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Culture & Knowledge Cluster182 Verified Questions
Major Tribes of India GK Questions & Answers
Scheduled Tribes (STs) in India comprise 8.6 percent of the national population according to Census 2011 (totaling 104.28 million individuals), defined constitutionally under Article 366(25) and notified by the President under Article 342. The Bhil community constitutes the largest tribal grouping, concentrated across Rajasthan, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, and Maharashtra, renowned for traditional bowmanship and ritualistic Pithora wall paintings. The Gond tribe forms the second-largest tribal collective across Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, and Telangana, maintaining the Dravidian Gondi language and communal youth dormitories known as the Ghotul system. The Santhals represent the third-largest group, inhabiting Jharkhand, West Bengal, and Odisha; historically led by Sidhu and Kanhu Murmu during the Santhal Hul (Rebellion) of 1855 against British colonial revenue exploitation. The Munda tribe of the Chhota Nagpur Plateau spearheaded the Ulgulan movement under Birsa Munda in 1899–1900. In 1973, the Dhebar Commission created a distinct classification for vulnerable communities, designating 75 groups across 18 States and the Union Territory of Andaman and Nicobar Islands as Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs)—including the Sentinelese, Jarawas, Onge, Great Andamanese, and Shompens—characterized by pre-agricultural technology, stagnant populations, and extreme economic vulnerability.
High-yield conceptual summaries for competitive exams and rapid revision.
According to Census 2011, Scheduled Tribes constitute 8.6% of India's total population (104.28 million), notified under Article 342 of the Constitution.
Bhils represent India's most populous tribal group, renowned for Pithora mural art and the historic Ghoomar dance tradition.
Gonds, inhabiting central India, practice traditional Ghotul community education systems and speak the Dravidian Gondi language.
Historic tribal revolts include the Santhal Hul of 1855 led by Sidhu and Kanhu Murmu, and the Munda Ulgulan (1899–1900) led by Bhagwan Birsa Munda.
There are 75 Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs) identified following the Dhebar Commission (1973), with Odisha hosting the highest number (13 PVTGs).
Showing 25 Curated Questions182 Total in Bank
1ID: GK-TRIBE-00100
mediumPVTGs, Demographics & Indigenous Traditions
The Bondo (or Bonda) tribe, an Austroasiatic Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group where women traditionally wear heavy brass neck-collars and colorful bead ornaments called 'Ringa', inhabits the hilly tracts of which district in Odisha?
Verified Explanation
The Bondo (or Remo) tribe is a highly secluded Austroasiatic PVTG living in the Bondo Hills of Khairput block in Malkangiri district, southwestern Odisha. Known for their distinct egalitarian matriarchal norms and traditional brass and bead attire, their population is estimated at around 12,000.
2ID: GK-TRIBE-00101
mediumPVTGs, Demographics & Indigenous Traditions
The Apatani tribe, renowned for their globally acclaimed eco-friendly wet rice-cum-fish cultivation without utilizing animal or mechanical power, inhabits which plateau valley of Arunachal Pradesh?
Verified Explanation
The Apatani tribe inhabits the Ziro Valley in Lower Subansiri district of Arunachal Pradesh. Their highly efficient, sustainable agricultural system integrates wet terrace paddy farming with pisciculture in the same flooded plots, supported by elaborate bamboo irrigation channels, earning UNESCO World Heritage tentative listing.
3ID: GK-TRIBE-00213
easyPVTGs, Demographics & Indigenous Traditions
The Toda tribe, famous for their pastoral buffalo culture, distinctive barrel-shaped thatched huts, and red-and-black embroidered shawls (Pootkhuly), resides in which hill region?
Verified Explanation
The Toda tribe is a pastoral tribal community residing in the high-altitude Nilgiri plateau of Tamil Nadu. They are noted for their unique buffalo dairies, vegetarian dietary practices, and GI-tagged Toda embroidery (Pukhoor/Pootkhuly).
4ID: GK-TRIBE-00223
mediumPVTGs, Demographics & Indigenous Traditions
The Bondo (or Bonda) tribe, an Austroasiatic PVTG renowned for their distinctive bead necklaces, brass neck rings, and shaven heads among women, resides in the isolated Bondo Hills of which district in Odisha?
