(i) Surjit Sinha, a disciple of Redfield, tried to understand the tribe-caste continuum on the basis of social structure and culture. It is similar to Redfield’s concept of folk-urban continuum.
The tribal end is characterized by the following demographic and social structural features:
a. It is isolated in ecology, demography, economy, politics and other social relations from other ethnic groups.
b. It can be viewed as autonomous and disconnected from the great tradition of Indian civilization.
In contrast, the caste end is characterized by the following demographic and structural features:
a. It is typically connected, in ecology, demography, economy and social relations with other ethnic groups.
b. It can be viewed as interdependent and connected with great tradition with in Indian civilization
c. Whereas the ideal tribe has least relationship as well as control over the regional social organisation of a civilization, the ideal caste has maximum connections and control over the regional social organisation of a civilization, the ideal tribe maybe placed at one end and the ideal caste at the other ends to form a continuum. Particular societies can be located at different points along the continuum, some nearer to the segmentary tribal model, others closer to the model of an organic caste society.
Illustrations
After presenting his model of tribe-caste continuum, Surjit Sinha explains it with the help of his study of the tribals in general and his study of the tribals in central India in particular. There are millions of tribals in India.
All of them are of not pure tribes, only a few can be called tribes. As tribals they are isolated in ecology, demography, economy and politics and social relations with other ethnic groups. They are autonomous. In the tribecaste continuum they form the part of the tribal end.
There are tribes like Bhumuji, Gonds and several other tribes in Central India. They were originally egalitarian. But they imitated the way of life of Rajputs. In this connection, they reorganised their clan system. They created new myths to justify their Rajput ancestry. The changed their mariage rules, adopted Rajput economic, social, political and religious life. They appointed Brahmin priests to officiate their religious rituals and practices life. They contracted alliances with the Rajputs in Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan. They established States and become their rules. Thus certain tribes become castes.
Surjit Sinha then considers the lower castes. Many of the lower castes, according to Sinha, share several tribal elements, which are as follows:
a. Emphasis on equality in social behaviour within one’s own ethnic group.
b. Considerable freedom of cultural participation for the women.
c. A value system little burdened by particular asceticism.
d. Similarity in the supernaturalism of the lower castes and tribes wherein the pantheon primarily consists of local gods.
e. In both the lower castes and the tribes, the supernaturalism is rarely accompanied by Sanskritic ethical considerations.
In the tribe-caste continuum the lower castes are to be placed far below the caste people, but somewhere above the “tribal castes” or Rajputised tribes in Central India.
Are there castes representing the ideal caste pole of the tribe-caste continuum? The answer is yes. There are the Brahmins and Rajputs among the higher castes who represent the caste pole of the tribe-caste continuum.
The Brahmins and Rajputs are heterogeneous and stratified. They are characterised by their residence in multi-ethnic local communities, inter-ethnic participation involving occupational specialization and ranked and interdependent interaction with other ethnic groups. They have maximum relationship and control over the regional organisation of Indian civilization. The remaining caste groups, can be placed at different points in the tribe-caste continuum.
Conclusion
Sinha summarizes his findings saying that the tribe can be placed at the tribal end of the continuum. The “tribal castes” or Rajputised tribes can be placed above the tribe along the continuum. The lower castes (Caste Tribes) may be placed above the “tribal castes” in the continuum. The lower castes are assigned such positions because they share many characteristics with the tribes. Above these lower castes come the castes which share many characteristics with the upper castes. In the caste end come the upper castes of Brahmins and Rajputs. Thus the tribe-caste continuum includes the isolated tribe at one end, the Brahmin caste at the other end and all other societies in between these two ends.