Tribal Realities: Culture, Challenges, and Development Dilemmas

November 23, 2023 1407 0

Introduction: Traditions, Customs, and Connection to Nature

Socio-cultural aspects of tribal communities often revolve around their distinct traditions, customs, and close-knit social structures. Tribals typically maintain a strong connection to the land and nature, relying on traditional livelihoods like farming, hunting, and gathering. 

Tribal Traditions Inherently Unique: Exploring Adivasi Religious and Cultural Traditions

  • Religious beliefs and other cultural practices of Adivasis are different from mainstream society.
Religious Beliefs of Adivasi People
  • Adivasis practice a range of tribal religions that are different from Islam, Hinduism, and Christianity. These often involve the worship of ancestors, village, and nature spirits
  • These spirits are associated with and residing in various sites in the landscape – ‘mountain-spirits,’ ‘river-spirits,’ ‘animal-spirits,’ etc.
  • The village spirits are often worshiped at specific sacred groves within the village boundary, while the ancestral ones are usually worshiped at home.
  • Additionally, Adivasis have always been influenced by different surrounding religions like Shakta, Buddhist, Vaishnav, Bhakti and Christianity.
  • Simultaneously, Adivasi religions themselves have influenced dominant religions around them, for example, the Jagannath cult of Odisha and Shakti and Tantric traditions in Bengal and Assam.
  • In the 19th century, a lot of Adivasis converted to Christianity, which emerged as an important religion in history.
Languages of Adivasis
  • Adivasis have their own languages (most of them radically different from and possibly as old as Sanskrit), which have often deeply influenced the formation of ‘mainstream’ Indian languages, like Bengali.
  • Example: Santhali has the largest number of speakers and has a significant body of publications, including magazines on the internet or in E-magazines.

Different Issues Faced by Adivasis: Unacknowledged Struggles, Unresolved Issues

  • Unique Tribal Culture: Tribals are cherished for their unique culture and distinct identities, but many of their issues are neglected by mainstream society. 
  • Need for Resolution: Although the origin of these issues mainly remains in colonial policies, India hasn’t succeeded in addressing them properly till this very day. 

Issues that are Still Pertinent: Struggles of Adivasis

Adivasis and Stereotyping
  • In India, we usually ‘showcase’ Adivasi communities in particular ways.
  • Adivasis are invariably portrayed in very stereotypical ways – in colorful costumes, headgear and through their dancing.
    • This often wrongly leads to people believing that they are exotic, primitive, and backward.
  • Often Adivasis are blamed for their lack of advancement as they are believed to be resistant to change or new ideas.
Deprivation in the tribal groups for the cause of development
  • A survey report by organisations working among Adivasis shows that 79 percent of the persons displaced from the states of Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, and Jharkhand are tribal.
  • Huge tracts of their lands have also gone under the waters of hundreds of dams that have been built in independent India. 
    • Also, in the North east, their lands remain highly militarized.
  • India has 101 National Parks covering 40,564 sq. km and 543 wildlife sanctuaries covering 1,19,776 sq. km. 
    • These are areas where the tribal originally lived but were evicted from there. 
    • Paradoxically they have stayed continuously in these forests, they are termed encroachers
  • Losing their lands and access to the forest means that tribes lose their main sources of livelihood and food. 
    • Hence, they have migrated to cities for work where they are employed for very low wages in local industries or at building or construction sites.
  • 45 percent of tribal groups in rural areas and 35 percent in urban areas live below the poverty line. 
    • This leads to deprivation in other areas. Many tribal children are malnourished.
  • Literacy rates among tribes are also very low.
  • When Adivasis are displaced from their lands, they lose much more than a source of income. 
    • They lose their traditions and customs – a way of living and being.

Challenges of Tribal Development: Tribal Development Amidst Displacement Dilemmas

  • Economic-Social Interconnectedness: There exists an interconnectedness between the economic and social dimensions of tribal life. 
    • Destruction in one sphere naturally impacts the other. 
  • Displacement: Often this process of dispossession and displacement can be painful and violent.
  • Dilemma of Government: One of the major dilemmas faced by the government is between development and displacement.
    • Many of the developmental initiatives of the government lead to the displacement of Tribals. 
  • Holistic Development: Hence, it becomes imperative to balance these two to ensure the holistic development of Tribals and society.

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