549
In e na ional Jou nal o Ad ance and Applied Resea ch
www.ijaa .co.in
ISSN – 2347-7075
Impac Fac o – 8.141
Pee Re iewed
Bi-Mon hly
Vol. 6 No. 40
Sep embe - Oc obe - 2025
The Role o Li e a u e in P ese ing T ibal Iden i y in India
P o . D . Rajabhau Chhagan ao Ko de
Depa men o English,
Kalikade i A s, Comme ce and Science College Shi u (Kasa ) Dis . Beed
Co esponding Au ho – P o . D . Rajabhau Chhagan ao Ko de
DOI - 10.5281/zenodo.17664008
Abs ac :
Li e a u e se es as a i al ool o p ese ing Indian ibal iden i y by documen ing o al
adi ions, cul u al he i age, and his o ical knowledge, which os e s cul u al p ide and p o ides a
pla o m o ad oca ing ibal igh s agains opp ession and exploi a ion. Th ough s o ies, songs, and
w i en wo ks, ibal w i e s connec gene a ions, ansmi unique wo ld iews, and aise awa eness o
hei s uggles and cus oms o global audiences, he eby ensu ing he con inua ion o hei dis inc
cul u al p ac ices and a s ong sense o communi y."T ibal li e a u e" a emp s o exp ess he
cul u al, social, and his o ical aspec s o ibes. The main objec i e o his li e a u e is o sha e he
unique iden i y o he ibes, hei li es yle, and hei cul u al he i age. This li e a u e suppo s hei
iden i y h ough language, songs, s o ies, and poems. T ibal li e a u e, o en ini ially in o al o m,
now includes w i en na a i es, songs, and s o ies ha cap u e he essence o hei cul u e, a s,
music, and dance. O al his o ies, my hs, and adi ional knowledge sys ems a e documen ed,
p ese ing hem o u u e gene a ions and making hem accessible o b oade audiences.
Keywo ds: India, T ibal, Li e a u e, Ci iliza ion, cul u e and Adi asi
In oduc ion:
Di e si y and he exis ence o dis inc
socie ies a e an essen ial pa o he being o
Indian ci iliza ion. The ibes o India a e an
insepa able pa o his di e se ab ic o India.
The ibal cul u e o India, i s adi ions and
p ac ices in e pene a e almos all he aspec s
o Indian cul u e and ci iliza ion. Each ibe
has a way o li e o i s own. Each ibe has i s
way o beha ing, hinking, eeling and ac ing.
Each has i s cus oms, adi ions, mo als,
alues, and cul u e. Indian ibal cul u e has
also seen a emendous me ging o cul u es
wi hin i s people. The pape se s ou o b ing
in o ligh he di e se li e a u e o he ibes o
India and how i o ms he h eads o uni y and
belonging wi h he la ge mosaic o Indian
cul u e. The pape also b ings in o ligh he
nume ous challenges i has aced in he ace o
p og ess and how li e a u e ac s as a shield
ha p o ec s and p ese es.
Li e a u e is a eposi o y o he
happenings o he pas as well as a essel o
he econ i ma ion o hei iden i y and one o
mos powe ul ools o he p ese a ion and
exp ession o a ci iliza ion’s iden i y. T ibal
li e a u e is he li e a u e o a sea ch o
iden i y. T ibal li e a u e does no con ine
i sel in o a pa icula gen e. Each li e a y
wo k speaks o he s uggles and cap u es he
celeb a ion o hei unique cul u e. The
de elopmen o li e a u e and o di e en a
o ms in ibal communi ies p eda ed he
eme gence o w i en eco ds. Passed h ough
gene a ions, hese o al adi ions cap u e he
e y essence o he uniqueness o ibal
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P o . D . Rajabhau Chhagan ao Ko de
550
cul u e. The dissemina ion o hese o al
adi ions has kep he cul u al p ac ices and
he his o y o ibes h i ing. Fo he ibes o
India, li e a u e is a means o sel
ep esen a ion and empowe men . D awing
examples om a ious ibal w i ings, he
pape seeks o b ing ou how he ibal
li e a u e p ese es ibal iden i y.
