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The
north of Andhra Pradesh forms a more or less contiguous belt
of tribal concentration. The other concentration core of the
state is the Nallamalai hills, which also shows a clear periphery
of reducing concentration. The tribal population of the state
forms 6.3% of its total population and is the only state in
south India that has scheduled areas. Scheduled areas were created
in the constitution during 1950-55 to hasten tribal development
by bringing regions with more than 50% tribal majority under
special administrative regulations. The northern belt and the
central core of tribal concentration forms the scheduled area
of Andhra Pradesh and explains why even in the presence of high
agricultural density and industry
in the northern belt (refer map) the region still holds a predominant
tribal population as opposed to the main hypothesis (refer comments
South India map).
Andhra Pradesh has 33 distinct tribal communities
with few tribes in common with the other states (4 with Kerala
and Tamil Nadu and 6 with Karnataka). The north central and
eastern concentration is inhabited by 19 tribes most of whom
practice both shifting and settled cultivation, supplemented
by hunting and gathering and collection of minor forest produce.
The northwestern concentration is attributed to 6 tribes, which
also includes a part of the numerically dominant tribe of India,
the Gonds.
The numerically dominant tribe of the state
is the Sugali / Lambadi who are a nomadic tribe scattered in
the north, south and coastal regions of the state. Yerakulas
are also nomadic and numerically dominant tribe distributed
in the entire state.
The central concentration corresponds to Nallamalai hills inhabited
by the Chenchus who subsist on hunting and gathering.
T.
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