Tribes And Indigenous Peoples Article Review Sample

Anthropologists first used the word "tribes" to describe people groups they have studied through the years, all over the world. The term however proved to be insufficient, even politically incorrect as more knowledge of the discipline has been obtained, and accounting for the historical, political, cultural, and even inter-relational aspects of these people groups has become more and more complicated.
According to Béteille, tribes pertain more to people groups that are secluded, more or less self-sufficient, and homogenous socially. This definition was challenged when South Asian homogenous people groups were observed to be interactive with one another, transforming their respective cultures in the process. The Second World War made the "primitive" concept of tribes be dropped into "disadvantaged," thus bringing to light the anthropological reality that these people groups have experienced severe challenges and threats to their way of life through time by outsider. The term "indigenous" was introduced as more politically appealing, annotating the group’s significant historical location, as well as the presence of alien settlers in the area, even the settler's oppression and eventually usurpation of the original community.
The term "indigenous people" has become a more distinct and useful terminology. It correlates the people group and its habitat of origin. This is significant altogether in the anthropological analysis as culture, language and other aspects of study grew, and later evolved in the location involved. It instantly gave the people group an identity in relation to other communities in their surroundings. It also illuminated the tribulations faced by every people group in the presence of alien usurpers and settlers.
The term "indigenous people" may still have its limitations, but it has grown to be an effective demarcation that is both definitive and sympathetic to the identity of these people.