Folk and Tribal Roots

While texts like the Vedas recorded formal knowledge, India also has rich oral traditions maintained by common people (folk) and tribes.

What is a Tribe?

• Modern Definition: A group of families sharing a common descent, culture, and language, living as a close-knit community under a chief, usually without private property.
• Ancient Context: Ancient India didn’t have a specific word for ‘tribe’. They were simply different janas living in specific environments like forests.
• Current Status: As of 2011, India has over 700 tribes (approx. 104 million people).

Cultural Interactions

There has been a constant, fluid exchange between tribal traditions and mainstream schools of thought (Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism).

Mutual Exchange

1. Deities:

   • Jagannath (Puri, Odisha) was originally a tribal deity.
   • Various forms of the Mother Goddess have tribal roots.
   • Conversely, many tribes adopted Hindu deities and have their own versions of epics like the Ramayana and Mahabharata.

2. Sacred Nature:

   • Both tribal and formal Indian traditions regard mountains, rivers, and trees as sacred.
   • Example: The Toda tribe of the Nilgiris regards mountain peaks as divine residences and avoids pointing at them.

Concept of Divinity

Tribal belief systems are often wrongly called “primitive.” They possess complex cultures and high philosophical concepts.

• Donyipolo: Worshipped by tribes in Arunachal Pradesh (Sun and Moon combined).
• Singbonga: A supreme creator deity worshipped by Munda and Santhal tribes.
• Khandoba: A deity in central India.