O al T adi ions and S o y elling:
India is known o i s di e si y and
mul iplici y o languages. The e a e mo e han
1600 languages belong o se en di e en
language amilies spoken in he coun y and a
la ge numbe o hem a e p ese ed and
sus ained in o al o ms. The o al adi ion o
he coun y is as old as 3500 yea s, and is s ill
h i ing. The e a e mo e unw i en languages
in he coun y han he w i en ones. These
languages a e spoken by ibals as well as non-
ibal, spoken e en oday by mig a ed and
ma ginalized socie ies. Un il he p ac ice o
p in ing and publishing li e a y wo ks became
well es ablished du ing he nine een h cen u y,
li e a u e in India exis ed mos ly in o al
adi ions. The de elopmen o li e a u e and
o di e en a o ms in ibal communi ies
p eda ed he eme gence o w i en eco ds.
The ibal li e a y adi ion was mainly
o al. T ibal li e a u e con inues o be p oduced
in hund eds o indigenous languages e en
oday. This o al adi ion includes wo ks om
sc ip u es o olksongs and d ama. E en a e
he medium o p in ing became well
es ablished in India, some o he o al adi ions
ha e su i ed. They include epics, plays,
songs, s o ies, na a i es, p o e bs, and
apho isms. Mos o ou o al li e a u e aces he
h ea o being los o obli ion because o lack
o ins i u ionalized suppo . The absence o
any w i en o m o hese languages u he
agg a a es he si ua ion, pushing he adi ions
in o a ea o endange men . The o al
adi ions p ese e indigenous and adi ional
knowledge o he socie y, en i onmen and
his o y.
The o al and ibal li e a u e emo e cu en
socio-poli ical hough p ocesses o he
socie ies whe e hey a e spoken. O al li e a u e
is a mix o con empo a y and cu en . I is
h ough hese o al adi ions ha ha e helped
us sa e in o ma ion on ci iliza ions and
human coexis ence.
Li e a u e as a Fo m o Resis ance agains
Coloniza ion and Cul u al Assimila ion:
Resis ance li e a u e emphasizes he
s eng h o he Indian oices in a cons an
ba le agains he colonial o ces. A ime o
u bulence, he beginning hal o he wen ie h
cen u y wi nessed he ise o he Indian
independence mo emen . I b ough o h
signi ican igu es who de ied colonialism and
ough o eedom. By c ea ing an i-colonial
wo ks, au ho s used li e a u e as a ool o
c ea ing a oice o esis ance ha signaled he
u ning ides.
The San hal Rebellion in he 19 h
cen u y sp ead i s wo ds o e olu ion h ough
songs, olklo e and o al na a i es. Cap u ing
he e y essence o he ebellion and he
collec i e age and de e mina ion o San hals,
he o al adi ions pass down he his o y o
esis ance h ough di e en gene a ions and as
a celeb a ion o igh e s like Sidhu and Kanha
Mu mu who led he igh . Each ibal ebellion
ha happened in colonial India has been
immo alized h ough hese o al adi ions and
olklo es. I was h ough hese mediums ha
he ibals exp essed hei spi i o wa d o he
colonial o ces om he e y oo and
es ablish hei own iden i y. E en oday, ibal
li e a u e is an exp ession o hei igh o
iden i y and esis ance. A celeb a ed O iya
no elis Gopina h Mohan y h ough his
w i ing “Pa aja" b ings in o ligh he an i
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P o . D . Rajabhau Chhagan ao Ko de
551
colonial sen imen s among he ibal
communi ies. Th ough he s o y o one amily,
he cap u ed he symbolic ep esen a ion o he
s a e o he whole ibe, hei igh o iden i y
and esou ces.
