Tripuris
The Tripuris are the largest tribal community in Tripura. They belong to the Tibeto-Burman stock. They were the first to migrate to this territory and can be termed as an aboriginal tribe of Tripura. Numerically, they are the highest among all the tribal groups. Tripura was ruled by the Tripuri kings till it merged with Indian Dominion in 1949. Tripuris are mainly Hindus. They follow both Shakti cult and Vaishnavism cult. Besides, they have deep belief in different deities, rites and rituals.
The Tripuris celebrate the festival of Garia, Kharchi and Ker Puja. They perform colourful folk dances like Garia, Lebang, Musak, Surmani, Tangbiti and Mamita. These dances are accompanied by melodious folk songs and music of flute Sarinda, Chempreng and other string instruments. Earlier, the Tripuri society was controlled by the regional social councils which had the authority to exercise power over all social and economic disputes among the community members. In fact, the chief of these councils was selected by the then Kings of Tripura. But now-a-days, with the abolition of monarchy, these councils are non existent. All sorts of minor problems are looked after by the village panchayat or other legal bodies. Due to social transition in all spheres of life, particularly in the field of agriculture, socio-cultural domain, economic, educational and health awareness. Tripuris are now treated as an advanced tribal community.
Reang
Reang is the secong largest tribal community of Tripura. They are recognized as one of the seventy five primitive tribes in India. Approximately 1,75,000 is the population of Reangs in Tripura. Reang is said to have come first from the Shan state of upper Burma (now Myanmar) to the Chittagong hill tracts and then to the southern part of Tripura. Similarly, other groups have entered Tripura via Assam and Mizoram during the 18th century. Reangs are highly concentrated in south Tripura and in Longthorai valley sub division. They belong to the Indi-Mongoloid racial stock. Their language has affinity to Austro-Asiatic groups under Tibeto-Burman family. Ethnically, Reangs are divided into two major clans :
- Meska
- Molsoi
The language of the tribe is Kaubru which sounds like the Kuki language, though broadly it is Kik-Borok (language of men).
Reangs are still a nomadic tribe and a large number of them maintain their livelihood by practicing Jhum cultivation and other food gathering activities like collection of ruits, leaf plants from the jungles, fishing in stagnant water in hill slopes, hunting of wild animals and birds. Reangs have faith in different deities like Buraha, Bonirao, Songrame, Jampira, Mangisiri and Lampra. There are also some female deities like Metaikotorma, uibuma, Mailoma and Ganga. Reangs believe in spirits and the existence of soul. They are followers of Hindu religion. A good numbers of Reangs are followers of Vaishnavism. Traditionally, Reangs are endogamous and do not marry outside their community. Divorce and widow marriages are permitted by the village council. The chief of the council is known as ‘Rai’. They cremate their dead beside a river or charra after observing a series of rites, rituals and funeral procession. The folk life and culture of the Reangs are very rich.
‘Hozagiri’ dance accompanied by melodious tunes of the flute is the most attractive. This dance is popular within the country as well as abroad. Due to social transition and modern way of life, considerable changes have taken place among the Reangs in the field of agriculture and other economic activities, social and cultural life, awareness for education, health and sanitation. The Reangs are now enlightened tribe of Tripura.
Jamatia
Jamatia is another tribal group of Tripura having features of Mongoloid origin. Their language is similar to that of Tripuris which is Kok-Borok, a language belonging to the Tibeto-Burman family. Around 75,000 is the population of the Jamatia’s in Tripura and are treated as the fourth largest tribal group of Tripura. The Jamatias are regarded as the fighting class and were probably an admixture of the original inhabitant of the territory.
The term ‘Jamatia’ has originated from the word ‘Jamayet’, which means gathering or mobilization. The royal army of Tripura was constituted mainly of the Jamatias, for which they were exempted from house taxes. Previously, this tribe practiced Jhum cultivation. But like other tribal groups of Tripura, they also took to plough cultivation. At present, most of them depend on plain land cultivation beside other allied economic activities. They follow Hindu religion and have embraced Shakti cult and Vaishnavism. Their supreme, traditional, social institute is ‘Hoda Akra’ which preserves and promotes their social taboos, customs and religion.
