10 Portraits of Women From Different Tribes In India That Testify There's Beauty In Diversity

Realizing existence of the varied cultural communities and tribes in India is the first step towards sharing common goals and the aim of fusing oneness. Take a taste of this cultural curry through photographs of women from diverse tribes taken across India. Adorning the heritage and values of their culture, the photographs of these women express existence of these communities in the most powerful and beautiful way.

So here are some pictures of women from various tribes in India

1. Drokpa

Also known as the Dard or Brokpa community, Drokpas are located in the Ladakh region of India administered Jammu and Kashmir. The community is majorly Muslim and it is believed they could be the descendants of the lost army of Alexander or part of one of the exiled tribes from Gilgit, which is now in Pakistan.

Image Source: pinterest

2. Dhanetah

This interesting Muslim community is a Maldhari cattle herding group from the Kachchh District of Gujarat. The Dhanetah Jat women are skilled embroiders and are recognized by the oversized nose rings worn by them.

Image source: pinterest

3. Bishnois

The Bishnois are tribe from the Western Thar Desert who still follow their strong belief in wildlife conservation. Bisnois are a sect founded by Guru Jambeshwar in the 15th century and despite being an ardent Hindu community, they bury their dead instead of cremating them because of the prohibition on felling of trees.

Image source: ladyoftheloch

4. Kalbelia

Kalbelia is a gypsy group from Rajasthan, who are adept at the dance form named after their community, Kalbelia. Popularly know as the Sapera or the Snake Charmer's Dance, their breathtaking performances at several international platforms has earned them a place in UNESCO's list of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2010.

Image source: pinterest

4. Rabari

Rabari or Rewari are a community living in a state of Gujarat and Rajasthan. In the Hindu mythology, Shiva put the Rabari people on earth to tend to Parvati's camels. Within the community, the women manage all the money matters and trade milk and milk products in the local markets for livelihood.

Image Source: pinterest

5. Konyaks

Konyak is a community of fierce headhunters and are the largest of the 18 tribal communities of Nagaland. Their strong tribal identity is marked by the tattoo adorned faces of men which was supposedly a mark of manhood. With the changes in the community setup, the Konyak have now adopted baptist based Christianity and the inevitable change of times is seen by the number of graduate girls rising from 2 in 1992 to 60 currently.

Image source: pinterest

6. Lambani

From the state of Rajasthan, Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh, their nomadic status varies from state to state. They are great travelers who had migrated to the south of India from Rajasthan during the Mughal invasion. Lambanis are also traditionally known as the bee-keeping caste and in the earlier times they were the wandering band of people who supplied grains to the armies.

Image source: robertharding

7. Apatani

Predominantly in the Ziro Valley of Arunanchal Pradesh, they are among the few animist cultures in the world who worship the sun and the moon. Apatanis have been inhabiting the valley since the 15th century and have practiced an evolved system of democracy. Although a patrilineal community, the Apatani men and women share familial and social responsibilities.

Image Source: pinterest

8. Mishmi

Originally from Tibet, where they are the Denpas Community, The Mishmis are located at the northeastern tip of India. The charming Mishmis of Arunanchal Pradesh live along the valley of Lohit and Dibang River. Each family is an autonomous unit within the community with no tribe chief. Presently, the Mishmis are around 35000 in number and the women's trumpet shaped earplugs and the silver smokepipes mark their identity.

Image Source: pbase

9.Reang

Reang is a sub-tribe of Tripuris, this is an endogamous community with very little contact with the old Tripuri clan or the Bengali community. As many as 35000 in number, they are essentially from the Shan state of Burma. Their evolved social value system permits widow remarriage and divorce within a marriage. Reang are still a nomadic tribe practicing shifting agriculture and worship gods and goddesses of Hindu faith.

Image Source: pinterest

10. Yimchunger

The Yimchunger is one of those tribes in India that is said to have migrated from Upper Burma to Nagaland. Their five day harvest festival, Metemnoe reflect the values of a social system much ahead of times. The festival involves communal cleaning of the village surroundings, roads, water points and fields. The colorful cane headgear decorated with hair and bird feather is a distinctive mark of their traditional appearance.

Image Source: flickr

Do you know about more such tribes in India? Let us know in the comments below.

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