How many ethnic groups are there in India? How many religions are there?

There are many ethnic minorities in India, hundreds of them. According to statistics in 1981, there were 54 million ethnic minorities, accounting for about 7.29% of the country's population. The populations of various ethnic minorities vary widely. The largest populations are Gond, Santal, Pir, Urangwo, Kond and Munda, etc., with a population of more than 2 million; the smallest population is the Andamanese, with only a few hundred people. The distribution of ethnic minorities is uneven. Although they are almost all over the country, the number of ethnic minorities is relatively large in 9 states, with a population of more than 100,000. They are: Madhya Pradesh (8.24 million), Odisha ( 4.92 million people), Bihar (4.73 million people), Gujarat (3.31 million people), Rajasthan (3.06 million people), Andhra Pradesh (1.57 million people). These nine ethnic minorities have more than 32.93 million people, accounting for 86.66% of the total number of ethnic minorities in India. In addition, Nagaland and Meghalaya are also small states dominated by ethnic minorities, whose numbers account for 88.6% (520,000) and 80.48% (1.01 million) of the state's population respectively. ?

Due to the different areas and natural conditions where ethnic minorities live in India, as well as some other reasons, production development is very uneven and their lifestyles are also different. Their way of making a living can be divided into the following 6 types. ?

(1) Gathering, fishing and hunting type?

This type of ethnic minority is distributed throughout India, including the Ghaders of Cochin and the Marabant of Tamil Nadu. Ramos, Balyans, Banyans, Ipras, Girombas, Gauyars, Gundareddies, Jingyu, Yanadhis of Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtras The Kedhakli people of Tra State, the Kemars, Baijas, and Abchimaris of Madhya Pradesh, the Hors, Kriyas, Birgyas, Parasiyas, and Kols of Bihar. The Wa people, the Raj people of Uttar Pradesh, the Kadars, Malapantalans, Alandans, Kurumbas of Kerala and the Onji, Jelawas, Senti people of the Andaman Islands Nair people, Nikri people, Champon people, etc. These ethnic groups are still at the stage of relying on natural resources to maintain their lives. Most of them do not understand agriculture or are not interested in it. They are divided into many groups, most of which are family units, and sometimes several families cooperate in hunting. The people living in the small mountains and forests make a living by collecting wild fruits, wild flowers, tubers, honey and wild vegetables. Wild boars, monkeys, pheasants and other birds as well as other small animals are also hunted. In recent years, businessmen have had more contact with them, and they have begun to eat rice and wear clothes. As a result, his life changed. ?

(2) Nomadic type?

Some ethnic minorities mainly rely on nomadic herding for their livelihood. They mainly include the Doda people in the Nilgiri region of South India, the Gujjar people in Himachal Pradesh, and the Boudiya people in Uttar Pradesh. Their occupation is almost entirely based on herding. They live on milk, dairy products, wild vegetables, and wild fruits, and some also eat various types of meat. Their grazing has a fixed range. In summer, the whole family takes their livestock and household property to graze in the mountains and forests; in winter, they return to the plains below the mountains to spend the winter. Now their grazing is subject to certain restrictions and they can only graze in areas permitted by the Forest Department. ?

(3) Slash-and-burn agriculture?

There are nearly 54 million ethnic minorities in India, more than 80% of whom are engaged in agricultural production. However, different regions and different ethnic groups adopt different production methods. Some use slash-and-burn farming with frequently changing cultivated land; some use more advanced farming methods and use fixed cultivated land. Chomo or Jyumo in the Assam area, Rama, Daha, Dali, Baudu, Gamana, Gaomeng, Guriya and Goljes in the Orissa area are all Refers to this frequently changing method of slash-and-burn cultivation practiced by the Lohar, Angami Nagar and Gukha people of Assam, Tiripura and Manipur districts, the Morbakhriyas of Bengal, Bihar It is particularly common among the Asurs of the state, the Shahora and Djounga of Orissa, the Gauravas of Uttar Pradesh, and the Baigas and Gonds of Madhya Pradesh. ?

Slash-and-burn agriculture often adopts the method of clearing forests to create farmland, which has seriously endangered the ecological balance and caused water and soil erosion. Therefore, Indian state governments have begun to take measures to limit this kind of indiscriminate deforestation. ?

(4) Fixed farming type

Most ethnic minorities in India have crossed over from the slash-and-burn stage and adopted fixed farming methods, such as the Santhals of Bihar and Bengal. People, Orangwo and Ho people, Tharu and Gaulawa people of Uttar Pradesh, Gonds, Pir people, Pilara people of Madhya Pradesh, Pir people of Rajasthan, Orissa and Thailand The Shaolas of Mirnad and the Badagas of Nilgiri are quite advanced in agricultural cultivation and management. They used oxen, plows, rakes, and hoes to plow and harrow the fields, and they also used canals and water for irrigation. Therefore, their lives were relatively stable and had a certain degree of security.

However, due to the low level of production, most of the land is barren, transportation is inconvenient, and loan sharks exploit them at high profits, they are generally poor. In recent years, state governments have taken some measures to protect the interests of these ethnic minorities, such as allocating land to landless people and helping them solve problems related to farming cattle, seeds, farm tools, housing and other production and life-related problems.

(5) Labor type?

The main reason why some ethnic groups engage in labor is that they have lost their land and have no livelihood, or because there are industries near their settlements . Some ethnic groups who were originally engaged in agriculture now work part-time as agricultural workers or as handymen in the industrial sector. According to statistics, about one fifth of workers are agricultural workers. Some work as seasonal workers, while others work in forest farms, pastures, fisheries, tea gardens or orchards. Many people work in mines, factories, railways, highways and construction industries. Most of the people who work in Assam tea gardens are Santals, Orangwo, Mundas, Kriyas, Gonds, etc. from Bengal, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh and Orissa. Among them Bihar has the largest number of Orangwo people. In addition, miners working in Bengal, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Orissa, Andhra and other states are basically ethnic minorities. Workers at the Tata Steel plant in Jamshedpur are almost entirely Santhal and Kho, most of the manganese miners in Madhya Pradesh are from ethnic minorities, and millions of workers in Bihar's mica miners are also from ethnic minorities. . ?

(6) Folk artist type?

Some ethnic minorities make a living by performing arts. They make a living by singing, dancing, playing, juggling, snake-charming, etc. Their lives are not stable. For example, the Pardan and Ojha people of Andhra Pradesh sing; the Domala and Binulu people perform acrobatics; the Paluku Mgula, Padingi Gula and Bahurupa people perform magic; The Kalbariya people of Rajasthan are snake charmers; the Nath people and Sabela people of Uttar Pradesh make a living by playing, singing and dancing.

As for religion~~~the only big ones are Buddhism and India