Introduction
The term tribe does not necessarily pertain to a specific group or community as such. It rather denotes a particular stage in the historical evolution of human community marking the era of food producing economy. As such there are some indicators or markers of uniqueness by which it can be said that this tribe differs from the other and vice-versa. But these indicators are not only superfluous but also misleading when one strikes to understand at what stage of development a tribe is. The traditional identification marks such as language, culture, race religion; physical traits etc are no longer held valid. A more rational basis for identification can be whole range of tribal modes of life, i.e., language, customs, traditions, religious beliefs, arts and crafts, archaic traits portraying occupational pattern, economy, etc., and lack of educational and economic development. India can proudly be called the largest "tribal" population in the world. The scheduled tribes in India constituted 8.2 percent of India`s population according to 2001 census (Erniet.al.,2001). Northeast India is the homeland of a large number of tribes. There are about 145 tribal communities of which 78 are large each with a population of more than 5000. They constitute around 12 per cent of the total tribal population of India and 25.81 per cent of the total population of North-East India (Aliet. al.,2003). Tripura, a small state in the North Eastern Region of the country is inhabited by about 32 lakhs people of whom 31 percent belong to the tribal communities. It is generally believed that the word Tripura originated from the word Tripura Sundari which is the name of a sacred deity of Tripura. There is another belief that Tripura was earlier known as Tuipra which means, a land adjoining the water. In the ancient days Tripura was in fact adjoining to the Bay of Bengal. The beautiful state Tripura is situated in the North-Eastern zone of the Indian sub-continent. It is located between 22056 NI to 24032 NI Latitude and 91009 EI to 92020 EI Longitude. Tripura is a hilly landlocked state characterized by uneven and undulating surfaces. The physiography of the state can be divided into the three zonesviz.high physiographic zone (hills), medium physiographic zone (undulating land), low physiographic zone (plains). The geographical area of Tripura is 10, 491.69 sq. km. Most of the tribal communities live in hill areas. Not less than 19 different tribes have been and culture. Naturally, they present a series of colorful festivals and cultural varieties. There are about nineteen different tribes living in Tripura peacefully, theTripuri, Jamatia, Noatia, Reang, Halam, Chakmah, Mog, Garo, Munda, Lushai, Oraon, Santhal, Uchoi, Khasi, Bhil, Lepcha, Bhutia, ChaimalandKukihave their own cultural heritage. It is to be noted that f5 tribes out of 19 scheduled tribe in the state viz,Tripuri, Jamatia, Reang, Noatia, Halam and Uchoishare same linguistic chords and rich cultural identity. Therefore, it may not be wrong to categorized them in a single particular group asTripuri(Geographically) orBorok(Racially). The proximity
to each other is not distorting the purity of their cultural identity.

Electoral politics in Tripura
The end of nearly five hundred years of Manikya dynasty rule in Tripura was followed by socio-economic and political upheavals. From the tribal point of view it was a disaster as the royalty, always looked upon as patriarch, ceased to have an effective role in the affairs of the state while ceaseless influx of refugees threatened to swamp them. The undivided Communist Party of India (CPI) which had established a strong base by then among the indigenous tribal under the leadership of former chief ministers Dasharath Deb and Nipen Chakraborty continued to demand proper rehabilitation of refugees to protect the backward tribal community from encroachment on their land and economic marginalization. The demand was categorically raised in a document of the CPI in its state conference in 1952. The state Congress led by late Sachindra Lal Singha and Sukhamay Sengupta, on the other hand, welcomed the influx of refugees as a political blessings as the settlers provided them with a readymade electoral support base. The unfolding decades since October 1949 thus continued to be dominated by influx of refugees and attempt to safeguard the indigenous tribal community from the adverse effects as well as a series of administrative changes.

Population Status of Tribes
Indigenous tribal constitute about 31 per cent of Tripuras population. In terms of numbers 9,93,426 people in the states total population of 31,99,203 are tribal divided in 20 communities where male population constitute 50.76 per cent and female population constitute 49.23 per cent of tribal population. Population density of tribes is 19 per sq. km. According to the population census we can see that per cent population of tribal is decreasing (Year 1881 was 87.06 % and Year 2001 was 33.52 %).Tripra/Tripuris, the main ST in the state from which the state has earned its name Tripura, alone accounts for more than half of the total ST population of the state ( Table -1 & 2) and tribes wise description is given as under.
Tripuris:TripurisorTriprais the largest tribal community in Tripura and comprises 54.74 per cent population in total tribes of Tripura. They have first migrated in this territory and could be introduced as aboriginal tribe of Tripura. Tripura was under the rule ofTripuriKings till it is merged with Indian Dominion in the year 1949.Tripurisare mainly Animist. They worship different gods and nature. Garia, Kharchi, Ker are their main festivals. They have colourful folk dances like, Garia, Lebang, Musak surmani, and Mamita. These dances are invigorated with sweet melodious of folk songs and music flute, Sarinda, Champreng and other string instruments.Tripurisare now treated as an advanced tribal community among the tribes of Tripura.

