Write a note on tribal organisation.

 TRIBAL SOCIAL ORGANIZATION

Social organisation is the pillar of a society. Social organisation is different from social structure. Social organisation refers to an arrangement of activities, while social structure is an arrangement of institutionally controlled and defined relationships.

For example, the structure of Indian society refers to varna and caste system, while organisation refers to the functional aspects of these institutions in various forms such as pollution, purity, food commensality, marriage network, and social hierarchy.

Social organisation refers to the human actions in so far as the actors take into account the actions of others in a behavior pattern, evolved over the time. Therefore, social organisation is a dynamic process because human behavior is ever changing. Social organisation is the functioning of different social institutions in a peaceful manner for larger goal of the society.

R.H. Lowie (1921) defined organisation as ‘articulation of different parts which perform various functions’. It is a group device for the fulfillment of a goal.

Tribal social organization reflects strong close knit based on community feeling. The economic activities like collection of fruits animal hunting, animal husbandry and fishing reflects the community base in tribal society. Tribal societies are divided into certain clan groups or sib which has became very important part of tribal organization. The clan groups based on lineages are exogamous groups having common ancestors and are unilateral by nature.

Radcliff Brown (1931) defined social organisation as a condition in which institutions in a society function according to recognized purpose.

• · social control in the form of folkways, mores, laws and institutions and
• · consensus, the gene of a social organisation, which arises automatically and without which the physical structure of a society cannot exist.

The major social institutions of any society and also of a tribal society are interrelated with each other and contributory to each other’s existence in a symbolic manner. These include its economy, political organisation, law, social control, gender relations and religion.

TRIBAL ECONOMIC ORGANISATION

Economic organisation of any society is the sum total of the human behavior to produce, distribute and consume goods for the nourishment of its population. While satisfying biological needs, human beings also address their social needs. Economic organisation involves wants and demands, supply of goods and services and the culture of a society. Similar basic processes are also observed in tribal societies.

Economic historian N.S.B.Gras coined the term economic anthropology and conceived it as the synthesis of anthropological and economic studies.

TRIBAL POLITICAL ORGANISATION

Tribal community is mostly guided by customary law. The public forum/ body of the territory of the tribes is an entity. It incorporates the leaders, territory, custom, and maintenance of peace and order. Anthropologists E.E. Evans Pritchard and R.H. Lowie have immense contributions towards the study of political organisations. Starting with lineage, clan, villages, chiefdom, men’s society, secrete society, are some of the examples of political bodies that maintain harmony within community. The various responsibilities of these bodies include: community activities like religious performances, activities relating to different economic systems, resolving disputes within village/ body, protecting members from outside attack, helping members in daily activities by following norms, and the like. In India, different communities have their own system of controlling the members.

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