Indian tribes are often called Adivaasi.

Adivasi is an umbrella term for a heterogeneous set of ethnic and tribal groups considered
the aboriginal population of India. Adivasi make up 8.6% of India's population or 104 million
according to the 2011 census. They comprise a substantial indigenousminority of the population
of India. The same term Adivasi is used for the ethnic minorities of Bangladesh and the
native Vedda people ofSri Lanka (Sinhalese: ). The word is also used in the same sense
in Nepal, as is another word, janajati (Nepali: ; janajti), although the political context
differed historically under the Shah and Rana dynasties.
Adivasi societies are particularly present in Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Chhattisgarh,
Gujarat, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, West
Bengal and some north-eastern states, and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Many smaller
tribal groups are quite sensitive to ecological degradation caused by modernisation. Both
commercial forestry and intensive agriculture have proved destructive to the forests that had
endured swidden agriculture for many centuries.

Clothes :

In India, the Adivasi people typically wear animal skin as their dresses. However, they've also
been known to wear dresses made of sturdy leaves.

For example: The people of Jharkhand dont follow the conventional and traditional tribal dressing
and try to uphold and exhibit their culture and heritage by using the old costumes such as dhoti, kurtapajama and shirts.
The clothing has imprints or paintings of the various colors of tribal art and life embellished on it. This
gives the clothing a special look and appeal. The vibrant colors and high quality fabrics such as silk
are some of the important factors that are taken care of by the people while they adorn this costume.
On special occasions and events, men wear their traditional tribal dress.

Members of the Lori-speaking ethnic groups, including the Lors themselves, theBatrs, and
the Bor-Amads
are characterized by similar styles of dress, with variations reflecting

differences in tribe and social class of the wearer, variations that can have strong symbolic
meaning, particularly among the Batrs. There have been significant changes in the basic male
dress in this century, as a comparison of current dress with that observed by travelers in the 19th
and early 20th centuries reveals

FOOD:
The adivasi takes coarse food and shows no extravagance in this aspect. They eat coarse grain,
kodo, and kutki, drink pej, eat little flour and are normally content with what little that they get.
One of the prime foods is pej that can be made from grounding macca or from the water left from
boiling rice. Local people gave testimony that this food is much better and healthier than many
other food that they eat. Also, beyond doubt they eat several items from the forest that includes
primarily Chirota Bhaji, Gular leaves such as Chirota, chinch, chakora, sarroota, peepal etc. They
also eat BirarKand, Kadukand and other rhizomes. Mushroom is also a delicacy. Numerous fruits
such as mango, char, jamun, tendu are also eaten. They hunt as well, primarily fish and small
mammals.[11]

CULTURE :
The Kharia live in and around the Hill ranges of the Chotanagpur. Their villages are
situated on the hills as well as the plain surrounded by hill ranges covered with thick
forest. The Kharia erect their houses with bamboo, wood, mud, Khar grass, straw and
rope prepared from the tree bark. The houses are generally rectangular in shape. They
do not contain window. They have door made up of wooden and iron bolts. The houses
are not arranged serially. They are scattered here and there. The house consists of one
room and verandah with courtyard. The same room is used as bed room, store room and
kitchen. The verandah is used as guest room and keeping goats, chicks, ducks etc.
Attached to the house, they have cow-shed and pigsty.

In side the house, they have earthen pots, aluminium pots, bronze vessel, brass Thali,
tumbler and some steel utensils. They have iron-Tawa, knife, Karahi and Chholani. They
have Pidha, cot and Machia. They possess mats, baskets, winnowing tray, rope made
articles and wooden racks. Lorha-Silaut, Khal-Musali, Denki, Janta are also found in their
house.

RELIGION:

Religion[edit]
Main article: Tribal religions in India
The majority of Adivasi practice Hinduism and Christianity. During the last two decades Adivasi
from Odisha, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand have converted to Protestant groups. Adivasi beliefs
vary by tribe, and are usually different from the historical Vedic religion, with
its monistic underpinnings, Indo-European deities (who are often cognates of ancient Iranian,
Greek and Roman deities, e.g. Mitra/Mithra/Mithras), lack of idol worship and lack of a concept
of reincarnation.[89]

Animism[edit]
Animism (from Latin animus, -i "soul, life") is the worldview that non-human entities (animals,
plants, and inanimate objects or phenomena) possess a spiritual essence. Encyclopedia of
Religion and Society estimate 1-5% India's population is animist. [90] India's government
recognizes India indigenous have pre-Hindu faith of animist-based religions. [91][92]
Animism is used in the anthropology of religion as a term for the belief system of
some indigenous tribal peoples,[93] especially prior to the development of organized religion.

[94]

Although each culture has its own different mythologies and rituals, "animism" is said to

describe the most common, foundational thread of indigenous peoples' "spiritual" or

"supernatural" perspectives. The animistic perspective is so fundamental, mundane, everyday
and taken-for-granted that most animistic indigenous people do not even have a word in their
languages that corresponds to "animism" (or even "religion");[95] the term is an anthropological
construct rather than one designated by the people themselves.
Donyi-Polo[edit]
Main article: Donyi-Polo
Donyi-Poloi the designation given to the indigenous religions, of animistic and shamanic type, of
the Tani, from Arunachal Pradesh, in north-eastern India.[96][97] The name "Donyi-Polo" means
"Sun-Moon".[98]
Sanamahi[edit]
Main article: Sanamahism
Sanamahism is the worship of Sanamahi, the eternal force/cells responsible for the continuity of
living creations. Sanamahi referred here is not to be confused with Lainingthou Sanamahi (The
Supreme House-dwelling God of the Sanamahism). The religion has a great and unique
traditional history which has been preserved till date for worshiping ancestors as almighty. Thus it
signifies that Sanamahism is the worship of eternal force/cells present in living creations.
Sidaba Mapu, the Creator God of Sanamahism. Sanamahism is one of the oldest religion
of South East Asia. It originated in Manipur and is mainly practiced by
the Meitei, Kabui,Zeliangrong and other communities who inhabit in Manipur, Assam, Tripura.

OCCUPATION:
Occupation of indian tribes are
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

Agriculture
Fishing
Hunting
Planting
Selling of bamboos
Example of Jharkhand mundas :
Mundas have remained haunters for centuries. But now they have been converted into the
settled agriculturist. Most of the then do not have land of their own. They are largely
dependent on the labour work in the fields to earn their livelihood.