10 Lesser Known Indian Tribes And Their Fascinating Lives

A land of diverse culture, India has much more to offer than we can ever experience in our whole lives. These indigenous tribes of the country have lives no less intriguing than a page of an old book of folklore. Let’s know more about them

1. Bnei Menashe

The tribe from Manipur claims to be the descendants of the Lost Tribes of Israel. Apparently, they were one of the ancient tribes of 722 BC who where exiled from Israel when the country was conquered by the Neo-Assyrian Empire. Today, the Bnei Menashe tribe of Manipur practice Judaism but it has only been a few decades that they have embraced Judaism.

The tribe that was Animist at first were baptized to Chritianity in the 19th century but during the late 20th century, their claims of being descendants of the Israel’s exiled tribes were finally confirmed by a rabbi from Israel. Thus, the tribe converted back to their original religion, thousands of years after they were exiled from their ancestral land.

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2. Sentinelese

The most elusive tribe in the world, they are very particular about their privacy. Not only do they have no desire of mixing with the rest of the world, they’re extremely hostile to anyone outsider who tries to break into their sanctity of elusiveness.

After several attempts to establish contacts with them and only been greeted with showers of arrows and javelin that has caused several injuries and deaths, the Indian government stopped further attempts of making contacts with them. Today, the indigenous tribe of Andaman, enjoys complete autonomy with only occasional and brief monitoring patrols from the Indian government.

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3. Chenchus

The South Indian tribe are one of the most progressive people in the country. Unlike several so called modern societies of India, Chenchus have the right to choose the man or woman to marry without any parental pressure as such. However, the interesting part is that the tribe allows divorce between partners on the grounds of incompatibility which is still looked down upon in most parts of the country.

Another incredible aspect of the Chenchus is that widow remarriage not a very big deal for them. They sustain by hunting and although they have been encouraged to take up agriculture, they’re yet to show any interest as of yet.

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4. Bishnoi

The tribe of Rajasthan were the original environmental conversationalists of India. Bishnoi, which translates to the number 29, is a belief based upon 29 tenets, one of which prohibits the followers to harm any living being or cut down trees. 363 Bishnoi men and women sacrificed their lives in 1730 to save trees from being cut down the king of Jodhpur.

Today, married men and women of the Bishnoi tribe settle together in bare lands making it livable by digging up wells, cultivating vegetaion and planting millet. Men wear simple white clothes and women are clad in red. They maintain the uniformity in clothes out of the belief that it keeps humans from jealousy.

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5. Siddi

The tribe is scattered all over India and Pakistan. Now that they have blended in seamlessly with the Indian culture, it is hard to guess that these tribal people owe their origin to Southeast Africa. They had come to India as early as 700 A.D as slaves brought by the Portuguese and Arab merchants. Thousands of years in India have almost depleted their characteristics as the Bantu tribe of Africa but there’s something that they had managed to retain from their ancient ancestry – their music and dance.
Goma, as it is known, is a music and dance form of the African Bantu tribe, the name believed to be derived from Ngoma drumming of the same region, is known as also known as Dhamaal which is practiced in Gujarat by the Siddi tribes in the region.

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6. Muria

The tribe in Chattisgarh has many interesting aspects to their character but the most intriguing part is their sexual practices. The Murias may be considered as sexually liberated for nobody’s more prepared for the modern hookup culture and one night stands than the Murias. Muria youths are sent to ghotuls designed as mixed=sex dormitories where they’re encouraged to engage in sexual activities.

However, they’re generally discouraged from being emotionally attached to their sexual partner and are also not allowed to sleep with the same person more than thrice. Murias usually marry late after enjoying varied sexual experiences.

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7. Bhotiya

The Bhotiya tribe found primarily in Uttarkhand are known for their fascinating rituals surrounding marijuana. Their religion has a very interesting harmony of Buddhist and Hindu beliefs. Although, originally Buddhist, the Bhotiyas’ Hindu beliefs allow and encourage them to incorporate marijuana and hash into their rituals which is associated to Lord Shiva in Hinduism.

They’re also fond of preparing and consuming Bhang which they offer to Lord Shiva so that his anger can be kept contained. However, alcohol forbidden in the according to the beliefs of the Bhotiyas.

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8. Drokpa

In the highlands of Ladakh, India, lives the tribe who are believed to be the descendants of the soldiers of Alexander who came down to India in 327 BC. Drokpas do not marry out of their community as a means to preserve their ethnicity. They’re magnificently dressed in luscious fur coats and flower pots that sets them apart from the rest of the tribes in the region.

The Drokpas who are open about pre-marital sex, polygamy, polyandry and public display of affection are also known to consider wife swapping as a part of their culture and tradition.

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9. Jarawas

Another tribe from the Andaman, the Jarawas, although not as hostile as the Sentinelese, are extremely protective of their culture and ethnicity. Among several interesting customs and traditions of the tribe, one interesting tradition includes the changing of the name of children as they hit puberty which takes place with an elaborate ceremony.

While adolescent boys have to kill a pig, girls are smeared with pig oil as a part of the tradition. The Jarawas are essentially hunters but they never kill or eat deer meat although there is an abundance of the animal where they live.

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10. Patua

The tribe from Bengal is known for their skill in painting and singing. Patachitra is the name of their art which are basically scroll paintings that are unfurled in front of the onlooker with songs sung by the artists themselves. The art and the songs of the Patuas are based on the mythological and traditional tales of the Patua culture as well as modern contexts.

The songs are known as pater gaan while the materials for painting are procured from natural sources such as clay, leaves, flowers and trees. The painters are known for their artistic depiction of Hindu deities on the scrolls although, many of them are Muslims.

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Our country is filled with many such indigenous tribes but sadly, many of them are almost on the verge of extinction.

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