Reang:Reangare the second largest community of Tripura. They are recognized as one of the 75 primitive tribes in India. In Tripura they are highly concentrated in South Tripura and also in Longthorai Valley Sub-Division.Reangbelong to Indo-Mongoloid racial stock. Reang comprises 16.61 per cent population in total tribes of Tripura. Their language have affinity of Austro-Asiatic groups under Tibeto-Burman family. Reangare still a nomadic tribe and a large number among them maintain their livelihood involving Top Hill Jhum Cultivation and other food gathering activities wild animal and birds etc. By religion they are Animism.Reangtraditionally are endogamous and do not marry outside their community.Reangfolk life and culture have outstanding cultural components. Hozagiri Dance with melodious tune of flute is most attractive to all. In Tripura they are highly concentrated in South Tripura and also in Longthorai Valley Sub-Division. Due to social transition and modern weave of life, considerable changes could be seen amongReangin the field of Agriculture and other economic activities, social and cultural life, awareness for Education, Health and Sanitation etc. So, Reang are now enlighten tribe of Tripura.

Jamatia:Jamatiais another tribal group of Tripura, having a distinct feature of Mongoloid Origin. Their language also similar with that ofTripuris.Jamatiawere the major strength of Royal Army of Tripura Kingdom for which they were exempted from house taxes during princely-state. EarlierJamatiashad to live on Jhum cultivation. But among the tribal of Tripura they accustomed themselves with plough cultivation afterTripuris.Hoda Akra is their supreme traditional Social Institute which has power to look after to preserve and promote their every social taboos, Customs and religion. They have special form of Garia dance which denote their Hindu based religious culture. They are now well literates and their participation in every walks of lives has brought changes for better socio-economic life.Jamatiacomprises 7.54 per cent population in total tribes of Tripura.

Noatia:Noatiaare one of the important tribal groups in Tripura. Though they are a part ofTripurisstill they are treated as New Comers. EthnicallyNoatiahave similar Origin of other Mongoloid tribe and their language is also Kok-Borok. It is said thatNoatiais not their actual tribe name. They were actuallyTripuris. In TripuraNoatiaare concentrated in South Tripura and Longthorai Valley Sub-Division. They comprise 0.67 per cent population in total tribes of Tripura.Noatiain course of time took title as Tripura.

Uchoi:Uchoiis a separate tribe, live in Tripura since time immemorial. They have migrated in Tripura from Arakan Hill of Burma. Language and culture of Uchoi are also similar with other Kok-Borok speaking tribes likeReang, Tripuris, Jamatiasetc. Uchoiare live inGaireng(Tong) house built out on Chan grass and bamboos. TraditionallyUchoiwere Jhum cultivators and still practice Jhum in high hillocks and slopes.Uchoilive in clustered villages. They follow Hinduism in broad sense. CulturallyUchoiare very much colourful. Their traditional dress, Ornaments and Musical instruments have special attraction. They comprise 0.21 per cent population in total tribes of Tripura. They are concentrated mainly in Amarpur and Belonia Sub-Division.

Mog:Mogcomprises 3.06 per cent population in total tribes of Tripura. By religion they are Buddhist. Their major concentrations are at Subroom and Belonia. Their language is grouped under Tibeto-Chinese family.Mogsare depend on Jhum cultivation. By nature they are not so active for advancement of life.Wah festival is their annual meeting of whole community people.Mogssocial culture and belief are centralized with Burmese culture. Mogcommunity by tradition famous for their folk medicine.

Chakma:Chakmaare one of the major tribe of Tripura according to their population strength. They comprises 6.22 per cent population in total tribes of Tripura.Chakmaare known to be the tribe of South-East Asia. LinguisticallyChakmalanguage is mixed with loan words of Indo-Aryan language, Tibeto-Chinese and mainly Arakan language. Economic activities ofChakmaare centralized with Jhum cultivation, plain land cultivation and economic supporting works of vegetable growing, fishing and wage earnings. They are well known for trapping wild elephants.Chakmaare Buddhist. There are two major festivals being observed byChakma,BizuFestival, andKathin Chibar Danand obviously Buddha Purnima besides others.

