People of India Project was launched by Anthropological Survey of India on 2 October 1985. The objective of the project was to enlist all the communities of India. It was found that 4635 communities exist in India and reported 461 tribal ethnic communities. Nearly 40 endogenous tribes exist in the Western Ghat region.
Major ethnic communities of the Western Ghat region:
1. Kanis
Kanis or Kanikkars, a major tribe of the southern Western Ghats dustributed in Tamilnadu and Kerala states of India. They inhabit the hill ranges in villages consisting of 5-55 families. The total number of individuals range from 1200 to 2000. Some of them are hunter-gatherers. They also collect honey from the forest, involve in inland fishing and cultivate crops. They use around 350 plants. The most important among them is Trichopus zeylanicus known popularly as "arogya pacha' in malayalam, which is considered equal to chinese ginseng.
2. Kurichyas
Kurichyas are an important tribe in Kerala, living in Wayanad and adjacent areas of Kannur. They form nearly 10% of tribal population of Kerala. They are specialist in archery and martial arts. They fought against the British during the Pazhassi rule of North Malabar. They live in clusters called mittam or tharavadu, their head is known as Karanavar or pittan. They are matrilineal society. They worship goddess Kaali. They bury the dead and speak 'kurichya' language. There are nearly 30000 members in Kurichya community. They use nealy 110 plants for varous purposes. At present they are living by means of agricukture
3. Paniyas
Paniya community inhabit Wayanad of Kerala and Nilgiris of Tamilnadu. They are short, dark-skinned, and have curly hairs. They are considered to be of African origin, but some workers disagree it. Traditionally they have been bonded laborers often treated as slaves and sold along with plantations by the owners. They have excellent knowledge in agricultural and ethnomedicinal practices. They live in bamboo huts and they form 22% of the tribals in Kerala. They cultivate cardamom, pepper, ginger, coffee etc. Women wear large ear rings made of palm leaf rolls. They practice animism, but also worship Bhagavati.
4. Pulayas
Pulaya community, also known as Cheruma, is one of the ancient tribal communities of Kerala. They are short, black, have long mandibles and with flat nose. They were basically hunter gatherers and supposed to be the first land owners of the area. They claim to be descendants of the Chera dynasty, indicating their name 'cheruma'. They have excellent knowledge in agricultural practices. They worship in sacred groves or 'kavu' and deities include Kaali and Chaathan'. They also worship ancestral spirits.
5. Cholanaikkars
Cholanaikkar is one of the earliest tribes in Kerala. They are also called as "Malanaikkar" and their number is only 360 as per census. Their name is supposed to have evolved from Chola= Shola forest as they inhabit forest areas and naikkar means king. They are found in Silent Valley region of Kerala. They form one of the last hunter gatherer communities of southern India. They are short, well built and dark complexioned. They live rock shelters called 'Kallulai" and live in groups called "Chemmam".
6. Kadars
Kadar community is found in the Anamalais of Tamilnadu and Western Ghats of Kerala. They are one of the most ancient tribal communities of India. They live deep inside forests, hence called 'Kadars'. They are hunter gatherers. As per the latest census, there are 650 members in the Kadar community and classified by UNESCO as Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group -PTG- that they are at the verge of extinction. The huts of Kadars are located in hill slopes. Each village has 15 huts made of bamboo. their weekly markets are called 'sandhi'. They make many items of bamboo, such as bamboo vessels. They collect honey and other forest products. They are patriarchial society, the bridegroom should gift a comb made of bamboo during the marriage ceremony. They wear ''thali' in a black beaded chain.They follow animism and worship some trees. Recently in 2019, they have been in news for their popular protest "Ithu Enkal Adaavi", against evacuating them from forest.
7.Todas
Toda community live in the Nilgiri region of Tamilnadu and considered as a PTG by the UNESCO. Tode is the sacred tree of Todas from which their name is evolved. They claim themselves as descendants of Pandavas. Their language is 'toduvam'. Their huts are rainbow-shaped and have a very small entrance to avoid cold weather. Their village is 'Othaikkal mundu'. There are 75 mundus at Nilgiri with around 2000 people. Buffalo rearing is their profession, and they are pure vegetarians. Their ritual involve buffalo sacrifice. They are specialists in embroidery and the shal they make is called Puthukkuli'
8. Kotas
Kota tribe is also a PTG tribe and they inhabit in the Nilgiri hills of Tamilnadu. As per the last census their number is only 308. Kota village is called Kokkal and huts are called pai. They speak kota language. They are very good musicians and artisans. They worship Kambattarayan and kaali.
9. Kurumbas
Kuruumba tribe lives in Wayanad district of Kerala and Nilgiris of Tamilnad. They live in 5-6 families in small villages called 'motta' or kombai'. They are known for black magic and witch craft. They were basically hunter gatherers and shepherds. Now they work in plantations. Their language is called kurumba. They cultivate ragi and other millets. They have rich musical tradition.Women tattoo their forehead and use soapnut for bathing. The muthali or ejaman is the head of the village. Meeting of villagers is called Urukkoottam.
10. Irulas
Irula tribe is distributed in three states, Kerala, Tamilnadu and Karnataka. Traditionally they are snake catchers, rat catchers and honey collectors. They are popular after the release of the movie, Jai Bhim, which portrays the struggles of Irula life.
Shijith Puthan Purayil
No comments:
Post a Comment