Hill Tribes of India
The term "hill tribe" was long and inexactly applied to the indigenous inhabitants of upland and mountain areas in South Asia. The hill tribes are and were culturally distinct groups, usually endogamous social units, bearing a tribal name and having a distinct material culture, including, very often, characteristic styles of housing and dress. Often the isolated hill tribes speak their own languages.
The term "hill tribe" is little used today by anthropologists, yet it is not disappearing altogether, because the concept is enshrined in some national legislation. In India the two broad social categories of disadvantaged people, known since independence as the Scheduled Tribes and the Scheduled Castes, have incorporated nearly all of those groups formerly known as hill tribes.
Hill tribes are characterized by great diversity of culture. While early census officials often designated them as "Animists," many in fact follow a variety of "universal" religions, including Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Christianity. Most practice some form of agriculture, but there are groups like the Todas who are pastoralists, others like the Kotas who are craftsmen, and some groups who are itinerant peddlers, magicians, or entertainers.
Further Reading
Fuchs, Stephen. (1973) The Aboriginal Tribes of India. New York: St. Martin's.
Singh, K. S. (1994) People of India: The Scheduled Tribes. New York: Oxford University Press.
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