Rituals of the Tribes of Nilgiris- Special reference to Todas and Kurumbas

Abstract

Tribal communities live in about 15 per cent of the country’s land in various ecological and geoclimatic conditions ranging from plains, forest, hills and in accessible .While some tribal communities have adopted a main stream way of life at one end of the spectrum, there are 75 PRIMITIVE TRIBAL GROUPS (PTGs), at the other who are characterized by

                1. A pre-agriculture level of technology

                2. A stagnant or declining population

                3. Extremely low literacy and

                4. A subsistence level of economy

According to Tamilnadu Government, there are 36 Scheduled Tribes, among them the Government of Tamilnadu has Identified 6 Communities as Primitive Tribal Groups (PTGs).

They are:

                1. Todas

                2. Kotas

                3. Various Groups of Kurumbas

                4. Various Groups of Irulas

                5. Paniyans

                6. Kattunayakans

                All these six Primitive Tribal Groups live in the Nilgiris District of Tamil Nadu.  All the Six Tribals have Inter Cultural Exchanges Among four PTGs. Todas, Kotas, Kurumbas and Paniyans live exclusively in the Nilgiris District. The other two, Irulas and Kattunayakans, live in Nilgiris district as well as other districts of Tamil Nadu.