Tribal People Of North-east India

More than 90% of total inhabitants of this region are tribal. States like Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland are predominantly tribal states. A large number of population of these states are tribal. In contrast to these states, Assam, Manipur, Sikkim and Tripura has a very less percentage of tribal population nearly of 20 to 30 % only. All these tribal communities have their own distinct culture, tradition, language, cuisines and attires. Their lifestyles are totally different from each other and mostly resides in the hilly and forested areas.

Some of the famous tribes of North-east India:
Apatanis: Apatanis are one of the famous tribal communities of Arunachal Pradesh. They are mostly settled in the agricultural valley around Ziro – the headquater of Lower Subansiri district. Apatani people are generally engaged in agriculture for their livelihood. They practiced both wet and terraced cultivation. Unlike other tribal communities, Apatanis has a stable economy. Apatanis people are very different from other tribal communities. Elderly Apatanis men mostly tie the hair in top knots and tattoo the faces whereas their counterparts bedecked their nose by circular nose plugs. But,with the gradual passage of time, Apatanis men and women has stopped tattooing their face and tying hair knot.

Angamis: Belongs to Nagaland, Angamis are the most ecologically conscious tribal community of North-east India. They are mostly found in the Kohima district, which is further classified into four categories namely Southern Angami region in the south of Kohima, Northern Angami in the north of Kohima, Western Angami in the west of Kohima and Chakro Angami around the Dimapur districts. For their livelihood, people of Angami community are mostly dependent on agriculture and strictly follows Christianity. Their main language is Tenyidie language and their main festival is Sekrenyi, celebrated on 25th day of Angami month Kezei (February).

Bhutias: Bhutias, belong to Tibetan origin has migrated to Sikkim around 16th century. They contributed 14% in the total population of Sikkim. Most of the Bhutias are inhabited in the dry valley of North Sikkim and generally speaks Sikkimese, Lepcha, Bhutia, Nepali, English and Hindi. Agriculture is the main way of earning for Bhutias. But some of them also engage in breeding of sheep and yaks. Bhutias love to gorge on rice and beef. They also love to eat momos, Ningro with Churpi, Sael Roti and love to drink Chaang(the millet bear). Most of the people of Bhutia community are the follower of tantric Buddhism.

Khasis: Khasis are one of the major tribal community of Meghalaya and covers 50% of total population. They are mostly inhabited on Khasi hills. Khasis are sub-divided into various groups such as Wars, Khynriams, Pnars, and Bhois. Khasi tribes are different from other tribal community. They believe in matrilineal society that means they are recognize by their mother and not from