What are Tribes?
A tribe is a division in a society that comprises families with a common social, economic, religious connections, or blood relations, sharing a common culture and dialect. However, tribes and nomads bear certain features that make them unique cultural, social, and political entities.
In ancient times, India had a stringent caste system. People were divided as tribes, nomads, and settled communities who lived and flourished in their own communities. So, we understand that communities are categorized into tribes, nomads, and settled. Nomads were wanderers who preferred to stay in temporary sheds and move over long distances with their animals and live their life on milk and other pastoral products. Basically, they didn’t rely on their money for their living, instead, they exchanged wool, ghee with settled agriculturists for grain, cloth, utensils, and other products. Here, we will learn more about Class 7 History Chapter 7: Tribes, nomads, and settled communities and gather all the information on tribes, nomads, and settled communities.
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Tribal People Community
Tribal societies and tribal people are integral parts of the culture of a place. They were entirely different from those who existed in big cities. Also, tribal people never followed the social rules and rituals prescribed by the Brahmanas because they split societies into uncountable unequal classes. A unique bond of kinship among the members of each tribe was one of the great features of the tribe community.
The chief source of livelihood for these people was agriculture. However, among these communities, hunter-gatherers or herders were also there. Some tribes were nomadic who continued wandering from one place to another for their livelihood. While, other tribes preferred to live in forests, hills, deserts, and places difficult to reach.
Regions Covered by Tribal Societies
The most important occupation of the tribal community was agriculture. But there were also hunter-gatherers or herders. Most often they combined these activities to make complete use of the natural resources of the region in which they lived. Some tribes were nomadic moving from one location to another.
A tribal group managed the land and pastures and split these among households according to its own rules. Such groups of tribal people were found in nearly every place of the subcontinent. The Khokhar tribe was influential throughout the 13th and 14th centuries, in Punjab.
Much later, the Gakkars became more powerful. In Multan and Sind, the Langahs and Arghuns ruled a lot of the extensive regions. The Balochis were another huge and powerful tribe in the northwest. The Gaddi Shepherds resided in the western Himalayas. The Nahas Ahoms and plenty of others lived in the remote north-Japanese part of the subcontinent.
In various regions of current Bihar and Jharkhand, Chero Chiefdoms had emerged by the twelfth century. However, they were subdued by the Mughals. The Mundas and Santhals were different vital tribes that lived in these states and additionally in Orissa and Bengal. The Kolis, Berads, and several others lived in the highlands of Maharashtra highland, Karnataka, and Gujarat.
Further, there were huge tribal populations, such as Koragas, Vetars, Maravars, and plenty of others in the South. Across western and central India which is woodland and fertile land, the tribal group of Bhils was spreading. With their most important occupation being agriculture and hunting-gathering, their region had perfectly suited the geographical region in which they lived.
Around the late 16th century lots of tribal people had ended up settled agriculturists and a few even were Zamindars. Many Bhil clans nevertheless remained hunter-gatherers. The Gonds were discovered in a huge variety throughout the present-day states of Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Andhra Pradesh.
List of Tribal Communities in India: State-wise List
Class 7 History Chapter 7: Tribes, Nomads, And Settled Communities NCERT Solutions
At Vedantu, the NCERT Solutions for Class 7 History Chapter 7 - Tribes, Nomads, And Settled Communities are provided concisely to help you in easy and powerful learning of the concepts. Here, we have provided you with the best and accurate answers to all the questions given at the end of this chapter as in the latest NCERT Class 7 Social Science Book.
Now, let us go through the Tribes, Nomads, And Settled Communities Summary.
Tribes, Nomads, And Settled Communities Summary
We have gathered all the information on tribes, nomads, and settled communities. Now, let us go through the features of tribes and nomads Communities we learned so far are:
People of this society never followed any of the social rules and rituals established by Brahmanas. However, they had their own rich oral traditions.
They had a great kinship among their people.
They never divided themselves into many unequal classes.
List of Major Nomadic Communities
The major pastoral nomadic communities are:
Bakarwal - Jammu & Kashmir
Bhutia - North district of Sikkim
Ghosi - Bihar, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh
Gujjar - Jammu, and Kashmir (J & K), Himachal Pradesh, and Rajasthan
Facts on Indian Communities
As per the Constitution of India, there are around 645 distinct tribes in India. The census of 2011 demonstrated that Bhil is the largest tribe in the country having a population of above 40 lakhs!
