Ethnicity like nationalism seems to defy scientific rationality yet most of humanity believes in it. Nations need not have an ethnic identity and ethnic identities may not become politicised to the point of demanding nationhood. Most states survive with numerous significant ethnic groups, yet such nations usually face demands from ethnic groups that remain unfulfilled. Ethnic movements acquire values to fit existing conditions. The most prevalent acculturation in South Asia has been the adoption of religion and the caste system, with Islam, Sikhism and Sinhalese Buddhism adopting aspects of the Hindu caste system. The role of the State in the creation and maintenance of ethnicity has been widely recognized. The process of modernization may itself enable and foster ethnicity. Though ethnic interests have to a certain extent been conceded through the creation of ethnic or linguistic states (federating units inside India are called states), the same cannot be said for other human rights demands. There is reason to believe that lopsided government policies are responsible for destroying the basis of tribal(adivasi) culture. The debate over three kinds of approaches towards the tribals vis-à-vis the people in the main land e.g. Assimilation, Association and Isolation has been continuing ever since independence of the country. The bone of contention has been the Forest Policy of the State and issue of land alienation. The indigenous people discover themselves as foreigner in their own land.