Page 27 - DSOC201_SOCIAL_STRUCTURE_AND_SOCIAL_CHANGE_ENGLISH

Social Structure and Social Change

Notes linguistic, cultural and political boundry”. But there are many tribal societies which lack government
and the centralised author-ity in the ordinary sense of the term. Likewise, cultural homogeneity in
a tribe is also elusive in this age.
Scholars like G.S. Ghurye, T.B. Naik, F.G. Bailey and Verrier Elwin have used different criteria like
religion, geographical isolation, language, economic backwardness, and political organisation for
distinguishing caste from tribe.
On the basis of religion, it is said that the religion of tribals is Animism and that of the people with
caste system is Hinduism. Hutton (1963) and Bailey (1960:263) believe that tribals are not Hindus
but are animists. The basic characteristics of animism are: the beliefs that all animate and inanimate
objects are permanently or temporarily inhabited by spirits; all activities are caused by these
spirits; spirits have power over the lives of men; men can be possessed by spirits; and they can be
influenced by magic. On the other hand, the chief characteristics of Hinduism are: dharma, bhakti,
karma and rebirth. It will be wrong to say that the Hindus, particularly the lower caste Hindus, do
not believe in spirits and ghosts or in magic and possession. Similarly, there are many tribals who
worship Hindu gods and goddesses, celebrate Hindu festivals and fairs and observe Hindu customs,
traditions and rituals. It is, therefore, not easy to distinguish between Animism and Hinduism.
Elwin (1943), Risley (1908) and Ahuja (1965) have also maintained that the distinction between
Hinduism and Animism is artificial and meaningless. Religion as a single criterion, thus, cannot
be used to distinguish between a tribe and a caste. Ghurye, Naik and Bailey have also rejected this
criterion.
Due to isolation and negligible contacts with their (civilised) neighbours, tribals are comparatively
less civilised than the Hindus. Though it is true that at one time some tribals lived away from
means of communication yet many caste Hindus also lived in isolated regions, while many tribals
lived in plains. In this age, no groups live in isolation. Geographical isolation too, thus, cannot be
accepted as a criterion for differentiating tribe from caste.

On geographical isolation basis, it is said that tribals live in geographically isolated
regions like hills, mountains and jungles but caste Hindus live in the plains.

Using language as a criterion for difference between a tribe and a caste, it is said that each tribe has
its own language but not a caste. But then there are tribes which do not have their own languages
but speak the dialect of one of the main Indian languages, as in South India. Therefore, language
also cannot be accepted as a criterion for distinction.
Economic backwardness too is not a correct criterion for distinction. If tribals are backward and
primitive, caste Hindus are also almost equally poor. On the other hand, we have economically
advanced tribes too. Bailey (1960:9) also rejects this criterion by holding that it is wrong to hold
sociologically that ‘economic backwardness’ refers to a ‘standard of living’ rather than to ‘a type
of economic relationship’. He himself used ‘economic structure’ and ‘politico-economic organisation’
for differentiating the Konds (tribe) from Oriyas (caste) in Orissa. Bailey (1960) presented a
systematic interactional model for considering the position of the tribe vis-a-vis caste as two ideal
poles in a linear continuum. He concentrated on two factors: control over land and right to resources
of land. He maintained that in both the tribal and caste societies, we find land-owners and landless
people who are dependants on landowners for their share of land resources. But analysing the
economic organisation of a ‘village territory’ (inhabited by castes) and a ‘clan territory’ (inhabited
by tribes), he found that a village is divided into economically specialised interdependent castes
arranged hierarchically whereas though a clan territory is also composed of economically
specialised groups, yet these are not hierarchically arranged; nor are they economically
interdependent on each other. In other words, in a tribal society, a larger proportion of people has
a direct access to land while in the case of caste-based society, a very few people are land-owners
and a large number achieve the right to land through a dependent relationship. Thus, according

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