Meena

Meena is a tribe from western India which is sometimes considered a sub-group of the Bhil community. It used to be claimed they speak Mina language, a spurious language. Its name is also transliterated as Meenanda or Mina. They got the status of Scheduled Tribe by the Government of India in 1954. Ethnography The Meenas were originally a nomadic tribe. They were described as a semi-wild and hill tribe similar to the Bhils. But in the British Raj, for the fulfillment of its purpose by the British Government, they were described as a "criminal tribe" and listed according to the Criminal Tribes Act. Presently they are described as Scheduled Tribe by the Indian Government. Geography Currently they are present in the states of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Haryana and the Union Territory of Delhi in India.