Category: Southern India

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Kurumba

The Kurumba community of Tamil Nadu are categorized as a Scheduled Tribe and are included in the list of Primitive Tribal Groups (PTGs). As per 2001 census, the total population of the Kurumbas is 5498 (2707 males and 2791 females) and their literacy rate is 49.03 per cent. “It is possible that their name originated from the Tamil word ‘kurumbo’ (mischief) because they are said to be very mischievous”. Kurumbas are identified as having five distinct ethnic subcategories in the Nilgiri district on the basis of region of residence, language spoken and variety of cultural traits. These groups are Alu Kurumbas, Betta Kurumbas, Jenu kurumbas, Mullu Kurumbas and Urali Kurumbas.

Alu Kurumbas are found in the taluks of Coonoor and Kotagiri, Betta Kurumbas and Jenu Kurumbas inhabit Mudumalai Sanctuary, Mullu Kurumbas are found in the Pandalur taluk whereas Urali Kurumbas are distributed in the taluks of Gudalur and Pandalur. The Kurumba settlement is called Mottam, and is a cluster of many huts inside the forest,. They are non-vegetarian in food habit. Kurumba practices small game hunting and are extremely skillful in collecting rock bee (Apis dorsata) honey. They make their own fibre/vine/bamboo ladder to climb high cliff and trees in order to collect rock bee honey. The ritual of self-preparation before honey collection is elaborate and strictly adhered to even today.

Originally, animists and totemists, the Kurumbas now follow mainstream Hindu religion and worship “Kumba devaru” and “Karupade thayi”. Kurumbas pass on their folksongs, stories, riddles and rhymes orally through storytellers and musicians. The Kurumbas share a common musical culture with other Nilgiri tribes. Bamboo pipes (kuvalu and bugiri), monofaced drums (tambatte) and two faced drums (are) are popular instruments. Themes are either balladic or associated with death and marriage rituals. In dance, there are two kinds: the gandesa attam is performed by the men while the slower version yen attam is performed by the women. .

Kurumbas women practice body tattooing. The Kurumbas were traditionally hunters, forest food gatherers, and shifting cultivators and now have adapted to working as labour in coffee, tea and vegetable plantations. Some Kurumbas have also become experts in basket weaving. Traditional Kurumba art called Ajile Bottu depicts their beliefs, rituals, hunting techniques and daily village life. Today, the Kurumba youth are reviving this art form which is being well received by the public.

Sources:  Nath et al. (2007). Honey Trails in the Blue Mountains. Keystone Foundation

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Toda

Toda man collecting honey from a hive in tree cavity
Toda man collecting honey from a hive in tree cavity

The Toda people are a small pastoral community who live on the isolated Nilgiri Plateau and Western Ghats of south India. Todas are vegetarian in nature and traditionally live in settlements called as Mund consisting of three to seven small thatched houses, constructed in the shape of half-barrels and spread across the slopes of the pasture. They traditionally trade dairy products with their neighbours. Toda religion centers around the buffalo and consequently, rituals are performed for all dairy activities as well as for the ordination of dairymen-priests. The religious and funerary provide the social context in which complex poetic songs about the cult of the buffalo are composed and chanted During the last quarter of the 20th century, some Toda pasture land was lost due to agriculture by outsiders or afforestation by the Tamil Nadu Forest Department. This has threatened to undermine Toda culture by greatly diminishing the buffalo herds; however during the last decade both Toda society and culture have also become the focus of an international effort at culturally sensitive environmental restoration.[3] The Toda lands are now a part of the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve (NBR). The Toda community was originally pastoral but of late begun cultivating vegetables. Since the colonial period, grazing rights have been given to them for a large landscape.

The Toda dress consists of a single piece of cloth, which is worn like shalya wrap over a dhoti for men and skirt for women along with shalya wrap. Toda women are extremely skilled in embroidery. Their traditional embroidery uses the bright shades of scarlet and black on a white background and  the nature-inspired motifs are very old and similar to those in vogue in ancient India. The traditional attire is a must during rituals, marriages and social gatherings. Keeping a pure line of buffalo breed is for rituals and the sacred dairy is strictly adhered even today.

The Todas have the unique practice of gathering Apis cerana honey from natural tree cavity in the forest using a system that has evolved over generations. Such cavities are bequeathed to heirs as property.  Keystone Foundation has been working closely with the Toda community on initiatives like forest restoration, creating a nursery of native forest species, documenting plant diversity, creating a forest bee sanctuary and preserving traditional handicrafts. With respect to the last, Keystone has been instrumental in acquiring the Geographical Indication of Origin for their embroidery.

Sources: 1. Nath et al. (2007). Honey Trails in the Blue Mountains. Keystone Foundation
2. Wikipedia

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Paniya

The Paniya are one of the five ancient tribal communities of Tamil Nadu and Kerala.  Paniya tribes are one of the major tribal communities residing in different parts of Kerala. They are categorized as scheduled castes and they dwell in different hill and forest areas of Kerala and Tamil Nadu. Various districts where the Paniya tribes have built their settlements include Kozhikode and Malappuram. The word ‘Paniya’ is derived from ‘pani’ which is a Malayalam word meaning work. The people of this tribal community are mostly labourers and their past history also suggests the same. In fact, the Paniya community is among those tribal peoples who have worked traditionally worked as bonded labourers in ancient days. Thick lips, dark complexion and curly hair are the typical physical characteristic of the Paniya people. There is some resemblance between the Paniya people and African natives, and some scholars are of the opinion that the Paniyan people may be of African origin. According to some scholars, Kapiri (Africa or the Cape) is the land of origin of the Paniya tribes.

