THE TRIBAL people in India cover a wide spectrum in terms of their integration and acculturation with the mainstream of the society, although they have mostly remained isolated from the people of the mainland.

They displayed a variety of social organization, cultural expression and artistic skills. They showed a high degree of creativity, usually employed to embellish utilitarian objects, such as bowls, baskets, clothing, weapons and spoons. But they never command a good price for the lack of tact and modernity. The various products of bamboo, palm leaf, kanshi grass, brass lack modern design and rarely gain a market value disillusioning many young people of the tribe about their traditional crafts.

Many of them are found doing illegal activities, such as felling of trees and smuggling. This in turn has brought the languishing craft of the primitive tribes on the verge of extinction. Now the crisis is one of extinction of the tribes themselves. Such an incident of Andaman and Nicobar Islands related to the Jarawas has of late become news.

The Jarawa tribe is almost on the verge of such extinction. Among many suggestions one way was to isolate them and the other was to make their life ‘mainstream-ed’. But such an attempt will only prove to be catastrophic since the primitive Jarawas will find themselves a victim of incompatibility with the civilized life. It is usual with all the primitive tribes.

Forcible assimilation of tribes into the mainstream is highly illegal and ethically unacceptable. A recent video footage displays the semi-naked tribal women dancing before tourists in the Islands for food. At present 250-400 Jarawas are there in the Chaddas or the huts meant for the tribe. They usually avoid interactions with the outsiders from the mainland. Nobody understands what traditions they actually follow. But suddenly the exposure given to the nearly extinct Jarawa tribe has put a big question mark over the so called arrangement for tribal protection in the country.

In the name of enlightenment, this kind of forcible exposure of the primitive people to the mainstream culture should be condemned and culprits punished. It is heartening those tribal communities who have low level of literacy, declining or stagnant population, and pre-agricultural level of technology and economically backward are to be accorded protection and development.

 75 such groups in 15 States/UTs have been identified and have been categorized as Primitive Tribal Groups (PTGs). Each of these groups is small in number, differentially developed with respect to one another, of remote habitat with poor administrative and infrastructure back up. This should be done for the protection of the Jarawas. Mere promise of the Home Minister will not do because the Jarawa tribe is almost extinct. Any more delay in arranging for their protection will only accelerate the process of wiping out the tribe. The Jarawas have survived in their forests for more than 55,000 years. It is really a wonder of nature that in their physical strength and quality of life, they are better than that of the Great Andamanese tribes who have some acculturation with the mainstream people. Those who belong to the wild life are not wild in the sense the beasts are. The Jarawas may appear hostile to the civilized but they live in perfect harmony with nature. This bond should not be severed. We should not disturb God’s plan in the name of enlightenment and civilization.

The tribals in India are already exploited by the civilized society. Nothing much is improved in the name of providing education and other amenities which the civilised world boasts of. Neither it made them happy nor it makes them better people. Mainstream should not forget that God made nature and the society is made only by man.