Adivasi, is a popular term used for the indigenous people. It is a Sanskrit word known as “The Original People”.
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| Onge Tribe |
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| Great Andanamese |
(Based on International Work Group for Indigenous Affairs, 2001), 8.2% of India’s population is taken up by the indigenous tribes and 461 groups recognized as tribes. The largest group of tribes are primarily made up of The Gonds, Santals, Oraon, Bhils and Nagas, not forgetting those in the Andaman and Nicobar Island. These main tribes are mostly on the brink of extinction.
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| Jarawas |
There are five primitive tribal groups found in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. They are: Great Andanames, Onges, Jarawas, Sentinelese and Shompens.
The livelihood of the Adivasi are such that majority have been forest dwellers for centuries. The process of creating the forest into a source of revenue has led to deforestation, loss of lives and displacement of the tribes.
http://www.iwgia.org/sw18239.asp
http://tourism.andaman.nic.in/tribal.htm
http://tourism.andaman.nic.in/tribal.htm