The book “Adi asi As i a au
Jha khand Asmi ake” by Ramdayal Munda, a
enowned linguis schola om Chho anagpu ,
belonging o he Munda ibe, is a collec ion o
six essays ha discusses ques ions a ound
Adi asi iden i y, cul u e, eligion, poli ics,
language and indus ialisa ion, in he con ex
o Jha khand as well as o he pa s o he
coun y. Munda a emp s o con ex ualize
Adi asi his o y h ough Sansk i ex s, such as
he Upanishads, Ramayana and Mahabha a a
and discuss he his o ical ans o ma ion o
Jha khand h ough a ious s ages and he
con empo a y issues aced by Adi asi
communi ies. Munda highligh s a ious
aspec s o Adi asi iden i y in Jha khand, he
symbio ic ela ionship be ween cul u e and
na u e, hei cas e- and class-less
exis ence, hei co-dependen economy based
on collec i e esou ces. Wi h he changes in
he economic s uc u e o socie y, he ibes
ind cul u al p ese a ion di icul in he ace
o globaliza ion. Li e a u e has eme ged as a
powe ul medium o exp ession o sus ainable
de elopmen . Ad oca ing o ibal iden i y
and economic p og ess o go hand in hand and
inding ep esen a ion in public policy o make
a change whe e i is necessa y.
Rep esen a ion o Gende Roles wi h T ibal
Li e a u e:
The ibal li e a u es also con ain he
s ong and asse i e oices o Adi asi women
agains a ious o ms o iolence and
a icula e hei iews on Adi asi socie y a
la ge. The poems and s o ies in he books pu
o wa d empowe ing na a i es, g ounded in
he li ed expe iences o Adi asi w i e s. These
wo ks e lec on he iolence agains
and exploi a ion o Adi asi women. Th ough
he w i ings, he au ho mo es h ough a ious
aspec s o Adi asi li e in illages and p o ides
a c i ical Adi asi pe spec i e on he mode n
de elopmen model and he e osion o cul u al
and communi a ian oo s. The poe Ke ke a
uses me apho s om he o es and na u e o
depic he deep ela ionships Adi asi
communi ies ha e wi h hese. She men ions
he long his o y o esis ance since he San al
Rebellion in he nine een h cen u y. He
po ayal o he communi y is no w i en as a
ic im’s na a i e bu an empowe ing s o y o
su i al and esis ance. The simplici y o he
language and he dep h o he c i ical
wo ld iew esona e wi h many young Adi asis
who a e expe iencing a simila c isis in hei
ances al homelands.The heme o he con lic
wi h he ideals o mode ni y is o ecu ing
na u e p esen in he ibal li e a u e. I is a
e lec ion o he dilemma o hese ibes who
ind hemsel es s uck be ween a win pa h o
p ese ing hei ances al knowledge and he
ways o li e while also adap ing o he new
no ms o mode ni y.
The na a i es include opics such as
he displacemen o ibes om hei
adi ional lands, hei loss o na u al esou ces
and he b eakdown o adi ional communi y
s uc u es, as an e o o b ing in o ligh he
dis up ion caused in he social and cul u al
ab ic o he indigenous ibes wi h he coming
up o mode niza ion and globaliza ion.
Nume ous ibal li e a u es d aws i s
essence om he adi ion o ibal up isings,
consequen ly he language and geog aphy o
hose up isings also assume signi icance. The
o iginal w i ings o he ibal au ho s a e in
hei indigenous languages. The T ibal
li e a u e in Hindi is g ea ly in luenced by he
ich li e a y adi ion o indigenous languages.
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P o . D . Rajabhau Chhagan ao Ko de
552
Bu he e is a need o he ansla ion o
e nacula Adi asi li e a u e in o English.
The Koi u communi y, which is made
up o ou een million people, has no had a
single book published in English so a ,
al hough he e a e many w i e s who ha e
published in Hindi, Ma a hi and Telugu.
