What werethe main arguments on either side of the debate about how to relateto tribal communities?

The mainarguments, on either side of the debate about relating to tribalcommunities, were led by the British administrator-anthropologistsand the nationalists.

Accordingto the British, the tribes of India were primitive people and had adifferent culture from the Hindus. They believed that the simpletribal people would suffer exploitation and cultural degradation atthe hands of Hindu people who wanted the assimilation of tribalpeople with them. Thus, they needed to be protected by the state inorder to safeguard their interests.

On theother hand, the nationalists, of whom G.S Ghurye was the most famousexponent, argued that the tribes of India were not backward, but hadbeen interacting with the rest of Hindu society over a long period.The process of assimilation had been experienced by all thecommunities in India and the tribes were only a step behind in thisprocess. According to nationalists, attempts to preserve tribalculture only contributed to their backwardness. They believed tribalsociety needed as much reform as Hindu society.

Thus, themain difference in both viewpoints was the perception about theimpact of mainstream culture on tribes.