Question

Discuss any four features of Tribe.

Answer 1

The four features of tribes are as follows:

1. Social Organisation: Tribes often feature a kinship-based social structure, with members divided into extended families, clans, or lineages. Kinship ties are fundamental to the tribe’s social cohesiveness and solidarity. Leadership responsibilities might be based on ancestry, age, or status, and decisions are frequently made by consensus among elders or powerful individuals.
2. Cultural Identity: Tribes have unique cultural identities, including shared practices, traditions, language, and belief systems. Cultural features can set tribes apart and foster a sense of belonging and cohesion among members. Rituals, rites, and art forms are important cultural traditions that assist tribal communities in maintaining their identity over time.
3. Subsistence Economy: Tribes have traditionally relied on subsistence economics, including hunting, gathering, fishing, herding, and small-scale agriculture, to support their basic requirements. Economic activities are often communal or cooperative, with resources shared among tribal members through reciprocity and mutual support. Traditional ecological knowledge is vital for resource management and maintaining tribal livelihoods in their natural habitats.
4. Territoriality and Mobility: Tribes usually live in areas with historical and cultural significance. Geographic characteristics, such as rivers, mountains, or woods, can define a tribe’s territory and hold spiritual or symbolic importance. Tribes may have territorial boundaries, although their mobility patterns vary. Some live nomadic or semi-nomadic lifestyles, following seasonal resources or grazing areas, while others have more established patterns of residency.

Answer 2

Features of tribes are as follows:

• Tribes have a definite territory which does not blend with the other communities.
• Kinship bonds are strong, and members of a tribe remain united at all times.
• Tribes are mostly divided into clans.
• Tribal endogamy is strictly followed.
• All members of a tribe speak a common language/dialect.
• Property is mostly jointly owned.
• Tribes have their own panchayat, though politically they are under the Indian government.
• They have their own set of religious beliefs and moral codes which are distinct from that of the rest of the population.
• There is an absence of formal schools, and the dormitory is the training institution for tribal children.

Answer 3

Following are the features of Indian tribes:

1. Common habitat: The population of each tribe resides in a different territorial area.
2. Common language: A tribe has a different language with no script. The language may be classified into dialects based on the area.
3. Common religion: Tribal communities place a high value on religion. Tribal groups share a common deity or totem that represents their group.
4. Endogamous group: All tribes practise exogamy and endogamy, making them endogamous communities.
5. Unity: The tribe members share a sense of unity. The group is self-sufficient and supports its members in times of need.