Verified Explanation
The Bondo tribe resides in the mountainous Bondo Hills of Malkangiri district in southwestern Odisha. Speaking the Remo language of the Austroasiatic family, they are one of India's most culturally distinct PVTGs.
5ID: GK-TRIBE-00276
easyPVTGs & Indigenous Cultural Heritage
Known as the '100 Drums Festival', the Wangala harvest thanksgiving festival is celebrated in honour of the Sun god Saljong by which major matrilineal tribe of Meghalaya?
Verified Explanation
The Wangala Festival is the most prominent post-harvest festival of the Garo tribe in Meghalaya. It signifies thanksgiving to Saljong (the Sun God of fertility). During the finale, a hundred drummers rhythmically beat long oval drums in unison accompanied by horn blowers and dancers.
6ID: GK-TRIBE-00288
hardPVTGs & Indigenous Cultural Heritage
The 'Dhumkuria', an indigenous bachelor youth dormitory divided into male (Jonkh-Erpa) and female (Pelo-Erpa) wings, is a prominent socio-cultural institution of which tribe of Chota Nagpur?
Verified Explanation
The Dhumkuria is the traditional youth dormitory system among the Oraon (Kurukh) tribe in Jharkhand. Supervised by an elder called the 'Dhangar Mahato', it serves as an educational repository where youth learn customary lore, tribal music, archery, and community social responsibilities.
7ID: GK-TRIBE-00416
easyPVTGs, Demographics & Indigenous Traditions
The pastoral Toda tribe, renowned for their distinctive half-barrel-shaped huts (dogles) and red-and-black embroidered shawls (pukhoor), inhabit which mountain range?
Verified Explanation
The Toda community is a pastoral indigenous tribe inhabiting the high-altitude plateau of the Nilgiri Hills in Tamil Nadu, traditionally centered around sacred buffalo dairies and unique barrel-vaulted thatch dwellings.
8ID: GK-TRIBE-00486
hardPVTGs & Indigenous Cultural Heritage
The Gaddi tribe, renowned for their semi-nomadic transhumance pastoralism rearing sheep and goats across high-altitude Himalayan passes, primarily inhabits which state?
Verified Explanation
The Gaddis are a prominent Scheduled Tribe inhabiting the Dhauladhar range and Pir Panjal range, especially the Bharmour region (Gadderan) of Chamba and Kangra districts in Himachal Pradesh (and parts of Jammu & Kashmir). They practice seasonal transhumance, migrating to high alpine pastures in summer and lower valleys in winter.
9ID: GK-TRIBE-00487
hardPVTGs & Indigenous Cultural Heritage
The Apatani tribe of the Ziro Valley in Arunachal Pradesh is globally celebrated for which unique UNESCO-recognized ecological and agricultural system?
Verified Explanation
The Apatani tribe of Lower Subansiri district in Arunachal Pradesh has perfected a highly efficient, sustainable agricultural practice combining wet-rice farming with pisciculture (rearing common carp in paddy fields) supported by intricate bamboo piping and irrigation networks, placing the Ziro Cultural Landscape on the UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List.
10ID: GK-TRIBE-00044
hardPVTGs, Demographics & Indigenous Traditions
The Jarawa tribe, an indigenous Negrito hunter-gatherer PVTG of the Andaman Islands, primarily inhabits designated tribal reserves on the western coasts of which two islands?
Verified Explanation
The Jarawas inhabit the protected Jarawa Tribal Reserve (approx 1,028 sq km) situated along the western parts of South and Middle Andaman Islands. Numbering around 400 to 500 individuals, their traditional nomadic lifestyle inside dense forests is protected by buffer zone regulations along the Andaman Trunk Road (NH-4).
11ID: GK-TRIBE-00048
hardPVTGs, Demographics & Indigenous Traditions
The indigenous Onge tribe, one of the semi-nomadic Negrito PVTGs of the Andaman archipelago, is primarily settled in designated tribal settlements at Dugong Creek and South Bay on which island?