Halam:EthnicallyHalambelong to the Co case-Mongoloid origin of Kuki-Chin tribes. Their language is also more or less similar to that of Tibeto-Burman family.Halamsare divided into several sub-clans which is referred as Barki-Halam. Major sub-clans ofHalamsareKolai, Kov-Bong, Keipeng, Bong, Saka Chep, Thanga Chep, Dab, Bongser, Molsum, Rupini, Rangkhwl, Chorai, Langai, Kaireng, Ranglong, Naveen and Murasing. AmongHalamsKolai, Murasing, Rupinispeak in Kok-Borok and their social and religious culture also similar withTripuris.Kolai, Rupini, Molsomhave their colourful dances have also specific dance relates to Jhum cultureHi-Hookdance ofHalamhave popularity among allRai BalmaniFestival.Halamcomprises 4.76 per cent population in total tribes of Tripura.

Table 1 Scheduled Tribes in Tripura (2001)
Sl. No .Scheduled Tribes population

1. Tripuri 543843 (54.74)

2 . Reang 165103 (16.62)

3 . .Jamatia 74949 (7.54)

4. Mog 30385 (3.06)

5 . Noatia 6655 (0.67)

6 . Chakma 61793 (6.22)

7 . Halam 47261 (4.76)

8 . Uchoi 2103 (0.21)

9. Garo 11180 (1.13)

10 . Chaimal 226 (0.02)

11. kuki 11674 (1.18)

12. lusai 4777 (0.48)

13. khasia 630 (0.06)

14. lepcha 105 (0.01)

15. bhutia 29 (0.00)

16. munda 12416 (1.25)

17. orang 6223 (0.63)

18. bhill 2336 (0.24)

19. Santal 2151 (0.22)

Total (1 to 19) 993426 (100%)

Figures in parentheses are per cent to total.
Source: Office of the registrar general.

Education status of tribes
Among all STs, 56.5 per cent of the population has been recorded as literate, which is higher than the national average for STs (47.1 %). The male literacy rate of 68 per cent and female of 44.6 per cent show high gender disparity in literacy. Among all STs, 62.7 per cent of the children in age group 5-14 years have been attending schools or any other educational institutions. AnyKukiTribe has recorded the highest (77.6 %) andMundathe lowest (36.7 %) percentage attending schools or any other educational institutions. As regards level of education, merely 9.5 per cent of total literates among STs are having educational level of secondary and above. Among the major STs,Tripurihave 10.5 per cent of their total literates as matriculates, while amongMunda(4 %),Reang(5.7 %), andMog(6.5 %) this percentage is low (Table-2).

Table 3 Education Status of Scheduled Tribes in Tripura (2001)
(Percent)
Scheduled Tribes Literate Rate (7 years and above)

male female total
1)Tripuri 73.7 50.2 62.1
2)Reang 58.8 27.3 39.8
3)jamatia 72.5 47.9 60.2
4)chakma 59.5 35.0 47.6
5)Halam 76.5 44.5 56.1
6)mog 61.6 40.9 51.4
7)Munda 43.8 22.8 33.6
8)Kuki 81.9 63.8 73.1
9)Garo 75.3 58.3 66.4

TOTAL 68.0 44.6 56.5
Source:Office of the registrar general.

Farming system of tribal
Traditionally, most of the tribal population practiced shifting or Jhum cultivation and were termed Jhumias. Jhumia is a generic term used for tribal people dependent on shifting cultivation as the primary source of livelihood. The big concentration of Jhumia families was in Dhalai and South District. Nevertheless, forest remains an important source of livelihood for the tribal population. Jhum cultivation has an intimate relationship with forest use, not only in terms of the habitation and cultivation of tracts inside forest areas, but also because the forestry sector provides important supplementary income and inputs in the daily lives of tribal people.

