SociologyIndian Society: Continuity and Change

'Tribe' is a modern term, yet it refers to communities that are very…

'Tribe' is a modern term, yet it refers to communities that are very old. What makes these communities very old?

Answer & explanation

Correct answer: option 2

The correct answer is Option (2) → They are among the oldest inhabitants of the sub-continent

Option (1) They follow religions recorded in the oldest written texts — Incorrect. This reverses the definition. Tribes were described as communities that did not follow a religion with a written text.

Option (2) They are among the oldest inhabitants of the sub-continent — Correct. Tribe is a modern label, but the communities it names are very old. They are among the oldest inhabitants of the sub-continent, and that is what makes them old.

Option (3) They keep the oldest forms of state and kingship — Incorrect. This reverses the definition. Tribes were described as having no state or political form of the normal kind.

Option (4) They keep the oldest pattern of sharp class divisions — Incorrect. This reverses the definition. Tribes were described as communities without sharp class divisions.

NCERT (2026-27): “3.2 Tribal Communities
‘Tribe’ is a modern term for communities that are very old, being among the oldest inhabitants of the sub-continent. Tribes in India have generally been defined in terms of what they were not. Tribes were communities that did not practice a religion with a written text; did not have a state or political form of the normal kind and did not have sharp class divisions.”