Verified Explanation
The Onge are one of the indigenous Negrito PVTGs of the Andaman Islands. Formerly occupying the whole of Little Andaman, they are now predominantly settled in reserved habitats at Dugong Creek and South Bay on Little Andaman Island under the care of AAJVS.
The Tana Bhagat Movement, which began in 1914 in Chota Nagpur among the Oraon tribe combining spiritual purification with non-violent civil disobedience against British taxes, was founded by which tribal reformer?
Verified Explanation
The Tana Bhagat movement was initiated in April 1914 by Jatra Oraon (Jatra Bhagat) in Gumla, Jharkhand. The movement advocated monotheism, giving up meat and liquor, non-violence (Ahimsa), and refusal to perform forced labour (begar) or pay land revenue to the British, later actively participating in Mahatma Gandhi's Non-Cooperation Movement.
Which valiant freedom fighter of the Kharia tribe organized an anti-colonial self-governing resistance network of 'Jury Panchayats' across Sisai and Gumla in Jharkhand before his assassination in 1880?
Verified Explanation
Telanga Kharia (1806–1880) was a prominent tribal leader of the Kharia community in Chota Nagpur. He raised armed resistance against British zamindari exploitation and created village council defense units called 'Jury Panchayats' in 13 villages before being shot dead by a British assassin while in prayer in April 1880.
14ID: GK-TRIBE-00285
hardPVTGs & Indigenous Cultural Heritage
Of the five recognized PVTGs in the Andaman & Nicobar Islands, which isolated hunter-gatherer tribe inhabiting the interior rainforests of Great Nicobar belongs to the Mongoloid racial stock?
Verified Explanation
Among the 5 PVTGs of the Andaman & Nicobar Islands, four (Great Andamanese, Onge, Jarawa, and Sentinelese) are Negrito tribes living in the Andaman archipelago, whereas the Shompens are semi-nomadic hunter-gatherers of Mongoloid descent residing exclusively in the dense rainforests of Great Nicobar Island.
15ID: GK-TRIBE-00286
hardPVTGs & Indigenous Cultural Heritage
The Chenchu tribe, a designated PVTG speaking a Dravidian language and traditionally specializing in food gathering and wild honey harvesting, primarily inhabits which mountain range?
Verified Explanation
The Chenchus are a food-gathering PVTG inhabiting the deep deciduous forests of the Nallamala Hills across Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, primarily overlapping with the Nagarjunasagar-Srisailam Tiger Reserve. They maintain a symbiotic cultural bond with the local forests and Chenchu Lakshmi folklore.
16ID: GK-TRIBE-00337
easyPVTGs & Indigenous Cultural Heritage
The Onge tribe, a traditional hunting-and-gathering Negrito PVTG inhabiting Dugong Creek and South Bay settlements, is indigenous to which island?
Verified Explanation
The Onge are one of the most ancient Negrito tribes of the Andaman Islands, residing on Little Andaman Island. Following contact, they were rehabilitated in reserved settlements at Dugong Creek and South Bay.
The Tana Bhagat Movement, initiated in 1914 in Chota Nagpur as a non-violent socio-religious reform and anti-rent agitation among the Oraon tribe, was founded by which visionary leader?
Verified Explanation
The Tana Bhagat movement was founded in April 1914 by Jatra Bhagat in Gumla, Jharkhand. Preaching monotheism, vegetarianism, total abstention from liquor, and non-violent civil disobedience against British land taxes, the Tana Bhagats later joined Mahatma Gandhi's Non-Cooperation Movement en masse.
18ID: GK-TRIBE-00399
mediumHistorical Tribal Uprisings & Leaders
Launched in 1914 among the Oraon tribe of Chota Nagpur, the Tana Bhagat movement was initiated by which charismatic religious reformer?
Verified Explanation
Jatra Bhagat initiated the Tana Bhagat Movement in April 1914 in Gumla (Jharkhand), preaching monotheism, vegetarianism, total abstinence from liquor, and non-violent resistance against British taxes and forced labor, later aligning closely with Gandhi's Non-Cooperation Movement.
