Tribals in Madhya Pradesh

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Bhil tribal girls in Jhabua

A Bhil tribe in Jhabua forests

A Baiga tribe family in Balaghat district, Madhya Pradesh

Tribals in Madhya Pradesh constitute a sizable population. The population of Tribals in Madhya Pradesh is 122.33 lakh constituting 20.27% of the total population of Madhya Pradesh (603.85 Lakh), according to the 2001 census. There were 46 recognized Scheduled Tribes and three of them have been identified as “Special Primitive Tribal Groups” in the State. ^[1]

The differences in the tribal community, spread over in various parts of the state, is clearly seen not only on the basis of their heredity, lifestyle and cultural traditions, but also from their social, economic structure, religious beliefs and their language and speech. Due to the different linguistic, cultural and geographical environment, and its peculiar complications, the diverse tribal world of Madhya Pradesh has not only been largely cut-off from the mainstream of development.

[edit] Distribution of tribal population

The main tribal groups in Madhya Pradesh are Gond, Bhil, Baiga, Korku, Bhariya, Halba, Kaul, Mariya, and Sahariya. Dhar, Jhabua and Mandla districts have more than 50 percent tribal population. In Khargone, Chhindwara, Seoni, Sidhi and Shahdol districts 30 to 50 percent population is of tribes. Maximum population is that of Gond tribes.

Name of tribe	Sub-tribe	Population (Census 1981)	Districts inhabited
Gond	Pardhan, Agariya, Ojha, Nagarchi, Solhas	5349883	All districts, mainly spread on both banks of Narmada River in Vindhyas andSatpura
Bhil	Barela, Bhilala, Patliya	2505888	Dhar, Jhabua, East Nimar
Baiga	Bijhwar, Narotia, Bharotiya, Nahar, Rai Bhaina, Kadh Bhaina	248949	Mandla, Balaghat
Korku	Movasiruma, Nahala, Vavari, Bodoya	66781	East Nimar, Hoshangabad, Betul, Chhindwara
Bharia	Bhumiya, Bhuihar, Pando	195490	Chhindwara, Jabalpur
Halba	Halbi, Bastariya, Chhatisgarhiya	236375	Balaghat
Kaul	Rohiya, Rauthail	123811	Rewa, Satna, Shahdol, Sidhi
Mariya	Abujh Mariya, Dandami Mariya, Metakoitur	195490	Jabalpur, Mandla, Panna, Shahdol, Chhindwara
Sahariya	-	261816	Guna, Shivpuri, Morena, Gwalior, Vidisha, Rajgarh