The Paniya tribes are mainly concentrated in the northern part of the Western Ghats, Wayanad district, and the eastern regions of Kozhikode (Calicut), Malappuram and Kannur districts. Some are found in Gudalur and Pandalur area of Nilgiris district of Tamil Nadu and in southern part of Kodagu district of Karnataka.  Wage labour, small game hunting and collecting forest produce are the main means of living for this community.  However, their movement within the forest has also been restricted by legislations designed to protect wildlife and biodiversity.  Small scale traditional mixed millet food farming is practiced which includes exclusive varieties of little millets and maize other than pulses, cereals, greens, vegetables and tubers.

Sources: 1. Nath et al. (2007). Honey Trails in the Blue Mountains. Keystone Foundation
2. Wikipedia

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Shōliga

Shōliga is an ethnic group of India Its members inhabit the Biligiriranga Hills and associated ranges in southern Karnataka, mostly in the Chamrajnagar and Kollegal districts and the Nilgiri and Erode districts of Tamil Nadu. The Sholiga speak the Sholaga dialect which belongs to the Dravidian family. They have a population of around 20,000 individuals. There are about five subgroups – Male Sholiga, Urali Sholiga, Burudu Sholiga, Kadu Sholiga and Pujari Sholiga. The Sholiga community used to practice shifting cultivation earlier but have more or less given up this practice now. They grow Ragi or finger millet (Eleusine coracana) for subsistence.

The Sholiga’s main source of income is harvesting and sale of non-timber forest produce (NTFP) like honey, nellikai (gooseberry) and paasi (Lichen). They also proficient at bamboo craft and make baskets and furniture using bamboo. Active Government and NGO initiatives are increasing ‘mainstreaming’ the community and many have been given lands closer to ‘civilised areas’ and most of the forest-dwelling population have been brought together into clusters called podus.

Most of the forest area they stay in is protected under the Indian Wildlife Protection Act, 1972. The Biligirirangan Hills is a Wildlife Sanctuary, the Malai Mahadeswara Hills is a Reserve Forest, and Bandipur is a Tiger Reserve. The Sholiga community’s rights on harvesting NTFP is being sought through the recently implemented Forest Right Act. They practice traditional mixed millet food farming which includes exclusive varieties of little millets and maize other than pulses, cereals, greens, vegetables and tubers. Indigenous breeds of cattle and buffalo are reared in large herds using the forest pen system. Underground granaries are used to store millets. The community is also involved in collecting forest produce like honey, amla, shikakai, bellerica, chebula, lichens, soap berries and phoenix leaves for a living. Keystone has involved them in afforestation activities through village forest councils and forest developmental activities are implemented by eco-development committees created by the Forest Department.

Sources: 1. Nath et al. (2007). Honey Trails in the Blue Mountains. Keystone Foundation
2. Wikipedia

 

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Kattunaickan

The Kattunaickan are one of the five ancient tribal groups in Kerala. The Kattunaickan get their name from the words kadu (forests) and nayakan (leader). The Kattunaickans were traditionally hunter-gathers and are very much in tune with Nature. However, legislations put in place to protect native forests and wildlife have forced them to find work outside the forests. The Kattunaickans are plagued by unemployment and poverty and their numbers are fast dwindling as they are unable to keep pace with changing times. Another important characteristic of this tribe is the medicinal system and its close association with culture. They use traditional medicines for common ailments and will turn to modern medical care only in an emergency, after seeking consent from deity via the chieftain or priest, through a well-defined set of traditional rituals or poojas.

Of late, the Kerala Forest Department has been engaging with the Kattunaickans for forest plantations, logging operations, elephant tracking and developmental programmes. As they reside in the forest fringe and the south western slopes of Nilgiri hills, small scale traditional mixed farming is practiced which includes exclusive varieties of little millets and maize other than pulses, cereals, greens, vegetables and tubers. Kattunaickans practice Hinduism and have a dialect which they use amongst themselves; with other non-tribals they speak Malayalam or Tamil.

 

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Irula

Irula tribesman
Irula tribesman
Irula tribesman

One amongst six primitive tribal groups of Tamil Nadu, the Irulas predominantly reside in the relatively low altitude regions in southern and eastern slopes of the Nilgiris and the northern and eastern slopes of Coimbatore.

The Irulas have a population of around 8000 and practice traditional mixed millet farming which includes exclusive varieties of little millets and maize, other than pulses, cereals, greens, vegetables and tubers. The average Irula settlement size is about 30 households – they have very neat houses and clean front yards. Their homesteads are full of useful trees, especially banana. Indigenous cattle and buffalo are reared in large herds and the forest pen system is well documented. The Irula store millets stocks in underground granaries, some of which are still in use. The community is also involved in collecting non-timber forest produce (NTFP) like honey, amla, hirda, shikakai, bellerica, Chebula, myrobalan, soapberry, and phoenix leaves for their livelihood.

The Irula are also involved in coffee farming (primarily Coffee Arabica which is a Presidia product in Terra Madre, Italy) on the hill slopes around 850-1200 metres above sea level. Some of the Irulas are shareholders in a registered farmer producer company called Aadhimalai Pazhangudiyinar Producer Company Limited (APPCL). The producer company is managed entirely by the tribal community and it procures farm produce like millets, pulses, cereals, amaranth seeds and forest harvests like amla, honey, soapberry, etc.