19ID: GK-TRIBE-00425
hardPVTGs, Demographics & Indigenous Traditions
The Bondo tribe (who call themselves 'Remo' meaning human being), renowned for their micro-society and Austroasiatic language, reside primarily in which remote hills of Odisha?
Verified Explanation
The Bondo (or Bonda) PVTG live isolated in the high hill slopes of Bondo Ghati in the Khairput block of Malkangiri district, Odisha. They speak Remo, belonging to the Austroasiatic Munda language family.
20ID: GK-TRIBE-00475
easyPVTGs & Indigenous Cultural Heritage
The Toda tribe, famous for their barrel-vaulted bamboo huts (Dogles), intricate 'Pukhoor' red-and-black embroidery, and pastoral culture centered around sacred water buffalo dairies, resides in which mountain range?
Verified Explanation
The Toda people are an indigenous pastoral community residing in the high-altitude Nilgiri plateau of Tamil Nadu. Their social, ritual, and economic lives revolve around their sacred long-horned water buffaloes and consecrated dairy temples (Ti temples), while their distinctive black-and-red embroidered shawls hold a GI tag.
21ID: GK-TRIBE-00476
easyPVTGs & Indigenous Cultural Heritage
The Chenchu tribe, a designated Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group traditionally surviving as honey-gatherers, forest foragers, and bow-and-arrow hunters, primarily inhabits which forested hill range?
Verified Explanation
The Chenchus are a designated PVTG living in the dense deciduous forests of the Nallamala Hills across Andhra Pradesh and Telangana (specifically Nagarjunasagar-Srisailam Tiger Reserve). They speak a dialect of Telugu and have preserved an ancient food-gathering economy based on wild roots, tubers, and medicinal wild honey.
22ID: GK-TRIBE-00482
mediumPVTGs & Indigenous Cultural Heritage
The Birhor tribe, a semi-nomadic Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group of Jharkhand and Odisha whose name translates literally to 'Men of the Jungle', is traditionally renowned for making ropes from the bark of which plant?
Verified Explanation
The Birhor (from 'Bir' meaning forest and 'Hor' meaning man) are a nomadic/semi-nomadic PVTG inhabiting Jharkhand and Odisha. They are traditional hunter-gatherers renowned for collecting the tough inner bark fibers of the wild 'Chop' or 'Mahulan' creeper (Bauhinia vahlii) to weave extremely durable ropes, mats, and hunting snares.
23ID: GK-TRIBE-00485
hardPVTGs & Indigenous Cultural Heritage
The Asur tribe, a designated Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group of Jharkhand, holds an ancient civilizational reputation for their indigenous knowledge and practice of which craft?
Verified Explanation
The Asurs are a small Austroasiatic-speaking PVTG inhabiting the Netarhat plateau of Jharkhand. Recognized in archaeological and metallurgical history as ancient master iron-smelters, they traditionally extracted high-grade iron from locally gathered hematite/magnetite ores using charcoal pits and foot-operated bellows (Dhati).
24ID: GK-TRIBE-00488
hardPVTGs & Indigenous Cultural Heritage
The Saura tribe of southern Odisha is internationally famous for their intricate sacred wall paintings known as 'Ikons' or 'Idital', which are traditionally dedicated to which entity?
Verified Explanation
Saura wall art, known as 'Idital' or 'Ikons', is a ritual painting tradition created by the Saura PVTG of Rayagada, Gajapati, and Koraput districts in Odisha. Painted on red ochre mud walls using rice powder, ash, and bamboo brushes by the tribal priest-artist (Kudangs), the murals depict human geometric figures, horses, and trees to invoke the blessing of deity Edital.
25ID: GK-TRIBE-00489
hardPVTGs & Indigenous Cultural Heritage
The Bondo (Bonda) tribe, a designated PVTG living in the Bondo Hills of Malkangiri district in Odisha, speaks the ancient 'Remo' dialect belonging to which language family?
Verified Explanation
The Bondo (self-referred to as Remo, meaning 'people') are a PVTG inhabiting the isolated Bondo Hills in Malkangiri, Odisha. The Remo language belongs to the South Munda branch of the Austroasiatic language family. The community is also renowned for women's traditional bead adornments and ringa brass jewellery.
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