Assertive Identities, Indigeneity, and the Politics of Recognition as a Tribe: The Bhutias, the Lepchas and the Limbus of Sikkim

Using the case of the Bhutias, the Lepchas, and the Limbus, who are defined as tribes in contemporary Sikkim, this article discusses the 'politics of identity' and the 'identity politics' of being and becoming tribal in India. The cultural politics transforming a group into a tribe and a 'Scheduled Tribe' reflects its political strength and power to influence the regime of representation in order to appropriate preferential entitlements and resources. Being tribal does not necessarily indicate indigeneity, oppression, or subaltern status; it signifies political assertion and empowerment in Sikkim.