Tribes/Ethnic Groups In News

• 30 Dec 2020

Zomi Ethnic Group

Manipur's Zomi ethnic group has renewed its demand for the creation of Zoland Territorial Council (ZTC) under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution, a self-administered zone on the lines of the Bodoland Territorial Council in Assam.

Zomi identify themselves as descendants of the Zo, the Tibeto-Burman people that speaks Chin-Kuki language group. They are scattered in Nagaland, Mizoram, Manipur and Assam.

Malayali Tribes

• Malayali is a tribal group from the Eastern Ghats in North Tamil Nadu.
• With a population of around 3,58,000 people they are the largest Scheduled tribes in that region.
• The tribals are usually hill farmers and they cultivate different types of millet.
• Recently TRIFED under the Ministry of Tribal Affairs has sourced Giant Rock Bee Honey, a unique variant of honey from these tribes and added to Tribes of India Collection.

Pateliya Tribes

• The Pateliya is a scheduled tribe. They are found in the states of Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and some parts of Maharashtra and Karnataka.
• The term 'Pateliya' has been derived from the term Patel which locally means 'headman'.
• The Pateliya are mostly distributed in Dahod Mahisagar Panchmahal districts of Gujarat and Jhabua, Dhar, Indore, Dewas, Guna districts of Madhya Pradesh.
• They speak Malvi among themselves and Hindi with others.
• Traditional occupation of the Pateliya is agriculture.
• Recently TRIFED under the Ministry of Tribal Affairs has sourced micro-beaded jewelry (mainly neckpieces) from these tribes and added to Tribes of India Collection.

Vasava Tribes

• The Vasava are a clan of the Bhil ethnic community found in the states of Gujarat, Maharashtra and Rajasthan.
• They have scheduled tribe status. In Rajasthan, they are also known as Vasave.
• The Vasava in Gujarat trace their mythological descent from Eklavya. They speak Bhili language, although most can now speak Gujarati.
• Recently TRIFED under the Ministry of Tribal Affairs has sourced organic varieties of dals and spices from these tribes and added to Tribes of India Collection.