best delicacy around which is made by
stuffing a mix of chicken mince and egg yolk in a tender bamboo stem and
cooking it. The apatanis use very less oil and spices in their food which is
mainly steamed or boiled.
OCCUPATION:
FESTIVAL: The two most important festivals celebrated are the Dree festival,
which is celebrated in the Ziro plateau under the lower Subansari district,
and the annual Myoko festival. The Myoko festival on the other hand is
celebrated to uphold the spirit of togetherness and friendship. This festival is
a celebration of friendship and harmony between various Apatani villages.
 Problems Faced by the tribal
people of North East India
i. They possess small and uneconomical landholdings because of
which their crop yield is less and hence they remain chronically
indebted.
ii. Only a small percentage of the population participates in
occupational activities in the secondary and tertiary sectors.
iii. The literacy rate among tribals is very low.
iv. A good portion of the land in tribal areas has been legally transferred
to non-tribals. Forests not only provide the materials to build their homes
but also give them fuel, herbal medicines for curing diseases, fruits, wild
game, etc. Their religion makes them believe that many of their spirits live
in trees and forests. Their folk tales often speak of the relations between
human beings and spirits. Because of such physical and emotional
attachment to forests, tribals have reacted sharply to restrictions imposed
by the government on their traditional rights.
v. Tribal government programs have not significantly helped the tribals
in raising their economic status. The British policy had led to ruthless
exploitation of the tribals in various ways as it favored the zamindars,
landlords, moneylenders, forest contractors, excise, revenue, and police
officials.
vi. Banking facilities in the tribal areas are so inadequate that the tribals
have to depend mainly on moneylenders. Being miserably bogged down in
indebtedness, tribals demand that “Agricultural Indebtedness Relief Acts”
should be enacted so that they may get back their mortgaged land.
In short, the main problems of the tribals are poverty, indebtedness,
illiteracy, bondage, exploitation, disease, and unemployment.
After independence, tribal problems and tribal unrest have become
politicized. An articulate and effective political elite has emerged in several
tribal areas. These elite are conscious of tribal rights and are capable of
making calculated moves to gain their acceptance.

THEIR ROLE IN THE BRITISH WAR

In post1857 India, tribal revolts occurred in all parts of the country, "but
they remained disjointed or isolated and local." The role of the tribals in
India's freedom struggle is tremendous, though it has not adequately
caught the attention of historians. Tribals living in forests in different parts
of the country were amongst the firsts who dared to challenge British rule
and its malpractices. But their acts of rebellion were sporadic and lacked
efficient and potent leadership. Although the issues of their grievances were
the same everywhere, no central leadership could evolve to espouse their
cause and unite them in their fight against British rule. The colonial power
in the form of the British imposed the much-hated zamindari system in the
forest areas which turned them into laborers overnight from the
landowners. Moreover, they were deprived of the minimum wages for their
menial work. The intrusion into their religion and beliefs was
systematically brought about by the missionaries. All this and certain other
factors nearly uprooted the tribals from their moorings at the behest of
foreign rulers. Since the tribals were the primary sufferers and easy
targets, the British introduced their repressive laws with impunity. The
tribals were not organized, hence the British authorities found it easy to
quell the disturbances without much ado.
Despite all odds, the tribals time and again rose in rebellion against the
British misrule. This is high time our historians gave their due by writing a
comprehensive history of the tribal uprisings under British rule. That will
be a real tribute to their shining valor and courage of conviction.

My suggestions:

• To establish proper education centers near the tribes.

• To establish a police station near the tribes to maintain law and
order.
• To open more hospitals near the tribes.
• Help them to learn and increase the use of technology.
• To have proper banking facilities for the tribal people.
 CONCLUSION
The tribals in India, both in the tribal majority and tribal minority states,
have retained their identity and are proud of their cultural heritage. Their
leaders' main concern is to see that their rights as citizens in India's
democracy are well protected. They are striving, through the help of the
state and the wider society, to achieve a better quality of life while slowly
moving toward social integration with other communities of their region.
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