The ‘Hoda’ sorts out all types of social and criminal disputes between community members. They are fond of their traditional folk culture and observe drama, Garia festival and other common dance forms of Kok-Borok speaking tribes. They practice a special form of Garia dance ehich denotes their Hindu based religious culture. A large number of them are followers of Vaishnavism and observe all events as per tradition. Like other tribes in Tripura, they cremate their dead and observe ‘shradh’ ceremony, followed by a community feast. Although maximum number of this tribal community are Hindus, a small percentage among them are followers of Christianity. The changes that have occurred in the Jamatia society are mainly due to modern way of life. This is reflected in the fact that they are now literate and their participation in every walk of life has brought about significant improvement in thir socio-economic life.
Noatia
Noatias are part of Tripuri tribe and are still treated as new comers. In fact, Noatias have been at Arakan hill tracts for a long time, before they migrated to the southern part of Tripura via the Chittagong hill tracts. Ethnically, Noatias have similar origin like othet Mongoloid tribes and their language is Kok-Borok. Approximately 6,700 Noatia’s live in Tripura. They are mostly found in south Tripura and Longthorai valley sub-division.
The term ‘Noatia’ means new Tripuris. So, they are different from Puran Tripuris. It is said that Noatias are not the actual name of the tribe. Originally, they were Tripuris. Legend has that once a furious war took place between the then King of Tripura and the Arakan King. In the ensuing battle, the Arakan king won and captured hundreds of the Tripuri army. During the course of their stay in Arakan, the captured Tripuri army came in contact with the local tribe which influenced their language and culture. Even now the influence of the old culture is visible among them in their physical structure, skin colour, food habit, languages, rites and rituals.
Noatias have eleven major clans. These clans are as follows :
- Anokia
- Khaklu
- Totaram
- Murasing
- Noatia
- Deildak
- Keowa
- Garjan
- Tongbai
- Kalicha
- Aslong
Majority of the Noatias are Hindus and observe all pujas and festivals as per their tradition and customs. Vaishnavism too, has a great influence on them. Like other Kok-Borok speaking tribes, they also observe Garia and Baisu festivals.
Uchai
The population of the Uchai’s in Tripura is approximately 2,103 only. They are concentrated mainly in Amarpur and Belonia sub-divisions. Uchais and Reang re of the same origin and ethically belong to Mongoloid tribe. The culture and language of Uchais are also similar tot hat of Kok-Borokspeaking tribes like Reang, Tripuris, Jamatias. They live in Tong )Gaireng) house built out of chan grass and bamboos. Traditionally, Uchais were Jhum cultivators and still practice it in high tillas and slopes. In this type of agriculture, they have to produce everything they need. They depend on economic and food gathering activities in the forest. They also hunt wild animals, birds. Now-a-days, Uchais are practicing plough cultivation. Like other tribes they are settled in plain areas.
Uchais live in clustered villages. In one village, there may be maximum fifty families living together. There exists a cordial relationship between all members of the family irrespective of age. The younger ones are expected to follow the elders instructions / decisions in family matters. All major works within the family are generally done by the women. The male folk remain busy with economic activities. Young members of their family help their parents in the jhum fields and othert domestic works.
Marriages among Uchais are held between the age of 16 – 20 years. The social council of Uchais are very rigid earlier but not so effective now. However, the chief of the council still sorts out primary problems and disputes among the community members.
The Uchais are followers of Hinduism. They also believe in supernatural forces. The major deities worshipped by this tribe are Radhak, Garia, Ker, Ganga, Puja, Naksu and Motai. Uchais dispose their dead body by cremation after following rites and rituals and funeral processions. However, a few members of this tribe are followers of Christianity and follow the religious customs and traditions. The traditional dress and musical instruments of the Uchais are very attractive. Hey observe their ceremonies with great joy.
Halam
Halam belongs to the Cocase-Mongoloid origin of Kukichin tribes. This tribe’s language is also more or less similar to that of Tibeto-Burman family. They are also known as Mila Kuki. Halams are divided into several sub-clans which is referred to as Barki-Halam. The major sub-clans of Halams are as follows :
- Kaloi
- Kov-bong
- Keipeng
- Bong
- Saka chep
- Thanga chep
- Dab
- Bongser
- Molsum
- Rupini
- Rangkhwr
- Chorai
- Langai
- Kaireng
- Ranglong
- Naveen
- Murasing
The total population of Halam is 47,261. Halams are generally followers of Hinduism. Hey practice Shakti cult. Vaishnavism is spreading among some of the sub-clans like Murasingh, Rupini and Kaloi. Christianity is also being embraced by the halams.
