Write a short note on who are known as tribes ? Explain the characteristics that differentiate them from other people.

Tribes: A Brief Overview

Tribes are social groups consisting of people who share common ancestry, culture, language, and territory. They often inhabit specific geographic regions and maintain distinct identities separate from mainstream societies. While the term "tribe" can be applied to various indigenous and traditional communities worldwide, their characteristics set them apart from other groups.

Characteristics of Tribes:

1. Shared Ancestry and Kinship:
Tribal communities trace their lineage back to common ancestors, forming tight-knit kinship networks. Family ties are central to tribal identity and social organization, with kinship relations defining roles, responsibilities, and social hierarchies within the community.

2. Distinct Culture and Traditions:
Tribes have unique cultural practices, traditions, and rituals that distinguish them from other groups. These cultural elements encompass language, religion, art, music, dance, folklore, and customary laws, passed down through generations orally or through symbolic forms of communication.

3. Close Relationship with the Land:
Tribal communities often have a deep spiritual and cultural connection to their ancestral lands, which sustain their livelihoods and provide a sense of belonging and identity. Land is not merely a resource but a sacred inheritance entrusted to future generations, shaping tribal worldviews, values, and social organization.

4. Communal Living and Cooperation:
Tribal societies prioritize communal living and cooperation, with strong bonds of reciprocity, mutual aid, and collective decision-making. Communal ownership of resources, egalitarian social structures, and shared responsibilities foster solidarity and resilience within the community.

5. Semi-nomadic or Subsistence Lifestyle:
Many tribal communities traditionally practice semi-nomadic or subsistence lifestyles, relying on hunting, gathering, fishing, herding, or small-scale agriculture for sustenance. Their livelihood strategies are often adapted to local environments and characterized by sustainability, adaptability, and minimal ecological footprint.

6. Resistance to External Influence:
Tribal societies may resist assimilation and external influence, preserving their cultural distinctiveness and autonomy in the face of globalization, colonization, and modernization. This resistance is often manifested through efforts to protect traditional knowledge, languages, and customary practices from encroaching forces.

Conclusion:
Tribes represent diverse and resilient social formations with distinctive cultural, social, and economic characteristics. Their shared ancestry, distinct culture, close relationship with the land, communal living, and resistance to external influence differentiate them from other groups and contribute to their unique identity and survival as vibrant and dynamic communities.