Question

Who are adivasis?

Answer 1

Adivasis means original inhabitants or communities who lived and often continue to live close to forests. Around 8 per cent of India’s population is Adivasi. Adivasis are not a homogeneous population, and there are over 500 different Adivasi groups in India. Adivasis are exceptionally diverse in states like Madhya Pradesh, Orissa, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, West Bengal and in the north-eastern states of Assam, Manipur, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland and Tripura. Orissa, like a state, is home to more than 60 different tribal groups. Adivasi societies are also most distinctive because there is often very little hierarchy among them.