Boksa or Buksa
Regions with significant populations
           Uttarakhand46,771[1]
           Uttar Pradesh4,367[2]
Languages
Buksa language
Religion
Hinduism, traditional beliefs
Related ethnic groups
Chhetri · Khas · Pokhariya · Ban Rawats · Kumaoni people · Rana Tharu

Bhoksa, also known as Buksa/Bukhasiya, are indigenous peoples living mainly in the Indian states of Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh. They are mostly concentrated in Dehradun and Nainital districts in the foothills of the outer Himalayas.[3] They are also found in the Bijnor district of Uttar Pradesh, where they are known as Khas. Both communities have been granted Scheduled Tribe status.

History

The Bhoksa speak the Buksa language.[4]

The language is spoken in Uttarakhand, mainly in southwestern Nainital district, along a diagonal from Ramnagar to Dineshpur. It is spoken around 130 villages in Kichha and Kashipur tehsils, some in Bijnor and Pauri Garhwal district.[citation needed]

Present circumstances

As of 2001, the Bhoksa of Uttarakhand were classified as a Scheduled Tribe under the Indian government's reservation program of affirmative action.[5] As Buksa, they are similarly classified in Uttar Pradesh.[6]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Uttaranchal, Data Highlights: The Scheduled Tribes, Census of India 2001" (PDF). Retrieved 16 March 2008.
  2. ^ "Uttar Pradesh, Data Highlights: The Scheduled Tribes, Census of India 2001" (PDF). Retrieved 16 March 2008.
  3. ^ Singh, R (April 2004). "Composition and Social Order". Social Transformation of Indian Tribes. New Delhi, India: Anmol Publications PVT. LTD. pp. 25–26. ISBN 81-261-0452-X.
  4. ^ "Buksa". ethnologue.com. Retrieved 31 August 2012.
  5. ^ "List of Scheduled Tribes". Census of India: Government of India. 7 March 2007. Archived from the original on 5 June 2010. Retrieved 27 November 2012.
  6. ^ "State wise Scheduled Tribes — Uttar Pradesh" (PDF). Ministry of Tribal Affairs, Government of India. Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 November 2016. Retrieved 4 February 2017.
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