Studying tribes under colonialism requires understanding the complex intersection of power, knowledge, and social structures in Indian history. Tribal societies in India, before colonial intervention, were characterized by their distinct social, economic, and cultural practices. They were largely autonomous communities with decentralized political systems, often organized around kinship, clan, or village-based structures. Their modes of subsistence, including hunting, gathering, shifting cultivation, and pastoralism, shaped both their social interactions and their relationship with the environment. Colonization brought profound disruptions to these systems, as the British and other colonial authorities imposed new administrative, economic, and legal frameworks that sought to classify, control, and exploit tribal populations. One of the primary methods of studying tribes under colonialism was through ethnographic and administrative documentation. Colonial officers, anthropologists, and missionaries undertook extensive surveys, compiling records that described tribal customs, languages, rituals, and social organization. While these ethnographic accounts provided valuable information about tribal life, they were often influenced by colonial perceptions and agendas. Tribes were frequently described in terms of their ‘primitiveness’ or ‘backwardness’ compared to the ‘civilized’ standards of colonial society. Such descriptions served dual purposes: they justified colonial rule by portraying tribes as needing oversight, and they facilitated the extraction of resources and labor by mapping tribal territories and economic potential. Studying these sources critically involves recognizing their biases, the power dynamics embedded in their production, and their impact on how tribal identities were constructed both externally and internally. Colonial legal and administrative systems also played a significant role in the study of tribes. The British introduced the concept of “Scheduled Tribes” and codified laws that attempted to define who counted as a tribal person and which customs were permissible. Laws related to land tenure, forest access, and taxation disrupted traditional patterns of tribal governance and social hierarchy. For example, the Forest Acts of the 19th and early 20th centuries restricted access to forests, which were central to tribal economies and cultural practices. By examining these