Indigenous vs Tribal

A message has been circulating on social media saying, “Nagas are no more tribal in today’s world. They are indigenous people. Stop using the word tribal, we are in modern society.”

This kind of statement reflects a growing misunderstanding of basic history and of the Indian Constitution. Even certain political parties, MLAs and public figures also carelessly mix the words “tribal” and “indigenous” without bothering to know how these terms are defined in India and internationally. Such confusion affects both identity and legal rights.

To understand the issue, we must go back to the very beginning of human history. Small groups began leaving Africa thousand years ago. One group travelled along the Arabian coastline and reached what is now South India. Another early farming group came from the region of Balochistan into the Indus Valley. Later, different waves entered India from Afghanistan, Persia and Central Asia. At the same time, others moved from the Far East into the northeast.

These long waves of settlement make it difficult to identify any one population as the sole original inhabitants.

This simple truth means that almost every community in India today came through ancient migrations. Some arrived very early, some later, but all migrated at some point. Because of this mixed and layered history, it is impossible to identify any single community as the “original” or “first” people of the land. This is exactly why the Constitution of India did not attempt to define “indigenous people.” Instead, the framers created the more practical legal category called “Scheduled Tribe.” The word “tribal” in the Indian context is not an insult and not a sign of backwardness. It is a constitutional term that protects communities with distinct cultures, land systems, languages and social traditions that grew over centuries.

Calling a community “no longer tribal” may sound modern, but it shows a lack of understanding. A modern lifestyle does not erase centuries of culture, nor does it cancel constitutional recognition. Legal protections—such as reservation, land safeguards, cultural rights and in some states, customary law protections—exist only because communities are recognised as Scheduled Tribes. Rejecting or replacing the word “tribal” without understanding its meaning could weaken these rights.

Some people argue that “indigenous” sounds more respectful. Historically, many communities can indeed be called indigenous because they have lived in a region for a very long time and developed their own cultural identity. But in international forums, this term carries a political meaning.