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Profiles of some of the selected Indian tribes

Bhils

• Constitute the largest tribal group in India.
• Found mainly in Madhya Pradesh (Jhabua,Dhar,Kahnwa) and east Gujarat.
• Martial race; primarily agriculturalist.
• Badwas are witch finder,Pujaro are priests and Kotwal are drummers,Tadni is village headman.
• Generally endogamous
• Practice polygamy also.

• Second largest tribal group in India.
• Dravidian background
• Found mainly in Madhya Pradesh
• Some of the tribal groups are Bastai,Marias,Murias,Prajas,Bhatras
• Dependent mainly on agriculture, cattle rearing second main occupation.
• Divided into exogamous sects or clans.
• Speak Gondi dialect.
• Lineage is traced through male lines.

• Third largest tribal group in India believed to be of Pre-Aryan origin.
• Mainly in Santhal Paraganas of Bihar,West Bengal etc.
• Speak Santhali language.
• Naik is the village priest,Gorait is the messenger,Jogmanjhi is the headmentribal council is Parganait.
• Singlonga or Sun God is the main deity.

• Found mainly in Nilgiri Hills of South India.
• Classic example of polyandry.
• Call themselves Tora
• Badaga,Kota,Kurumbaand Irula tribes
• The word Toda is derived from Tundra, name of sacred tree of Topdas.
• Divided into two moieties called Taratharal and Teivaloil.These are endogamous units.All the sacred herd and cattle are owned by Tartharal thus they occupy a higher status.
• The clans are divided into families locally known as Kudupeli.
• Fraternal polyandry found.
• Divorce freely allowed.
• Todas have classificatory type of kinship calling many relatives or friends by some designation.
• Females have low status.
• People are governed by council of five elders called as Naim.Three members of this council come from Tarthar clans,two from Teivali clans and one from Badagas.
• Two of the main deities are Teikirizi and On.

Chenchu

• Mainly found in Andhra Pradesh on the river Krishna.
• They are mostly settled cultivators and very much influenced by neighboring plains people.
• They speak dialect of Dravidian origin.
• Now they have started living in semi-permanent huts.
• They are divided into exogamous clans and have animal totems.
• Divorce is common.
• Chenchus have traditional leader Peddamanshi.
• Bhaivov and Garelamaisama are popular local deities.

• One of the matriarchial tribes of world.
• Have a rich economy influenced by industrialization and urbanization.
• They are mainly in Jaintia hills of Assam.
• Divided into four main sub-groups- Khynrian,Pnar,War and Bhoi.
• They speak a dialect that belongs to the Mon- Khmer branch of Austric family.
• Each of the sub-tribes is divided into a number of clans known as Kurs.
• Marriage within the clan is prohibited.
• Khasis are characterized by matrilineal descent.
• The clan is further sub-divided into sub class known as kpoh (composed of descendents of one grandmother.