On the Future of Indigenous Traditions - Munin

“Originally, a tribe normally comprised many, often almost all, of the possible
pursuits necessary for the gaining of subsistence. A caste may comprise people that
follow very different pursuits; at least this is the case today, and for certain upper
castes this has been the case since very early times.” 83 Very often, even today, ‘caste’
and ‘way of earning a living’ are so firmly linked that a change of occupation is corelated
with division of caste. This is not the case for a ‘tribe’. 84 This is a very basic
difference that can be observed in the social organization of people in Jharkhand too,
when it comes to the issue of Adivasi (tribe) and the non-Adivasis (caste) groups and
their political associations.
By employing Weber’s explanation, one can conclude that the caste system of the
Hindu society and the collective communitarian system of the ‘tribes’ have different
structural founding. In this case when there are different social organizations of the
two peoples who have different orientations and a long history of conflicts, there is a
need to have a system of administration that would serve different interests. Further
the issue of their organizations having these two orientations we can reiterate from
Weber’s explanation, when he says,
“It is decisive for a tribe that it is originally and normally a political association. The
tribe either forms a independent association, as is originally always the case, or the
association in part of a tribal league; or, it may constitute a phyle, that is part of a
political association commissioned with certain political tasks and having certain
rights: franchise, holding quotas of the political offices, and the right of assuming its
share on turn of political, fiscal, and liturgical obligations.” 85
Talking about Adivasis’ independent association, I have looked into the recent
historical sources with which it can, no doubt, be established that the Adivasis of
Jharkhand always have had, in their system, an independent political association
reflected in their customary practices. (Most of the references have already been made
here) Their association has also been firm on certain principles but has been adaptable
83 Ibid., 398.
84 Ibid.
85 Ibid.
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