AI tools

Tribal religions in India

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Tribal religions in India

Roughly 8.6 per cent of India's population is made up of "Scheduled Tribes" (STs), traditional tribal communities. In India those who are not Christians, Muslims, Jews, or Zoroastrians are identified as Hindus. The reason being varied beliefs and practices allowed in Hindusim and according of Hindusim as a geographical identity than merely Religious ones. Though, many of the Scheduled Tribes have modes of worship not typical to mainstream Hindusim but ontologically form part of the cultural practices of the land, as Nature or ancestral worship, with varying degrees of syncretism.[citation needed]

Thumb
Scheduled Tribes distribution map in India by state and union territory according to the 2011 Census.

According to the 2011 census of India, about 7.9 million (7,937,734) out of 1.21 billion people did not adhere to any of the subcontinent's main religious communities of Hinduism, Islam, Christianity, Sikhism, Buddhism, or Jainism. The census listed atheists, Zoroastrians, Jews, and various specified and unspecified tribal religions separately under the header "Other Religions and Persuasions".[1]

Of these religious census groupings, the most numerous are Sarna (4.9 million respondents), Gondi (1 million), Sari Dharam (506,000), Donyi-Poloism (331,000); Sanamahi (222,000) and Khasi (139,000), with all other religions numbering less than 100,000 respondents, including 18,000 for "tribal religion", 5,600 for "nature religion", and 4,100 "animists".[1] The Scheduled Tribes account 89.39% (7,095,408) of total ORP in India.[2]

Demographics

More information Year, Pop. ...
Historical population
YearPop.±%
18715,102,823—    
18816,426,511+25.9%
18919,280,466+44.4%
19018,584,148−7.5%
191110,295,168+19.9%
19219,774,611−5.1%
19318,280,347−15.3%
194125,441,497+207.3%
19514,985,645−80.4%
Note: Colonial census data contain discrepancies due to changing political boundaries, unrecorded areas, varied methodologies, and administrative priorities of the era, wherein the religious beliefs of diverse tribal groups were clubbed under single general category, such as Animist or Tribal religion. The post-independence census publishes returns for each religious belief separately.
Source: Census of India[3]
Close
State/UT wise distribution of 7.9 million ORP of India, 2011 census[1]
  1. Jharkhand (53.36%)
  2. West Bengal (11.87%)
  3. Madhya Pradesh (7.55%)
  4. Chhattisgarh (6.23%)
  5. Odisha (6.03%)
  6. Arunachal Pradesh (4.57%)
  7. Meghalaya (3.25%)
  8. Manipur (2.95%)
  9. Maharashtra (2.25%)
  10. Other (1.94%)
More information Religious belief, Population ...
Statistics for the other religions and persuasions, 2011 census[1][4]
Religious beliefPopulationState/UT
(significant five)		ST Adherant
(%)		Primary ST Adherants
(significant five)
Sarna4,957,46799.98% in: Jharkhand, Odisha, West Bengal, Bihar, Chhattisgarh92.61Santal, Oraon, Ho, Munda, Lohar
Gond/ Gondi1,026,34499.97% in: Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand98.45Gond, Pardhan, Baiga, Agaria, Generic tribe
Sari Dharma506,369100% in: West Bengal97.42Santal, Kora, Bhumij, Mahli, Generic tribe
Doni Polo/ Sidonyi Polo331,37099.96% in: Arunachal Pradesh, Assam98.79Nyishi, Galong, Adi, Tagin, Apatan
Sanamahi222,42299.95% in: Manipur0.32Kabui, Maring, Generic tribe
Khasi138,51299.98% in: Meghalaya98.23Khasi, Mikir, Dimasa, Generic tribe
Addi Bassi86,87796.32% in: Jharkhand, Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat94.94Oraon, Gond, Halba, Kharwar, Bhil
Niamtre84,27699.98% in: Meghalaya96.05Khasi, Synteng, Pawi, Generic tribe
Adi Dharam82,255100% in: Odisha, Chhattisgarh, West Bengal97.46Oraon, Nagesia, Korwa, Gond, Munda
Adim dhamm57,02299.98% in: Chhattisgarh97.48Gond, Halba
Atheist33,30482.15% in: Maharashtra, Meghalaya, Kerala, Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu46.43Khasi, Bhil, Garo
Bidin29,55398.76% in: Jharkhand98.89Santal, Sauria Paharia, Mal Paharia, Generic tribes
Adi24,38198.73% in: Jharkhand, Odisha, Chhattisgarh96.25Oraon, Kolha, Nagesia, Gond, Kisan
Songsarek19,83499.84% in: Meghalaya97.13Garo, Generic tribe
Yumasam19,09399.86% in: Sikkim, West Bengal92.68Limboo, Limbu (Subba), Generic tribe
Tribal religion17,39396.84% in: Arunachal Pradesh, Karnataka, West Bengal, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh83.52Mishmi, Nocte, Kaman/Miju Mishmi, Miji
Rangfra10,598100% in: Arunachal Pradesh96.46Tangsa, Longchang Tangsa, Naga, Moglum Tangsa, Taisen Tangsa
Heraka9,956*99.95% in: Manipur, Nagaland, Assam122.2
Santal6,48599.11% in: West Bengal, Jharkhand, Odisha, Bihar84.19Santal, Generic tribe
Nature Religion5,63598.49% in: Odisha, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand92.28Khond, Gond, Mal Paharia, Korwa, Baiga
Bahai / Bahais4,57258.81% in: Tripura, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Odisha, West Bengal11.81Kunbi, Kokna
Nani Intiya4,528100% in: Arunachal Pradesh98.9Mishmi
Animist4,13098.26% in: Sikkim, West Bengal, Nagaland11.07Naga
Dupub3,32699.97% in: Odisha, Jharkhand97.9Ho, Kol, Kolha
Birsa2,39599.87% in: Jharkhand97.66Munda
Fralung2,381100% in: Assam4.07Generic tribe
Pagan2,088*99.95% in: Meghalaya, Manipur, Nagaland106.37Garo, Poumai Naga, Naga
Baiga1,88499.79% in: Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh96.92Baiga
Tadvi1,78699.1% in: Maharashtra96.64Bhil, Dhanka
Nocte1,51199.47% in: Arunachal Pradesh97.49Nocte
Sarnam1,49499.8% in: Jharkhand, Odisha93.04Bhumij
Ho1,41895.77% in: Jharkhand, Odisha84.41Ho
Nyarino1,365100% in: Arunachal Pradesh96.92Aka
Budhadeo1,34599.18% in: Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh67.88Gond
Bhil1,32398.34% in: Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Rajasthan67.57Bhil
A.C.1,31794.76% in: Maharashtra, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu67.81Bhil
Traditional Religion1,23998.87% in: Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh95.8Mikir
Intaya1,20899.92% in: Arunachal Pradesh99.34Mishmi
Tana Bhagat1,10899.91% in: Jharkhand96.39Oraon
Oraon1,09182.68% in: Jharkhand, West Bengal82.13Oraon, Generic tribe
Munda1,08696.32% in: Jharkhand, West Bengal, Odisha87.02Munda
Close