The e a e also books by Adi asi
w i e s w i en in o he e nacula languages
including Guja a i, Bengali, Odia, Malayalam
and Kannada as well as hei own indigenous
languages, such as Gondi, Ku ukh, San ali, Ho
and Bhili. Mos o his w i ing in e nacula
languages can mainly be ound in ja as and
annual ga he ings o a ious Adi asi
o ganiza ions.The ibals' oices ind an
a is ic exp ession h ough he mediums o
ca e a chi ec u e, pain ings and poe y. Fo
example, he Soh ai and Kho a pain ing o
Jha khand. The Kho a pain ings depic he
ma iage i uals among he ibes while he a
in Soh ai pain ings is ma ia chal in i s
depic ion which is insigh ul o he social
ab ic o he ibes. The ibes ha e ound hei
can as in a ious mediums o exp ession. The
de ini ion o ibal li e a u e does no es ic
i sel o he bounda ies o pape , a he a
cul i a ion o o al, w i en and isual
s o y elling wi h ecu ing hemes o
esis ance, na u e, spi i uali y and cul u al
p ese a ion.I is i al o ibal li e a u e o
b eak he ba ie s o ansla ion in o de o
su i e he con empo a y challenges, o ell
he ales o i s he oic exis ence h oughou
cen u ies o he gene a ions o come. (1)
His o ical Con ex and Li e a y
Rep esen a ion Li e a u e plays a signi ican
and complex ole in sa egua ding ibal
iden i y, as i is p o oundly ing ained in he
o al adi ions and w i en wo ks o indigenous
communi ies wo ldwide. T ibal o indigenous
li e a u e comp ises he o al ansmission and
subsequen ansc ip ion o my hs, s o ies,
i uals, dances, and songs h oughou
gene a ions. The co pus o li e a u e no only
sa egua ds he cul u al legacy and sha ed
ecollec ion o a ibe, bu also unc ions as a
means o long-las ing sel hood, sel -
go e nance, and opposi ion o cul u al
abso p ion and obli e a ion. The his o ical
backd op o his unc ion is cha ac e ized by
i s ichness and di e si y, which mi o s he
a ying expe iences o indigenous ibes
h oughou di e en con inen s. P io o he
e a o colonialism, nume ous ibal socie ies
depended on o al adi ions as a means o
sa egua ding hei his o y, belie s, and
iden i ies. S o y elling, ce emonial i es, and
o he a is ic exp essions played a c ucial ole
in p ese ing he social s uc u e and
educa ional ins i u ions o hese socie ies. O al
adi ions played a c ucial ole in passing
down in o ma ion, mo al alues, and cul u al
cus oms om one gene a ion o ano he . (2)
Li e a u e in P ese ing T ibal Iden i y
Li e a u e is essen ial o sa egua ding and
con eying ibal adi ion and iden i y. I
se es as an in e media y be ween gene a ions,
ansmi ing he ancien knowledge and
na a i es o he pas o he younge
gene a ions. Fu he mo e, i unc ions as a
po en ins umen o p omo ing and
championing he causes o ibal communi ies,
e ec i ely con eying hei challenges and
iewpoin s o a wo ldwide audience, so
cul i a ing enhanced comp ehension and
backing o hei igh s and cul u al p ac ices.
(3)
Li e a iness o T ibal Ri ual: Majo
pa o ibal li e a u e is composed o songs
and chan ing pe o med on special occasions
such as bi h, dea h o i ual pe o mances. I
analysed, i appea s ha some ibal i uals
ha e Epical s uc u e. By way o example, I
would like o e e o a i ual pe o med by
Dhanga (one o he nomadic ibes in India,
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P o . D . Rajabhau Chhagan ao Ko de
553
pa icula ly li ing in Maha ash a) communi y.
This i ual is known as Vaik o Khel (play). I
is pe o med as homage o hei god Bi oba. I
is a combina ion o song, dance, na a i es,
hallucina ion, and p ophecy. The i ual s a s
wi h co ona ion o he god as a King.
