Indian Tribes in Transition

All the societies are characterized by differentiation and inequality. India is no exception. The differentiation and stratification prominently mark Indian society. With special reference to village India, one comes across social situations represented by twice-borns, people of the middle caste segment, untouchables, minorities, backward classes, Scheduled castes, Scheduled tribes, denotified groups and so on so forth. Such social formations are often highlighted in various texts and contexts. Indivers reference the communities may expose conditions of conflict, consensus, continuity and change.
Constituting about seven per cent of the total Indian population, the tribals have attracted attention from various corners. Concern about the tribals and their way of living has widely increased. The trend where the tribals appeared as the real cause of concern speeded up specially during the last two and a half decades. Culture contact with the non-tribal grew deeper, and intimate. Social scientists and other researchers apart, the official administration and non-official agencies established contact with the tribals to induce their respective programme. Under the circumstances the tribal communities have not been spared from the conditions of persistence and change. Position of fixity or status quo is chiefly supported by various elements provided in the traditional cultures. The change, of whatever order and quality, can mainly be attributed to culture contact and intended and unintended efforts thereof. Both, the originality and shake in tribal living depict positive and negative perspectives.