Encroachment of Tribal Culture and Representations of Their Struggle

Abstract

India is the homeland for a great number of indigenous people, who have remained intact despite modern lifestyles and these ethnic groups are known as Tribes or Native people. India’s ethnographic tradition is marked by the culture of various Tribes. The tribal struggle after independence can be divided into three categories: struggles that arise due to encroachment by outsiders, struggles as a result of economic hardships and the struggles as a result of separatist attitudes that cause conflict. The key issues faced by them are poverty, debt, illiteracy, slavery, exploitation, sickness and unemployment. Many countries around the world have witnessed industrialization along the tribal belts, resulting in core changes in the tribal culture. The present study analyses the history, cultures and the struggles faced by the tribes based on works of Mahasweta Devi and Gopinath Mohanty.