List of Scheduled Tribes in Odisha

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The term "Scheduled Tribes" signifies specific indigenous groups whose status is formally acknowledged to some extent by Indian legislation, often colloquially referred to as "tribals" or "adibasi." In adherence to the Constitution of the Indian Republic, the state of Odisha officially recognizes a total of 64 distinct tribes as Scheduled Tribes.^[1][2] Among these 64 tribes, 13 hold the designation of "Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups" (PVTGs).^[3][4]

Tribal face of Odisha

According to the 2011 census, Odisha counted 9,590,756 Scheduled Tribes, ranking as the third-largest state in India in terms of its Scheduled Tribes population, trailing behind Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra. These tribal communities collectively make up around 22.84% of the state's total population, 9.20% of the nation's Scheduled Tribes population, and about 0.79% of the nation's entire population.^[5]

Main tribes

The Kondha or Kandha is the largest tribe of the state in terms of population. They have a population of about one million and are based mainly in the Kandhamal and adjoining districts namely Rayagada, Koraput, Balangir and Boudh. The Santals with a population over 800,000, inhabit the Mayurbhanj district. The Ho people with a population more than 100,0000 inhabit in Mayurbhanj, Keonjhar, Jajpur, Balasore, Bhadrak, Sambalpur, Jharsuguda, Sonepur, Deogarh, Dhenkanal, Anugul, Jharsuguda, Sundergarh, Kandhamal district. The Saura, with a population over 300,000, are found mainly in the undivided Ganjam and Puri district. The Bonda, are known as 'the Naked People', and have a population of about 5,000 and live in Malkangiri district formerly part of undivided Koraput. The Kisans are the main residents of Sundergarh, Sambalpur and Keonjhar.

List of scheduled tribes

As per the Constitution (Scheduled Tribes) Order, 1950, amended by Modification Order 1956 and subsequent modification order the following were listed as Scheduled Tribes in Odisha;^[6][7][1]

Among the 64 Scheduled Tribes listed, many are subsections of larger Scheduled Tribes.

List of Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups

Demographics

(Note : PVTGs of Odisha are bold texted)

Inclusion in and exclusion from Scheduled list

Initially, the list of Scheduled Tribes in Odisha consisted of 42 tribes. The implementation of the Scheduled Tribes Modification Order in 1956 brought significant changes, including the inclusion of 21 new tribes as Scheduled Tribes, such as Bhottada, Bhumia, Bhumij, Bhunjia, Desua Bhumij, Dharua, Didayi, Gandia, Holva, Kandha Gauda, Kol, Kotia, Lodha, Madia, Matya, Omanatya, Parenga, Pentia, Rajuar, Sabar Lodha, and Sounti. Additionally, the tribe named Gorait was excluded from the list and enlisted in Scheduled Castes.^[8] However, after the establishment of the Tribal Research Institute, it was discovered that six communities viz. Chenchu, Ghara, Kandha Gauda, Kuli, Saunti had been mistakenly included in the list due to a lack of accurate local information when the list was originally drawn up in 1950 and revised in 1956. As they did not meet the basic criteria for tribal status, the Odisha government later proposed their exclusion from the list. However, this proposal faced opposition from members in Parliament, and as a result, there were no changes made to the list of Scheduled Tribes in Odisha.^[9] In the same way, 169 communities are proposed by the state government for inclusion in the Scheduled Tribes list since 1970. These are mostly synonyms, segments and phonetic variations of existing Scheduled Tribes, such as Kandha Kumbhar, Jodia, Chuktia Bhunjia, Saara, Mankidia, Porja, Banda Paraja, Durua, and Paharia.^[10] As of 2023, the central government has rejected 81 communities, returning them to the state government due to a lack of supporting documents.^[11] In 2024, two more Dravidian tribal communities, namely Muka Dora (with area restrictions) and Konda Reddy, were scheduled to the Tribal list of Odisha.^[2]

References

Further reading

• Ota, A. B.; Mohanty, S. C.; Mohanty, B. N., eds. (2018). Demographic Profile of Scheduled Tribes in Odisha (1961 - 2011) (PDF) (Revised ed.). Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes Research and Training Institute (SCSTRTI), ST & SC Development Department, Govt. of Odisha. ISBN 978-93-80705-47-7. Archived (PDF) from the original on May 19, 2023.

External links

• "Culture of Odisha - Tribal Anthem". YouTube (Video). uploaded by Naveen Patnaik, Chief Minister of Odisha. Archived from the original on 2021-12-21. Retrieved 20 March 2018.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: others (link)