Tribals' Fight Against Subjugation and Identity Crisis

The tribal population is identified as the aboriginalinhabitants of our country. They are seen in almost everystate of India. For centuries, they have been living asimple life based on the natural environment and havedeveloped cultural patterns congenial to their physicaland social environment. In mainstream literature tribalsare conceived as the ‘other’. They often occupy amarginal, ex-centric position, are often neglected andexperience trouble in finding their own voice. Themarginalization of individuals by racist forms and theoppression of class system are widespread with farreaching consequences. A marginalized group has lessexcess to wealth, power and status. Individualsexperience such oppressive forms in diverse ways andit is important to closely observe their impact in orderto disrupt them. In an attempt to voice silent andmarginalized subjects, Narayan’ Kocharethi: The ArayaWoman and Maitreyi Pushpa’s Alma Kabutari explorefeminine difference as an excess term that challenges thenotion and representation of tribals who are treated notas humans but as bodies in the popular culture. Challenging this attitude of the mainstream society thatdeprives the tribals of their right to live with dignity,Bhabha reflects that there is tremendous power in themargins or in-between spaces. It is at these spaces wherecollective experiences, community interests and culturalvalues are negotiated. The present paper attempts toquestion power structures that subsume the identity oftribals as no power centre is permanent or static.