Journal of Adivasi and Indigenous Studies (JAIS) (A bi-annual peer-reviewed online journal posted on Academia.edu) Vol. X, No. 1, February 2020: 51–68 © 2020 JAIS, ISSN (online) 2394-5524 ‘Subaltern’ or the ‘Sovereign’: Revisiting the History of Tribal State Formation in India Ranendra Director R.D. Munda Tribal Institute, Ranchi
[email protected] Abstract History of subalterns, especially tribals has been viewed in India as an anthropological and ethnic construct. Stereotypes of backwardness, nudity and isolation of tribes have generally been the main argument of these studies. In a sense they have been the unfortunate victims of the ‘politics of knowledge-making’, practiced by the dominant groups against marginalised people. The essay explores in detail the reasons behind these constructs and in this process revisits the glorious past of three tribal dynasties namely the Cheros, the Gonds and the Ahoms to establish firmly that tribal life in India since ages has a deep rooted notion of state and sovereignty. In this process wide range of texts, from the Vedas and Mahabharata to Persian texts and folk tales and songs have been explored. During post- colonial period there has been a natural aversion of the mainstream to give recognition and respectful position to the subalterns. However, emergence of women history, Dalit history and tribal history tends to challenge these narratives and misconceptions. Colonial mindset of racial supremacy has found support from the caste politics in India which derisively looks upon the tribes with a sense of ‘otherness’. The essay asserts that it is high time for historians to construct and foreground the real narrative of these subalterns, in which they may be visualized as sovereigns, and not subalterns in their regions.