Adivasi

(“first inhabitant”) General term for
different groups of tribal peoples.
They are usually associated with
forests and other less developed
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Aditya
Adivasi man going to the market. The Adivasis consist of different tribal groups that are
settled throughout the forest and hill regions of India.
areas, often making their living by
hunting, woodcutting, gathering
honey and medicinal plants, and
through subsistence agriculture. The
largest concentrations are in Orissa,
Madhya Pradesh, and Bihar, on both
sides of the Vindhya Mountains separating northern and southern India,
but they are also found in regions
such as the Nilgiri Hills in southern
India. Adivasis are still largely unassimilated into caste Hinduism. Many
are illiterate and desperately poor,
despite programs giving them reservations for higher education and government employment. In recent years
they have been the focus of intense
missionary activity by both Christians
and Hindu missionaries sponsored by
the Vishva Hindu Parishad.