Introduction to Importnat Tribes of India

Abujmaria: Known variously as Abudjamadis, Abujmariya and Hill Maria, these tribes are found in the geographically inaccessible areas of Abujhmar Mountains and Kutrumar Hills in the Bastar district of Madhya Pradesh. They speak a Dravidian language called Abujmaria. The Hill Maria tribes are considered as a sub-group of the Gonds, who are historically the most important group of original Indian tribes.
Adivasi Girasia: These tribes inhabit the Banaskantha and Sabarkantha districts of Gujarat and are believed to be the descendants of the Rajputs who married Bhil women. The name "Girasia" refers to the Rajput and other landholders living in the Gujarat and Rajasthan regions. Their language, also known as Adivasi Girasia, is an Indo-Aryan language belonging to the Bhil subgroup.
Aka: These tribes are found mainly in the Andaman Islands, Arunachal Pradesh and also in parts of Assam. The Aka people are so named for a black, sticky paint they use on their faces. They used to speak Aka (now an extinct language) on the Andaman Islands and Aka Lel, a dialect of Nisi, in Assam. The Aka people in Assam celebrate the Nechido Festival every year on the first day of November.

Apatani: These tribes, also described as Apa, are found south of the Tibetan border in the states of Assam, Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland. Their language is also known as Apatani. These tribes are renowned for their cultivation, especially the Terraced rice fields, which are located along the sides of the valleys.

Badaga: Also known as Badag, Badagu, Badugu and Vadagu, these tribes are found in the Nilgiri and Kunda Hills of Tamil Nadu. Their language is also called Badaga. The name "Badaga", meaning "northerner," was given to this group during the Middle Ages when they migrated from the Mysore plains to the Nilgiri Hills in southern Tamil Nadu.

Bhils: The Bhils are considered as the third largest and most widely distributed tribal groups in India. The name "Bhil" was probably derived from the word villu or billu, which in most Dravidian languages is the word for "bow." The bow has long been a characteristic weapon of the Bhil because the tribesmen always carry their bows and arrows with them. The Bhil tribes inhabit some of the most remote and inaccessible areas of India. There are two divisions of Bhils: the Central or "pure" Bhils, and the Eastern or Rajput Bhils. The Central Bhils live in the mountain regions in the states of Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and Rajasthan. They are known as the connecting link between the Gujaratis and the Rajasthanis and are one of the largest tribal communities of India. They speak Bhili, which is an Indo-Aryan language. The Bhils are known to have fought against the Mughals, Marathas and the British.

Dhurwa: These tribes are forest dwellers found mainly in the Bastar district of Madhya Pradesh and Koraput district of Orissa. They are considered as a sub-group of the Gond, the largest tribal group in India. They speak Parji in three dialects.

Dubla: The Dubla live primarily in the states of Gujarat, Maharashtra, Karnataka, and Rajasthan. They speak Dubla, a Bhil language that belongs to the Indo-Aryan linguistic family. The Dubla tribe contains twenty sub-groups, of which the Talavias have the highest social rank.

Gonds: The Gonds comprise the largest tribal group in India. Historically, the Gonds were the most important group of the original Indian tribes. In the 1500's, several Gond dynasties were established and their rajas or kings ruled like Hindu princes. The Gonds were conquered by the Muslim armies in 1592 but their tribes were not disturbed by the changes in administration.

Gujjars: Known by names like Gujuri, Gujer, Gojri, Kashmir Gujari and Rajasthani Gujuri, these are semi-nomadic tribal people found in Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan, besides parts of Afghanistan and Pakistan. Their language is known as Gujuri (also called Parimu and Hindki). Some historians believe that the Gujjars were the inhabitants of Georgia (Gurjia) a territory situated between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea in the former Soviet Union. They left that area and migrated through central Asia, Iraq, Iran and Afghanistan, crossed the Khyber Pass and entered the Indian Sub-continent. Several settlements are named after them, e.g. Gujar (Central Asia), Juzrs (Gurjara), Gujrabad, Gujru, Gujristan, Gujrabas, Gujdar-Kotta, Gujar-Garh, Gujarkhan and Gujranwala in Iran and Afghanistan.

Ho: The word "ho" means man. These tribes, which are also known as Lanka Kol and Bihar Ho, are found mainly in the Singbhum district of Bihar and theMayurbhanj district of Orissa, besides parts of West Bengal, Bangladesh and Nepal. Their language is also called Ho. These are classified as Caucasian

Mundas: These tribes are also known by different names like Mundari, Mandari, Munari, Horo, Mondari and Colh. These are known as Adivasis in Orissa. They are found mainly in southern and western parts of the Ranchi district of Bihar and also in the states of Assam, Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Orissa, Tripura and West Bengal and in Andaman and Nicobar Islands, besides Nepal and Bangladesh. Their language is called Mundari. Mundas are the most ancient among the tribes of Bihar.