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GPSC (Gujarat)Stage 1: Preliminary Examination
Gujarat: Adivasi (Tribal) Life
What the official syllabus says
GPSC Preliminary Examination, General Studies, under the heading History and Culture:
- Life of Adivasi (Tribes): Festivals, Fairs, Costumes, Rituals, etc.
Topics in detail
The official line asks about tribal festivals, fairs, costumes and rituals. Learn the tribes with their districts, then the fairs with where and when they are held.
The tribes of Gujarat
- Scheduled Tribes: about 14.8 per cent of Gujarat's population (Census 2011)
- The eastern tribal belt from Banaskantha and Sabarkantha through Panchmahals, Dahod and Chhota Udepur to Narmada, Tapi, the Dangs and Valsad
- Major tribes: Bhil (the largest group), Gamit, Chaudhari, Dhodia, Halpati (Dubla), Kokna, Varli, Rathwa, Naikda, Dhanka, Kunbi of the Dangs
- Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups of Gujarat: Kathodi, Kotwalia, Kolgha, Padhar and Siddi
- The Siddis of Jambur and the Gir area: African origin, Dhamal dance
| Tribe | Main districts |
|---|---|
| Bhil (and its groups) | Panchmahals, Dahod, Sabarkantha, Banaskantha, Mahisagar |
| Rathwa | Chhota Udepur |
| Gamit | Tapi |
| Chaudhari | Tapi, Surat |
| Dhodia | Valsad, Navsari |
| Kokna and Varli | The Dangs, Valsad |
| Halpati (Dubla) | Surat, Navsari, Valsad |
| Siddi | Junagadh, Gir Somnath |
Festivals and fairs
- Holi as the main tribal festival; Dang Darbar at Ahwa
- Chitra-Vichitra fair (Gunbhakhari, Sabarkantha)
- Gol Gadheda fair (Dahod district)
- Kavant fair (Chhota Udepur) and the Rathwa celebrations after Holi
- Harvest and seed festivals; worship of local deities (Dev, Kansari, Pithora Baba)
Costumes and ornaments
- Traditional dress of Bhil, Rathwa and Dangi men and women
- Silver and bead ornaments, tattooing, headgear
- Changes in dress with market contact and migration
Rituals, arts and beliefs
- Pithora painting on house walls by the Rathwas and Bhils as a vow and a ritual
- Life-cycle rituals: birth, marriage customs (such as bride price), death rites, memorial stones
- Role of the badva (traditional priest-healer); nature worship and sacred groves
- Dances: Dangi, Rathwa, Siddi Dhamal; musical instruments such as the dhol, flute and tur
Economy and society
- Shifting cultivation in the past, now settled farming; forest produce; seasonal migration for work
- Bamboo work, basketry, Warli and Pithora art as livelihoods
- Tribal social organisation: clans, village councils (panch)
History and protection
- Tribal resistance: Bhil risings, Naikda rising in the Panchmahals, the Bhagat movement of Govind Guru and the Mangadh massacre (1913), the Eki movement of Motilal Tejawat and the Pal-Dadhvav massacre (1922)
- Constitutional safeguards: Fifth Schedule areas in Gujarat, Articles 244, 275(1), 330, 332 and 342; PESA Act 1996
- Forest Rights Act 2006 and individual and community forest rights
- Tribal Development Department of Gujarat; Van Bandhu Kalyan Yojana; Eklavya Model Residential Schools
- Institutions: Tribal Research and Training Institute (Gujarat Vidyapith), Birsa Munda Tribal University (Rajpipla), the Adivasi Academy at Tejgadh
- Issues: displacement by dams (Sardar Sarovar, Ukai), migration for work, health (sickle cell anaemia, malnutrition), education gaps
Overlaps
Mains General Studies-I (B) asks for the cultural landscape of Gujarat including tribal communities. The ST population is also part of social geography on Gujarat: Geography.