The Halams are settled in Kamalpur, Sadar East, Molsom Bari and Kwipilong of Udaipur, Api, Ambasa. Among the Halams, Kolai, Murasing, Rupini speak in Kok-Borok and their social and religious culture is similar to that of the Tripuris. Halams live in typical Tong Ghar, specially made of bamboos and chan grass.
Apart from plain land cultivation, they still practice Jhum cultivation and engage in other substitute work. A good number of them are employed in the government sector. The marriageable age among the Halamsis is between 21-24 for boys and 18-20 for girls as they still honour their customery laws in setting up marriage alliances.
The Halams have their own social institute and village council. The council looks after all sorts of social disputes over land, crime against women and children. They cremate their dead and observe funeral rites according to their customs.
The various sub-clans such as Kaloi, Rupini, Molsom observe their colourful dances with great joy and vigour.
Mog
Originally, Mogs belong to the Arakan tribe and have migrated to Tripura through the Chittagong hill tracts. The languages of this tribe falls under Tibeto-Chinese family and is also linked to the section of Assam Burmese language. Mogs are followers of Buddhism.
They mainly practice Jhum cultivation. They have a social administrative council. The chief of this council is called a ‘Chowdhury’.
The Mogs cremate their dead and observe rites and rituals. ‘Wah’ festival is the annual meeting platform for the whole community. This is accompanied by a combination of folk songs and dance.
The social culture and belief of this are influenced by the Burmese culture. Traditionally, this community is famous for their herbal medicines. Besides the regular economic activities, some of them earn by means of curing diseases with indigenous treatment.
The population of Mogs in Tripura is around 30,385 are are mostly settled in Sabroom and Belonia.
Chakma
The main religion of this tribe is Buddhism. The Chakmas are known to be a tribe of South-East Asia. They had first migrated to Arakan hills of Burma and then to the Chittagong hill tracts and finally to Tripura. A major chunk of them, in course of time, migrated to Mizoram and Arunachal Pradesh from their original homeland. Tripura hosts a population of 61,793.
Mostly Chakmas are settled in Belonia, Sabroom and Amarpur in South Tripura, Dhalai and Northern district of Tripura in Chamanu, Gandacherra, Kanchanpur and Machmara. Among the Chakma tribe, there are three major groups like :
- Anokia
- Tandugia
- Mangla
Linguistically, the Chakma language is mixed loan words taken from the Indo-Aryan language, Tibeto-Chinese and mainly Arakan language. Their language is also described as broken Bengali-Assamese. Chakmas have their own script in Burmese alphabets, which however is not in use. Rather the Bengali script is being used by them as it is easy to learn.
The Chakmas practice Jhum cultivation, plain land cultivation and other economic activities like growing of vegetables and fishing. Chakmas are expert in trapping animals are well known for trapping wild elephants. In Gandacherra region, a large number of Chakmas earn their livelihood as fishermen and boatmen in Dumbur water area. In present times, Chakmas do not depend fully on Jhum and settled cultivation as a good percentage among them are now literate and employed in different Government departments as well as other sectors.
Chakmas are followers of Buddhist religion. The three major festivals observed by Chakmas are :
- Bizu Festival
- Kathin Chibar Dan
- Buddha Purnima which is very popular
The Chakmas follow social customs and customary laws strictly as directed by the village council which is headed by ‘Karbari’. Karbari, generally, looks after and settles all sorts of disputes among the community members. The marriageable age among Chakmas are held between the age of 18 – 21 years. Village Ojhas conduct marriages as per their religious customs. Chakmas cremate their dead after observing several rites. A Buddhist Bhikshu conducts the last ritual of the dead on the seventh day. A community feast is also held in memory of the departed soul.
Garo
The Garo’s are one of the immigrant tribes of Tripura. Their original homes are at Meghalaya (Garo Hills), Kamrul Goal Para and Mymansingh of Bangladesh. This tribe migrated after AD 1950. Their present population is around 11,180. They are mainly concentrated in Udaipur sub-division and Sadar sub-division.
Garos belong to the Tibeto-Burman linguistic family and belong to the Mongoloid racial stock. Garos are a matrilineal tribe. The mother in the family is treated as an authoritarian head. Therefore, the property right goes to the daughter of the family. Garos are mainly followers of Hinduism. But in the last fifty years, many have converted to Christianity. Garo’s wan-gala festival has great importance in their life. This festival, accompanied by olourful dance, song and music takes place when the new crop is harvested. They are mainly concentrated in Ambassa of Dhalai district. They call themselves Saimar. They speak in a language which originated from Kuki-Chin group of languages.
