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The term "Scheduled Tribes" signifies specific indigenous groups whose status is formally acknowledged to some extent by Indian legislation, often colloquially referred to as "tribals" or "adibasi." In adherence to theConstitution of the Indian Republic, the state ofOdisha officially recognizes a total of 64 distinct tribes as Scheduled Tribes.^[1][2] Among these 64 tribes, 13 hold the designation of "Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups" (PVTGs).^[3][4]

Tribal face of Odisha

According to the2011 census, Odisha counted 9,590,756 Scheduled Tribes, ranking as the third-largest state in India in terms of its Scheduled Tribes population, trailing behindMadhya Pradesh andMaharashtra. These tribal communities collectively make up around 22.84% of the state's total population, 9.20% of the nation'sScheduled Tribes population, and about 0.79% of the nation's entire population.^[5]

Distribution of Scheduled Tribes of Odisha, 2011 Census

Percentage of Scheduled Tribes (district wise) of Odisha, 2011 Census

TheKondha or Kandha is the largest tribe of the state in terms of population. They have a population of about one million and are based mainly in theKandhamal and adjoining districts namelyRayagada,Koraput,Balangir andBoudh. TheSantals with a population over 800,000, inhabit theMayurbhanj district. TheHo people with a population more than 100,0000 inhabit inMayurbhanj,Keonjhar,Jajpur,Balasore,Bhadrak,Sambalpur,Jharsuguda,Sonepur,Deogarh,Dhenkanal,Anugul,Jharsuguda,Sundergarh,Kandhamal district. TheSaura, with a population over 300,000, are found mainly in the undivided ,Gajapati,Ganjam andPuri district. TheBonda, are known as 'the Naked People', and have a population of about 5,000 and live inMalkangiri district formerly part of undividedKoraput. TheKisans are the main residents ofSundergarh,Sambalpur andKeonjhar.

As per the Constitution (Scheduled Tribes) Order, 1950, amended by Modification Order 1956 and subsequent modification order the following were listed asScheduled Tribes inOdisha;^[6][7][1]

Among the 64 Scheduled Tribes listed, many are subsections of larger Scheduled Tribes.

(Note : PVTGs of Odisha are bold texted)

According to the2011 Census of India, Odisha's Scheduled Tribes constitute 22.84% (9,590,756) of the state's total population.^[8] Among them,Odia is spoken by 44.98% of the population,Kui by 10.17% (including 106,101 Khond speakers), andSantali by 8.81%.Sambalpuri is spoken by 5.63%,Munda by 4.64% (including 121,391Mundari speakers), andHo by 4.23%. Additionally, Savara is spoken by 3.07%,Sadan/Sadri by 2.56%, and Kisan by 2.01%. Proja is spoken by 1.54%, Koya by 1.48%, andKurukh/Oraon by 1.37%.Desia is spoken by 1.35%, and Kharia by 1.26% of the population.^[8] Furthermore,Bhatri is spoken by 81,413 individuals,Telugu by 50,375, andGondi by 45,042.Laria is spoken by 40,893,Bhumijali by 34,131,Chhattisgarhi by 33,342, andGadaba by 32,534 individuals.Juang is spoken by 30,217,Bhuiya/Bhuyan by 28,275, andHalabi by 19,722.Hindi is spoken by 17,924,Bengali by 9,080, andKuvi by 6,374.Banjari is spoken by 5,218,Ladakhi by 3,020,Urdu by 2,658,Koda/Kora by 1,995,Rai by 1,788, andCoorgi/Kodagu by 1,305 individuals.^[8]

Initially, the list of Scheduled Tribes in Odisha consisted of 42 tribes. The implementation of the Scheduled Tribes Modification Order in 1956 brought significant changes, including the inclusion of 21 new tribes as Scheduled Tribes, such as Bhottada, Bhumia, Bhumij, Bhunjia, Desua Bhumij, Dharua, Didayi, Gandia, Holva, Kandha Gauda, Kol, Kotia, Lodha, Madia, Matya, Omanatya, Parenga, Pentia, Rajuar, Sabar Lodha, and Sounti. Additionally, the tribe named Gorait was excluded from the list and enlisted inScheduled Castes.^[9] However, after the establishment of the Tribal Research Institute, it was discovered that six communities viz. Chenchu, Ghara, Kandha Gauda, Kuli, Saunti had been mistakenly included in the list due to a lack of accurate local information when the list was originally drawn up in 1950 and revised in 1956. As they did not meet the basic criteria for tribal status, the Odisha government later proposed their exclusion from the list. However, this proposal faced opposition from members in Parliament, and as a result, there were no changes made to the list of Scheduled Tribes in Odisha.^[10] In the same way, 169 communities are proposed by the state government for inclusion in the Scheduled Tribes list since 1970. These are mostly synonyms, segments and phonetic variations of existing Scheduled Tribes, such as Kandha Kumbhar, Jodia, Chuktia Bhunjia, Saara, Mankidia, Porja, Banda Paraja, Durua, and Paharia.^[11] As of 2023, the central government has rejected 81 communities, returning them to the state government due to a lack of supporting documents.^[12] In 2024, two more Dravidian tribal communities, namely Muka Dora (with area restrictions) and Konda Reddy, were scheduled to the Tribal list of Odisha.^[2]

• Ota, A. B.; Mohanty, S. C.; Mohanty, B. N., eds. (2018).Demographic Profile of Scheduled Tribes in Odisha (1961 - 2011)(PDF) (Revised ed.). Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes Research and Training Institute (SCSTRTI), ST & SC Development Department, Govt. of Odisha.ISBN 978-93-80705-47-7.Archived(PDF) from the original on May 19, 2023.

• "Culture of Odisha - Tribal Anthem".YouTube (Video). uploaded by Naveen Patnaik, Chief Minister of Odisha.Archived from the original on 2021-12-21. Retrieved20 March 2018.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: others (link)

• Scheduled Tribes of India
• Ethnic groups in Odisha
• Social groups of Odisha

• Articles with short description
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• CS1 maint: others