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Home/Anthropology/Mains PYQ/2014/Paper II/Foundations of Anthropology
UPSC MainsAnthropology Optional Paper II 2014 20 Marks Model Answer Available

S. C. Roy and the Understanding of Indian Tribes — 2014 Paper II

Question · 2014 · Paper II · 20 Marks

Discuss the contributions of S. C. Roy to understanding the tribes of India.

Model Answer

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Approach

  • Demand of Question: Examine S. C. Roy’s contribution to the ethnographic understanding of Indian tribes and assess his significance in the development of anthropology in India.
  • Structuring the Response: Present his major tribal studies, methodological contributions and applied orientation, followed by a brief critical assessment.
  • Key Dimensions to Cover: Chotanagpur tribes, Munda, Oraon, Birhor, Kharia, fieldwork, customary law, tribal land rights, Man in India and Indian anthropology.

Model Answer

Introduction: Sarat Chandra Roy (1871–1942) is regarded as one of the pioneers of Indian anthropology and is often described as the “Father of Indian Ethnography.” Trained as a lawyer, he developed an intimate understanding of the tribes of Chotanagpur through prolonged field contact and systematic documentation.

  1. Intensive ethnographic studies

Roy produced detailed monographs on several tribal communities, particularly of eastern and central India.

Important works include:

  • The Mundas and Their Country (1912);
  • The Oraons of Chota Nagpur (1915);
  • The Birhors (1925);
  • studies of the Kharia and other tribal groups.

His accounts covered:

  • kinship;
  • marriage;
  • religion;
  • economy;
  • political organization;
  • customary law;
  • folklore;
  • material culture.

Thus:

Direct observation + Local knowledge + Documentary evidence → Detailed tribal ethnography

  1. Study of the Munda

Roy’s work on the Munda provided systematic information on:

  • clan organization;
  • village institutions;
  • customary land rights;
  • religious beliefs;
  • social organization.

He highlighted the close connection between tribal society, territory and land tenure.

  1. Contribution to Oraon studies

In his study of the Oraons, Roy documented:

  • clan exogamy;
  • youth dormitories;
  • village organization;
  • religious institutions;
  • interaction with neighbouring communities.

His work remains an important early record of Oraon cultural life during rapid colonial transformation.

  1. Study of the Birhor

Roy’s work on the Birhor, a small forest-dependent community, was particularly significant.

He described:

  • nomadic and semi-nomadic life;
  • forest economy;
  • kinship;
  • settlement patterns;
  • religion.

This expanded anthropological attention beyond settled agricultural tribes.

  1. Customary law and legal anthropology

His legal training helped him recognize the importance of customary law in tribal society.

He documented:

  • inheritance;
  • land rights;
  • marriage regulations;
  • village sanctions;
  • dispute settlement.

This was important because colonial administration frequently misunderstood tribal customary institutions.

  1. Tribal land and colonial administration

Roy drew attention to:

  • alienation of tribal land;
  • disruption of traditional institutions;
  • exploitation by outsiders;
  • consequences of administrative intervention.

His scholarship therefore possessed an early applied anthropological orientation.

  1. Methodological contribution

Unlike much earlier colonial ethnography based on second-hand information, Roy emphasized:

  • prolonged contact with communities;
  • interviews with knowledgeable informants;
  • observation of rituals;
  • use of local terminology;
  • collection of oral traditions.

He also learned local languages sufficiently to improve ethnographic understanding.

  1. Institutional contribution

Roy founded the journal Man in India in 1921, which became one of India’s major anthropological journals.

Through it, he encouraged research on:

  • tribes;
  • caste;
  • folklore;
  • archaeology;
  • physical anthropology.

He thereby helped create an institutional base for anthropology in India.

  1. Bridging anthropology and administration

Roy demonstrated that anthropological knowledge could assist in:

  • legal disputes;
  • land administration;
  • protection of customary rights;
  • understanding tribal grievances.

His work thus linked:

Ethnography → Administration → Tribal welfare

Critical assessment

Roy’s work was produced within the intellectual climate of early twentieth-century anthropology and therefore occasionally contained:

  • evolutionary assumptions;
  • descriptive rather than strongly theoretical analysis;
  • categories influenced by colonial ethnology.

Nevertheless, his reliance on first-hand fieldwork and respect for indigenous institutions distinguished him from many contemporary colonial writers.

Conclusion

S.C. Roy transformed the study of Indian tribes from administrative description into systematic field-based ethnography. Through his studies of the Munda, Oraon, Birhor and other communities, his emphasis on customary law and land rights, and the founding of Man in India, he laid an important foundation for the growth of professional anthropology in India.

2026 Contribution of L. K. Ananthakrishna Iyer in Anthropology. 2026 Assess the contribution of colonial scholars in studying the tribal populations of North-East India. 2025 Anthropology provides a multidimensional understanding of human beings by bridging the gap between science and humanities. Elucidate. 2025 "The agenda of biological anthropology became more scientific from the middle of the twentieth century." Justify.

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