Kukis
‘Kuki’ is a word pronounced by people to refer to a group of tribes like Darlong and Lusai. The Lusai tribe of Tripura used to live in Jampui and Shakan hills of North Tripura. They call themselves as Mizos. They never call themselves as Lusai as the word ‘Lu’ eans head and ‘Sai’ means cutting (head hunter), although, they were once treated as head hunters.
Darlong is another community under the Kuki tribe. The population strength of the Kukis is approximately 11,674 in Tripura. They live on hill tops and maintain their livelihood through Jhum cultivation and producing fruits. Now-a-days, they have become accustomed to plain land cultivation and rearing of animals. Kukis are expert hunters of wild animals. Linguistically, they speak a language which originated from Kuki-Chin linguistic family. Kukis are fond of dance and music. They do not arrange marriage alliances outside their community. Traditionally, they worshipped Lord Shiva and different other deities and spirits. But in the last fifty years, majority of them have embraced Christianity. They have their own customary laws and village council. ‘Lal’ is a term used to denote the village chief. This is the reason why the Darlongs use ‘Lal’ before their names. The village chief generally resolves all sorts of social and religious disputes including disputes related to marriage and divorce. Kukis are soci-economically a more advanced tribe.
Lusai
Lusai is another tribe under the Kuki-Chin group. They are mainly concentrated in Kanchanpur sub-division of North Tripura. Lusais are commonly known as Mizos. They belong to the Mongoloid race. Their population strength in Tripura is approximately 4,777. Their culture is similar to that of Mizos. The homeland of the Lusai is the Jumpui hill. Lusais practice Jhum cultivation and hunting of wild animals. This community is famous for orange production. Earlier, the Lusais were known as the head hunters. During the first half of 19th century, most of the Lusais converted to Christianity which is their predominant religion even today. Their Bamboo dance (Cheraw dance) is very popular. Literacy rate among them is comparatively higher in comparision to other tribes. A large number of them work in the government sector and other economic fields.
Khasia
Khasias belong to the Austro-Asiatic racial stock. Linguistically, they can be grouped under Mon-Kher groups of languages. Their society is matrilineal. The Khasias are a part of the Meghalayan tribe. Their population strength is around 630 only. They live mainly in Kailashahar and Dharmanagar. The Khasias have no ethnic relations with other tribes of Tripura. They have been staying in Tripura from 18th century onwards for economic reasons. The Khasias have their own garden of betel leaf which is popularly known as ‘Khasia Pan’. They also rear a large number of cattles. The Khasias used to be mainly Hindus but from the end of the 18th century, most of them have embraced Christianity. Beside this, they also follow their amnesic rites and rituals. Their cultural life forms an important component of Indian culture.
Lepcha
Lepcha, a tribe from the Himalayan range live in the North-Eastern part of India. They largely reside in Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh, Bhutan, Sikkim and Darjeeling. They have migrated to other north eastern states for economic reasons. Thie population strength is only 105 and are mainly found in Dhalai district of Tripura. Lepchas belong to the Mongoloid racial stock. Their language is an admixture of Nepalese and Sikkimese and is similar to the Indo-Chinese group of languages. They call themselves as ‘Rong’. Besides cultivation of agricultural and horticultural crops, Lepchas rear cattle. Originally, Lepchas were worshippers of nature and believed in withcraft and spirits. Eventually they embraced Buddhism. In Tripura, they are known as Nepalese.
Bhutia
Bhutias are a Himalayan tribe. Like the Lepchas, they also belong to the Mongoloid racial stock having linguistic affinity and persue similar eligious activities. During the reign of the Tripura kings, Bhutias were recruited in the Royal Army for their warrior like character and physical strength. But in course of time, they left Tripura for their original homeland. Their current population is only 29 and most of them are employed in Para-military.
Munda
Mundas are a central Indian tribe and recognized as an immigrant tribe of Tripura. The original homeland of the Mundas was at Chota Nagpur. Mundas are a proto Australoid group. Mundari is their language which belongs to the Austro-Asiatic family. Mundas live in villages with other tribes. They work in tea gardens, participate in group huntings, with bows and arrows. They enjoy group dancing and singing, consumption of country liquor irrespective of age in ceremonies and festivals. Mundas are followers of Hindu religion. They worship their traditional deities as well.