Some communities do not institute monolithic groups but incorporate various groups that often refer to themselves as jatis or quoms; these are as follows:
Gandhila is sometimes pronounced as Gandhil and Gondola (belonging to Haryana, Punjab, and Uttar Pradesh)
Gadia Lohar also known as Gaduliya Lohars (belonging to Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan)
Gavli - belonging to Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, and Gujarat
Monpa - Tibet dialect community - Tawang and West Kemeng districts of Arunachal Pradesh
FAQs on Tribes, Nomads, And Settled Communities
1. What were the main characteristics of tribal societies that are important for Class 7 exams?
Based on the NCERT syllabus for the 2025-26 session, the key characteristics of tribal societies frequently asked in exams are:
- Kinship Bonds: Societies were primarily united by strong family and clan relationships, forming the basis of their social structure.
- Collective Ownership: Resources like land and pastures were typically owned jointly by the entire clan, not by individuals, and were distributed based on the clan's own rules.
- Lack of Social Hierarchy: Unlike caste-based societies, tribal communities generally did not have sharp social divisions or a powerful priestly class. Equality among families was a common feature.
- Unique Culture: They preserved their own distinct rules, traditions, and rich oral histories, which were passed down through generations without written records.
2. Explain the key differences between nomadic pastoralists and settled communities.
The primary differences between these two groups are based on their lifestyle and economic activities. Nomadic pastoralists were people who moved from place to place with their herds of animals. They survived by exchanging animal products like wool and ghee with settled communities for essential items like grain and cloth. In contrast, settled communities primarily practised agriculture in a fixed location, which led to the development of permanent villages, towns, and more complex social structures.
3. Describe the administration system of the Gond kingdom of Garha Katanga. Why is this an important topic?
The administration of Garha Katanga is an important exam topic as it shows how a large tribal state could be effectively organised. The system was highly centralised and structured as follows:
- The kingdom was divided into large units called garhs, each controlled by a specific Gond clan.
- Each garh was further subdivided into 84 villages, a unit known as a chaurasi.
- The chaurasi was then broken down into smaller units called barhots, which were made up of 12 villages each.
This systematic division allowed for efficient revenue collection and administration over a vast territory.
4. Who were the Banjaras, and why were they considered important to the medieval economy?
The Banjaras were the most significant group of nomadic traders in medieval India. Their caravans, known as tanda, were crucial to the economy for two main reasons. First, they transported food grains for the Mughal army during military campaigns, acting as a mobile supply line. Second, they moved agricultural produce from villages to town markets. This made them a vital link between producers and consumers, playing a key role in trade and commerce.
5. How did the Ahom state build a new kingdom, and what were the unique features of its administration?
The Ahom state, located in present-day Assam, was built by suppressing older political systems and expanding its territory through military might. Its administration had several unique features:
- Forced Labour: The state was dependent on a system of forced labour where people known as paiks had to provide service to the state.
- Centralised Control: The Ahoms introduced new agricultural techniques and established a highly centralised administrative and military structure.
- Military Strength: They possessed advanced military technology for their time, including the use of firearms and the production of high-quality gunpowder and cannons from the 16th century onwards.
6. Why did the social structure of many tribal societies begin to change during the medieval period?
The social structure of many tribal societies changed primarily due to economic growth and interaction with caste-based kingdoms. As some tribes became more powerful through agriculture and trade, their leaders desired a higher social status. To achieve this, leading tribal families often sought recognition as Kshatriyas or Rajputs. They invited Brahmans to create respectable genealogies for them, which gradually led to their integration into the caste system and the emergence of social inequality within the tribe, mimicking the varna system.
7. Compare the process of state formation of the Gonds with that of the Ahoms. What were the key similarities and differences?
Both the Gonds and Ahoms successfully created large, powerful states from tribal origins, which is a key similarity. However, their approaches to state-building and administration had important differences.
- Differences: The Ahom state was built primarily through military conquest and was heavily reliant on a sophisticated system of forced labour (paiks). The Gond state, on the other hand, was formed more by centralising existing clan structures into a hierarchical system of 'garhs' and 'chaurasis'.
- Similarities: Both states adopted settled agriculture on a large scale, developed centralised administrative systems, and their ruling classes sought higher social status by embracing aspects of mainstream Hindu culture and titles to legitimise their rule.