De o ee‟s b ing all deco a ed s ick, as a
symbol o God‟s palace, o he emple whe e
i ual akes place. A g oup o singe s
accompanied by cho us sings a owi (song)
ha desc ibes he ma iage ce emony o God
beginning wi h u me ic ce emony o he
ma iage and co ona e he newly ma ied god
as he King who should ule he wo ld. I also
includes dance sequence o pe o me s. These
dance sequences a e p eludes ha consec a e
he a mosphe e. Among Khu eka s- one o he
sub ibes, only wo people dance a a ime,
while among Ha ka s- ano he sub ibe ( he e
a e mo e han wen y- wo sub ibes o he
Dhanga ) a g oup o 20-25 men dance
oge he . Bo h ype o dances, known as
Gajan i ya (Gaja means Elephan , dance
esembling o he mo emen s o Elephan ) a e
accompanied by he d um bea ing. A g oup
dance o Ha ka s is also accompanied by he
women‟s song. Then he pe o me s, usually
wo people, be ween he dance sequences,
na a e anecdo es ha desc ibe b a e y,
alou , wisdom and i ues o ei he legenda y
igu e o God specially unde aken o p o ec
he li es ock, communi y and some imes an
en i e human ace. I is ollowed by he cen al
e en in which p ies in okes he spi i o God
and en e s in a ance o es ablish
communica ion. P ies in a ance a aches his
soul o ha o God‟s o em (usually a snake)
and in hallucina o y s a e dances o he hy hm
o d umbea s. A g oup o singe s help he
p ies o en e he ance by singing a owi
(long na a i e song) ha in okes God by
calling him „O Mo he , O my mo he , please
come and assis me in he ask o ell you
message o he masses‟. God‟s spi i also
p o es himsel o be supe na u al by
unde going a es . Tes in ol es bea ing a
bamboo s ick o a swo d in he s omach, neck
and back. Despi e hi ing ha d, he p ies is no
inju ed. And inally, u e p ophecies o he
upcoming yea . These a e pa icula ly ad ices
conce ned wi h upcoming ainy season, heal h
o li es ock, yielding o c ops, ma ke o
li es ock, inciden s o na u al calami ies,
heal h o humans and some imes he majo
poli ical ans o ma ions (4)
Dali and T ibal Li e a u e:
This module alks abou Dali and
T ibal li e a u e oge he . Why do we choose
Dali and T ibal li e a u e oge he he e? We
choose hese wo ca ego ies o li e a u e
oge he he e because hese wo a e mos
powe ul ca ego y o Indian Li e a u e and
hese wo a e mos o iginal Indian Li e a u e.
The mains eam Indian Li e a u e wha a e
w i en ei he in English o in di e en Bhasha
and ansla ed in o English a e mainly he
esul o gene ic and aes he ic adap a ion o
colonialism in India. O iginal Indian Li e a y
gen e, na a i e, s yles may be ound mos ly
om he T ibal Li e a u e o India and hen
om he Dali Li e a u e, along wi h he
li e a u e w i en in p e-colonial India. So, in
his module, we y o unde s and a li e a y
ca ego y which is unde s ood as an o iginal
Indian Li e a u e and h ough he s udy o
ansla ion o hese ca ego ies o li e a u e we
y o unde s and India’s mos o iginal
con ibu ion o he li e a y wo ld.
English ansla ion o Indian Bhasha
li e a u e inds an inclusi e ca ego y o Indian
Li e a u e which can be eached o all he
linguis ic communi ies and also can con ibu e
o he ca ego y o Wo ld Li e a u e. In his
ega d ansla ion o Dali and T ibal
Li e a u e is also e y much impo an o
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P o . D . Rajabhau Chhagan ao Ko de
554
unde s and India’s con ibu ion o he Wo ld
o Li e a u e. We y o unde s and no only
he social, poli ical o cul u al aspec s o hese
wo li e a y ca ego y bu also he aes he ic
con ibu ion o hese wo in o ma ion o
Indian Li e a u e in English and Wo ld
Li e a u e oo.(5)
As T ibal li e a u e d aws i s ene gy
om he adi ion o ibal up isings, he
language and geog aphy o hose up isings
also assume signi icance. The o iginal w i ings
o he T ibal au ho s a e in hei languages.
