With the intention of advancing the theory of Tribal Social Work within the Indian context, this paper attempts to postulate a conceptual overview of some key constitutive elements of its philosophical foundation. It uses the historical approach to delineate and articulate some crucial politico-historical process and lay a framework that brings to bear significant events that went into shaping meanings of categories and frames of reference vis-à-vis tribes. Through the unraveling of varied processes surrounding the tribal debate in India, the article posits a critical theoretico-methodological outline of Tribal Social Work, sourced from the author’s own experiential engagement with the said context.