A significant tribal populace lives in Telangana, dispersed throughout the state’s forests, mountain ranges, and plains. These indigenous communities possess unusual dialects, traditional costumes, and distinctive customs and diets that form the basis of their unique identities.

Several tribal groups make their living from farming. Others, like the Chenchus, gather what they eat from the forest. They, too, have benefited somewhat from government changes that have recognized certain groups as tribes and led to an increased variation in our socio-economic status. In 1976, the then Andhra Pradesh government recognized the Lambadas as a Scheduled Tribe, which has resulted in a significant rise in the Lambada population. In 2015, the Telangana government set up the Chellappa Commission to look into the inclusion of the Valmiki Boyas and Khaithi Lambadas under the Scheduled Tribe designation.