The T ibal li e a u e in Hindi is g ea ly
in luenced by he ich li e a y adi ion o
indigenous languages. A pa o his li e a u e
has been ansla ed in o o he languages. The
li e a u e being w i en in di e en T ibal
languages is being ansla ed in o majo
languages like Hindi, Bangla and Tamil, hus
acqui ing a na ional o m. T ibal li e a u e is
ma ching ahead, imbued wi h he ebellious
sen imen o he Bi sa, Sidho-Kano and o he
e olu iona y T ibal leade s and hei
mo emen . (6)
Cu en ly, ibal li e a u e has become
he mos s udied li e a u e because some ibes
we e no ye connec ed o ep esen ed in he
li e a u e and wi hou ecogni ion hey a e
somehow los o e ime. I can lead o
mode ni y in he minds o his young
gene a ion. This gene a ion is in luenced by
mode n imes and canno inhe i he legacy o
hei ances o s. The he i age should be
p ac iced so ha i s his o y emains ali e in
ecen imes. This ime, when e e yone uns
behind popula hings, bu wha ou ances o s
le us should also espec hem. This is he
di e ence be ween he ou side wo ld and he
ibe. This equi es he e i al o all p e ious
s udies and na a ions and eading hem o ind
any gaps. Wi h he abo e discussions, his will
conside he addi ion o emale w i e s in he
ield o ibal li e a u e. They a e pu ing hei
place in he ield by in oducing hei esea ch
in o ibal communi ies. Some au ho s,
howe e , did no know hei o iginal language
well, bu ied o p ese e hei cul u e h ough
w i ing. The languages ha lose hei ligh s,
he new w i e s who come o mind ocus on
keeping he ligh s o gi e hem a new di ec ion
o shine.(7)
Conclusion:
The unc ion o li e a u e in
sa egua ding ibal iden i y is a dynamic s o y
o o i ude and adjus men . Indigenous
li e a u e, spanning om o al adi ions o
digi al s o y elling, emains a i al means o
sa egua ding and asse ing cul u al he i age
and iden i y o ibal g oups ac oss he globe.
I se es as e idence o he pe sis en
de e mina ion o indigenous peoples and hei
unwa e ing bond wi h hei ances o s, land,
and cus oms. Li e a u e se es as a means o
p ese e and commemo a e he memo ies,
alues, and oices o indigenous peoples,
p o iding a aluable he i age o u u e
gene a ions. To ensu e he su i al o ibal
iden i y h ough li e a u e, a coo dina ed
app oach is necessa y. This app oach should
ackle he immedia e issues o ep esen a ion
and access, as well as he long- e m need o
educa ion, language e i aliza ion, and digi al
in ol emen . The u u e o indigenous
li e a u es has he p omise o empowe men
and esilience, con ingen upon he p o ision
o espec , esou ces, and acknowledgmen
ha a e essen ial o hei lou ishing. By
examining hese wo ks, we no only acqui e an
unde s anding o he challenges and successes
expe ienced by indigenous communi ies bu
also ac i ely con ibu e o acknowledging and
sa egua ding hei i eplaceable cul u al
legacy. As eade s, w i e s, and schola s, we
ha e a du y o make su e ha hese oices,
which con ain he p o ound knowledge
IJAAR Vol. 6 No. 40 ISSN – 2347-7075
P o . D . Rajabhau Chhagan ao Ko de
555
accumula ed o e cen u ies, a e acknowledged
and alued.
Wo ks Ci ed:
1. h ps://www. hegeos a a.com/pos / he-
ole-o -li e a u e-in-p ese ing- ibal-
iden i y-in-india
2. Rojalin Ra h Lec u e in English
Depa men o English Sa ankul
College, Sa ankul, Nayaga h, Odisha
The Role O Li e a u e In P ese ing
T ibal Iden i y: An O e iew, IJCRT |
Volume 12, Issue 3 Ma ch 2024 | ISSN:
2320-2882,2024 P. 800
3. Ibid-P.801
4. D Ra ind a Gomaji Vaidya Head,
Depa men o English, New A s,
Comme ce and Science College
She gaon, T ibal Li e a u e in India,
Li e a y He ald,An In e na ional
Re e eed/Pee - e iewed English, ISSN:
2454-3365, P.226
5. h ps://ebooks.in libne .ac.in/engp08/ch
ap e /dali -and- ibal-li e a u e-in-
english- ansla ions/
6. h ps://www. o wa dp ess.in/2016/04/ i
bal-li e a u e-challenges-and-
possibili ies/
7. Ms. Sa aswa i Mu mu Resea ch Schola
Depa men o English Ra enshaw
Uni e si y, Cu ack, Odisha, India, The
Role O T ibal Women W i e Fo
Shaping The T ibal Li es: A S udy O
T ibal Li e a u e, IJCRT | Volume 12,
Issue 9 Sep embe 2024, ISSN: 2320-
2882, P. 175