Status of tribal women
The popular image and perception of tribal women is that they enjoy much better social status than their non tribal counterparts as the tribal women have no fear of early marriage, no stigma of widow hood, have the freedom of divorce and remarriage, and earns in her own way to get economic independence. But she is less paid on equal work than her male counterparts, she cannot hold the office of the priest, neither is allowed to touch the plough or participate in the roofing of the house. Women of some tribal groups cannot be allowed to enter into the temple or attend any communal worship. The social status of tribal women of Tripura is little bit peculiar compare to their non-tribal sisters. The prevalence of bride price as contrasted to dowry, the existence of matrilineal and matriarchal society mostly sometimes confirm the higher social status of the tribal women. But in tribal society also, there are clearly defined areas of work among the males and females. Along with men folk in economic activities and earning livelihood, tribal women participate in all agricultural operations except ploughing. The division of work is heavily loaded against the tribal women in addition to an equal share in the production of economy. She also bears the burden of all house hold works. The importance of tribal women in their society is significant because of the fact that the tribal women work hard almost relentlessly and the family economy and management depend on them. The unrecognized role of a silent worker primarily because the tribal women are not empowered to take decision both inside and outside of her family which her ancestral property. It must be mentioned that lack of education is the main hindrance in securing the power, establishing the command, placing decision though they are entitled for the property right. Economic development is a problem of women in general and the tribal women in particular. The problem becomes more surmountable of backward hilly regions inhibited by tribal people who reflect the co existence of many problems namely economic, geographical and sociological. The low level of literacy is the most acute problem for any progress of economic development. Literacy, education and subsequent good and sound economy have a great bearing on the status of women by enabling them to take right decision and earn a living. In the last decade or so the empowerment of women has been recognized as a central issue in determining the situational reality of their status. The Government of India has declared the year 2001 as womens empowerment year and a lot has been and is being done at national and international levels. Yet the question remains unanswered in that despite all the efforts. Why women, particularly the tribal women continue to be so much backward in almost all levels in comparison with their class sisters? The Status and Empowerment of Tribal Women of Tripura, though much better in comparison with other tribal women of India, is on the line of slow but steady progress.

Health and social status of tribes
Some of the basic indicators of the demographic and health status of a population are the total fertility rate, crude birth rate, natural growth rate, crude death rate, neonatal death rate, infant mortality rate and under-5 mortality rate. Some indicators like total fertility rate, Tripura performs far better than all other states of North-East India. Age at marriage is an important factor in determining womens health particularly since it is an important factor in determining the age of first pregnancy. The mean age at marriage of tribal women in Tripura 20 year (Year Book, 2010) was higher than the national figure (19.7 %). This improvement is related to enhancement in literacy rates both in urban as well as in rural areas. The incidence of child marriage was lower among the tribal population than among the non-tribal population. Therefore the understanding of tribal identity dynamics in Tripura is important as so many inter-community relations and socio-economic development are intimately connected to the question of identity, which belongs to where in the regional ethno-cultural scheme. Tribal identity or ethnicity is a community level consciousness and solidarity.

Tripura Tribal Area Autonomous District Council

the objective behind the formation of the ADC was to hand over the administration and legal authority to the council so that it may attend to the aspects of cultural, social and economic improvement of the tribal people who for historical reason are being categorized under weaker sections of the society and freeing them from all kinds of social injustice. The TTAADC was constructed under the Seventh Schedule of the Constitution of India. The TTAADC Bill, 1979 was unanimously passed by the Tripura Legislative Assembly on March 23, 1979. It has its control over the tribal intensified areas consisting about 7132.56 km2. The TTAADC today has lost its stronghold dominion in the mind sets of the tribal people, for whom it was once constructed. The reason being the distrust policies fueled up by the continuous ups and down in the council body.

Conclusion and Suggestions

Since the migration of refugees are still continuing in the state, there is an urgent need for the state government to take initiation in order to stop the influx of refugees and attempt to safeguard the indigenous tribal community from the adverse effects as well as a series of administrative changes.

According to the Census record (1881-2001), the per cent population of tribal is decreasing in Tripura. Since the tribal population accounts only 31 per cent of total population of the state, balance between tribal and non-tribal population should be maintained in order to prevent the domination of non-tribal over the tribal so as to bring the harmony in the society.

TheTripuripeople have a rich historical, social and cultural heritage which is totally distinct from that of the mainland Indians. Even though the present world is changing and people have to keep up with modernization but its people should preserve the rich culture that their ancestors has bestowed upon them. The tribal citizen should have a keen interest in enriching the way their valuable culture should survive in this changing world.

The literacy rate of tribal is higher than the national average, which is a good sign for the tribal community to upgrade their living standard. But female literacy rate is lower than the national average which is a major concern to be taken care of.

Jhum cultivation is the main farming practice of tribal in Tripura. But now-a-days tribal are shifting from Jhum cultivation to plain land cultivation due to social transition and modern weave of life.

Tribal women are still lacking behind in comparison with their class sisters which may be due to illiteracy, lack of awareness, lack of financial support etc. Though the empowerment of tribal women is in steady progress, an immediate action by the government, society and tribal community is very necessary to empower the tribal women.

Though the state government and central government had set up Tripura Tribal Area Autonomous District Council (TTAADC), it is not functioning properly as it was expected. The autonomous body should consist of tribal people only so that proper welfare program can be revolutionized.

In spite of the government taking initiative steps in improving the living condition of the tribals, but in reality the tribals are still lacking in many facilities such as drinking water, proper sanitation, primary health center, pucca road, nutritional food security and quality education. It is in the hand of the government and people who are in-charge of the various schemes to make the facilities provided beneficial for the tribals of Tripura.