Tribal movements in India v.1

Towards the close of 1976 a Seminar was organisoy the Anthropological Survey of India on the tribal movements in India. Thirty-six on-going movements were identified fourteen of which were concentrated in the north-eastern region. The papers presented at the Semar have been organised into two plumes; the present Pone foes on the tribal meve nents in the north-east while thond is on movements in arts of India,

ETIC novements in the north gastre entirely different from e elsewhere in the country and stand in a category by themselves because of the unique geopolitical situation of the region and its historical background. The movements covered in this book include the Naga movement, the Zeliangrong movement, the ethnic and script movements of Manipur, the Paite identity movement and the Mizo political movement.

The Khasi and the Garo chose the path of constitutional politics to statehood. Three papers in this connection study the cultural revivalism among the Christian Khasis, the nativistic Seng Khasi organisation and the Khasi solidarity movements. A paper is also devoted to the study of the Garo National Council and another to the All Parties Hill Leaders' Conference (APHLC) which was formed by the Garo and Khasi.

Assam has been the nerve centre of the north-east and has shaped its history and influenced its development. The Brahma movement of the Bodo-Kachari, and the movements of Ahoms and the tribes of North Cachar Hills and Karbi Anglong have been discussed in detail. There are papers on the NE-BU-LA, the common platform of the Nepalese, Bhotiya and Lepcha communities and identity consciousness among the tribes of Arunachal Pradesh.

As these papers were written towards the close of 1976, a postscript has been added to describe the developments since.

This composite collection is an important contribution to tribal studies in India which will be found useful by sociologists, political scientists, researchers, administrators and interested laymen.

K.S. Singh, a senior member of the Indian Administrative Service has spent many years working in the tribal areas of middle India and studying backward communities. He was Fellow, Indian Institute of Advanced Study, Simla (1970) and Jawaharlal Nehru Fellow (1970 72). He was also Director, Anthropological Survey of India. (1976-77). He has written two books; Birsa Munda and His Movement in Chotanagpur and The Indian Famine 1967: A Study in Crisis and Change which have been well received. He has also edited Tribal Situation in India (1976) for the Indian Institute of Advanced Study, Simla.