In every village, the following three important features are present :
- Sarana
- Akhra
- Sasan
Besides these, Pahan (Priest) play an important role in the life of Mundas. A Pahan looks after all religious rites and rituals, community festivals, marriage and funeral rites. The Mundas are economically backward, though a lot of improvement in their socio economic condition has been observed in recent years. They depend on the village Mahajan.
The Mundas were brought to work in the tea gardens and brick filds during the first half of 19th century by the kings of Tripura. Their present population as per the latest census is 12,416 and are mainly concentrated in Kailashahar. Manu valley tea estate and other tea estates in the state.
Orang
Orang is an immigrant tribe, who migrated to Tripura from Bihar, Madhya Pradesh and West Bengal. This tribe mainly resides in north Sadar and major tea gardens. They mainly depend on agriculture, as plantation workers in tea gardens and labourers in brick fields. The numerical strengths of the Orangs are only 6,223. Orangs live in clustered villages., wherein there may be 30 to 50 families residing. They built their ouses with mud, chan grasses and bamboos. They do not have any windows in their house. Orangs speak in broken Hindi which may be grouped under the Australois group of languages. They speak in Hindi mixed with Bengali which have originated from the Dravidian family. The Orangs are mainly Hindus and practice Shakti cult. They celebrate various festivals such as Durga Puja, Kali Puja, Holi, Laxmi Puja, etc.
The women of this tribe decorate themselves with silver ornaments and sarees. They use various flowers for hair dressing. The sardar of a village acts as the chief of the village and looks after the well being of the people. The village prest also acts as the religious head and oversees marriage ceremonies. The ‘Jhumar Dance’ of this tribe is immensely popular. They cremate their dead after observing a series of rites and rituals. They depend on earning of wage by the dint of physical labour. The literacy rate among them is expanding and they are developing economic consciousness. The tribe is taking part in the development activities of the state in every sphere.
Bhil
Bhils are one of the oldest tribes of India. They once ruled over parts of Rajasthan, Gujarat, Malwa, Madhya Pradesh and Bihar. They are a cross breed of the great Munda race and a wild tribe of India. Bhils are one of the Dravidian racial tribes of Western India and belong to the Austroloid group. They speak a language which is Deavidian in origin. The population of the tribe in Tripura is around 2,336 only. This tribe had migrated to Tripura from central India mainly from the states of Bihar and Madhya Pradesh. Their economic activities centre around agriculture, working in tea gardens and brick kilns.
They are mainly concentrated in Akinpur of Belonia, Bagan Bazar of Khowai sub-division. Majority of Bhils are Hindus. They worship Shiva, Durga, deities of forests and evil spirits. However, a small percentage of them follow Christianity . They cremate their dead after following series of rites as per their traditional customs and beliefs. Bhils are also fond of music and dance accompanied by traditional tunes of flute and drum. Bhils in other parts of the country are well literate and enjoy modern lifestyle.
Santhal
Santhals are among on eof the immigrant tribes in Tripura. They belong to the Austro-Asiatic racial stock. Their original homeland is in West Bengal, Bihar and Madhya Pradesh. They have migrated to this state as tea garden laborers. Their population strength in Tripura is 2,151 only. They are mainly concentrated in Simna and Mechliban tea garden areas of Sadar sub-divison. Their main occupation is working in the tea gardens.
They follow Hindu religion and practice the Shakti cult. Besides, Santhals have animistic faith being handed down generation to generation. Their prests acts as the religious head. Some amongst them have converted to Christianity. Their main festival is Holi, which is accompanied by consumption of liquor (country made) and dance in groups with the melody of drums and sing their traditional songs. Apart from working in tea gardens, they also practice agriculture and hunting of wild animals. It is noteworthy that most of them do not own land. Land is usually allotted to them by the tea garden owners, which is cultivated by them to produce paddy and vegetables.
Chaimal
Chaimal is considered to be the smallest tribal group of Tripura. Their total population is only 226. They are mainly settled in Amassa of Dhalai district. The tribe belongs to the Cocaso-Mongoloid group. They speak a language which originated from the Kuki Chin group of languages. They mainly practice Hinduism and follow its rites and rituals. Chaimals practice Jhum cultivation. Like othet treibes, they have their own form of folk songs, dance and music. They are also known as ‘Saimar’.
The tribal population in the state is approximately 9,20,384 out of 29,78,246 being the total population of the state.Out of the total tribal population, the Kok-Borok speaking tribal population comprising the eight communities is presumed to be about seven and a half lakhs.