Adivasi definition
Adivasi literally means ‘first inhabitant’. It is a collective term referring to different ethnic groups mainly residing in central and northeast India. The term was shaped by activists claiming to be In- dia’s indigenous people in the early twentieth century. Many Adivasis are categorised as Scheduled Tribes, which is an administrative category for the second largest historically discriminated ethnic minority in India constituting 8.6 per cent of the Indian population. See Alf Gunvald Nilsen, Adiva- sis in and against the State, Critical Asian Studies 44 (2012), p. 252. For discussion about indigene- ity, see Alpa Shah, The Dark Side of Indigeneity? Indigenous People, Rights and Development in India, History Compass 5 (2007), pp. 1806-1832.
Adivasi means ‘first dweller’ or ‘original inhabitant’ in Hindi. In this paper I retain its capital ‘A’, to resonate with other Indigenous texts, and do not italicise the word in an effort to normalise its use. It implicitly refers to a plural social body, yet to retain clarity I pluralise it as ‘Adivasis’ whilst refering to specific social collectives. Whilst some writers refer to ‘the Adivasi’ in such contexts, this is too suggestive of a cultural homogeneity which does not exist.
Examples of Adivasi in a sentence
Socio-economic reconstruction Socio-economic development Page 1, 6: Initiative shall be taken for christening the traditional habitats of Adivasi Janajati in their own languages.
For example, the District Coordination Committees of Adivasi, Janajati, Dalits and Backward Communities formed by the Ministry of Federal and Local Development have initiated the practice of development planning and disaggregated reporting in terms of beneficiaries reached.
The festival celebrates the dances of Adivasi and tribal people in India as well as their indigenous tribal dance culture.