Customs

Summarize
Perspective

The tribal people observe their festivals, which have no direct conflict with any religion, and they conduct marriage among them according to their tribal custom. They have their own way of life to maintain all privileges in matters connected with marriage and succession, according to their customary tribal faith.[citation needed] In keeping with the nature of Indian religion generally, these particular religions often involve traditions of ancestor worship or worship of spirits of natural features.[5]

The various tribes can be categorised into different major linguistic groupings, such as Indo-Aryan, Dravidian, Austroasiatic, Tibeto-Burman, and Andamanese.[6]

About 25% of the Munda people and Oraon people, and 60% of the Kharia people of Jharkhand (population about 130,000), are Christian. Altogether, 43% of Kharia population is Hindu while 46% is Christian. However, almost two-thirds (63%) of the Santhal, over 40% of Munda and Ho tribal population are Hindus. Tribal groups in the Himalayas were similarly affected by both Hinduism and Buddhism in the late 20th century. The small hunting-and-gathering groups in the union territory of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands have been under severe pressure of cultural assimilation.[7]

Recognition

According to the Indian legal system, all the native or indigenous religions of India fall broadly under Hinduism, since the constitution does not classify only Vedic religions as Hinduism as used in the colloquial norm. The term "Hindu" is derived from Persian meaning "Indo" (or Indian), hence the official word "Hinduism" broadly refers to all the native cultures of the Indian subcontinent. The 1955 Hindu Marriage Act "[defines] as Hindus anyone who is not a Christian, Muslim, or Jew".[8]

List of Tribal Religions in India

See also

References

Loading related searches...

Wikiwand - on

Seamless Wikipedia browsing. On steroids.