India is the home to large number of indigenous people, who are still untouched by the lifestyle of the modern world. With more than 84.4 million, India has the largest population of the tribal people in the world. T hese tribal people also known as the adivasis are the poorest in the country, which are still dependent on haunting, agriculture and fishing.Some of the major tribal groups in India include Gonds, Santhals, Khasis, Angamis, Bhils, Bhutias and Great Andamanese. All these tribal people have their own culture, tradition, language and lifestyle. There are more than 50 tribal groups in India. Most of the tribal belong basically to the Negroid , Australoid and Mongoloid racial stocks.
Bhils
Bhils are popularly known as the bow men of Rajasthan. They are the most widely distributed tribal groups in India. They form the largest tribe of the whole South Asia. Bhils are mainly divided into two main groups the central or pure bills and eastern or Rajput Bhils.
Gonds
The Gonds are the tribal community mostly found in the Gond forests of the central India. T hey are one of the largest tribal groups in the world. Gonds have been largely influenced by the Hindus and for the long time have been practicing the Hindus culture and traditions.
Santhals
Santhals are the third largest tribe in India. T hey are mostly found in the states of West Bengal, Bihar, Odisha, Jharkhand and Assam. T hey belong to the pre- Aryan period and have been the great fighters from the time of the British.
Munda
Munda tribe mainly inhabit in the region of Jharkhand, although they are well spread in the states of West Bengal, Chhattisgarh, Odisha and Bihar. Munda generally means headman of the village. Hunting is the main occupation of the Mundas tribe.
Khasi
Khasi tribe is mainly found in the Khasi Jaintia hills in Meghalaya and in the states of Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Manipur, West Bengal and Jammu and Kashmir. They form the large part of the population in the state of Meghalaya.
Angami
Angami tribe belongs to the extreme north eastern part of the country, in the state of Nagaland. The total population of the Angamis is around 12 million. They are quite popular for their woodcraft and artwork. Sekrenyi is the main festival celebrated among the Angamis in Nagaland
Bhutia
Bhutia tribes are of the Tibetan origin. They migrated to Sikkim around 16th century. In the northern part of the Sikkim they are known as the Lachenpass and Lachungpass. Bhutias forms 14% of the total population of Sikkim. Losar and Losoong are the main festivals celebrated among the Bhutia tribes.
Chenchu
Chenchu inhabit in the Nallamalai hills, which have been the part of the Nagarjuna Sagar Tiger Sanctuary for centuries in Andhra Pradesh, India. They are mainly found in the districts of Mahabubnagar, Nalgonda, Praksham, Guntur, and Kurnool.
Great Andamanese
Great Andamanese is the Negroid tribe inhabitant in the Andaman group of Islands. T hey form the largest population among the other tribes found in these islands. According to the census the population of Great Andamanese is now limited to few individuals.