Tribals of kerala pdf

There was little conception of private property in land among them. Thus, British was highly successful in depriving the tribal people of their ancestral land and in acquiring those lands through the act of This was considered even worse than the zamindari system which the British imposed on the tribals as this development made the tribal people criminal and bonded labors of the forest department.

Even though the act had some principles of justice embedded in them in the form of appeals and objections, they were concealed in a sense that the illiterate Adivasis were not aware of them. Even after Independence, the Indian government continued this practice and brought large area of land under its purview while the Adivasis were denied the benefits of "rule of law".

Thus, it can be stated that while the zamindari system was said to be abolished after independence, the zamindari of the forest department over the forest resources and the Adivasis was extended and it remains the largest landholder in the country.

The public purpose has not been clearly defined that it has been left out for the state to decide what it is. Banerjee, According to the provisions of this Act, compensation in payable only to the legal owner of the land, while the tillers, landless laborers, etc who are dependent on that land tend to be ignored.

Even in this act, there have been provisions for objections and appeals and similar to the Indian Forest Act, , these provisions were quite vague that it was almost impossible for the Adivasis to go to the court and challenge their rights. Additionally, the provisions for the procedure of compensation for the acquired land were flawed. The Indian government continued this act even after Independence to acquire land from the tribals for development projects, which may or may not compensate the tribal people for the land.

The British introduced both these laws to make the Industrial revolution in Britain possible by extracting natural resources from India. And, even after Independence, industrialisation in India required natural resources, which made the government continue to exploit the forests and to continue with these two anti-adivasi laws.

The Land Acquisition Act went through many amendments: in , , , , , , , , and But even after several amendments, its original nature remained intact. Though several amendments have been brought about in this act from time to time the acquisition procedure remains as it used to be when this law first came into existence. The law gives no voice to the land losers to contest and prevent the land from being grabbed.

Once the collector is convinced by the requiring body about the purpose of land acquisition, the proceedings can go unhindered. Asif, Once the procedures of land acquisition are complete, the ownership of the land changes from tribal to government land and the purpose is often seen to be abandoned and the land being used for other private purposes.

This civil law is often seen as the most misused civil laws in the country owing to the near absence of transparency in its dealings. Theoretically, the governor of a state on the advice of the Tribes advisory committee can repeal the Indian Forest Act as well as the Land Acquisition Act. But it is noteworthy that this has never happened since this power of the governor to repeal the act was not a binding provision but was a suggestion which again required the power of the executive to implement them.

The colonial laws have led to the State ownership of nearly 97 percent of India's forest land, which limit people's accessibility to forests. With the loss of forest cover and accelerated deforestation, the socio-economic and ecological impacts on local indigenous communities have become acute. Degradation of the surrounding environment and rigid forest laws has adversely affected food accessibility, livelihood options and quality of life, of local indigenous communities.

In real life, such communities have been seriously affected as a result of both degradation of forestland and their reduced accessibility to forest resources on account of strict forest laws. In the two and a half decades after neoliberal and market reforms were initiated, land acquisitions for public and private purposes have increased drawing criticisms and protests across the country.

The act also decreed proper compensation, rehabilitation and resettlement of communities whose land was taken for commercial purposes. Verma, The act also stated that acquisition of more than acres in rural areas and 50 acres in urban areas by private negotiation should be carried out through proper administrative channels.

The Act Amended: Now for the benefits of the private sector The complex measures and the fixing of arbitrary prices for land received criticisms from the industry, big corporate houses, etc.

Widening of the section 40 of the act which includes "urgency clause" which allowed the compulsory acquisition by the government include rural infrastructure, affordable housing, industrial corridors, infrastructure development and housing for the poor. Earlier the urgency clause included only defense and natural calamities. Additionally, 13 new areas which includes atomic energy, railways, electricity, national highways and metro rail which were not there in the Act were added to the ordinance, and when land was acquired for these purposes, the affected families were to be provided the same compensation and rehabilitation as mentioned in the LARR Act, The bill allowed acquisition of land for private hospitals and private educational institutions which was not included in the Act of However, the bill was stalled in the Rajya Sabha by the opposition parties as many opined that this would deepen the agrarian crisis.

The cabinet has decided to add a provision permitting the states to pass their own laws. The provision will also let states decide whether they want the consent clause and SIA in their laws before acquiring land from farmers. Verma, Removal of the consent clause will vest the government authorities and the private companies with unrestricted bargaining powers.

It will work against the interests of rural communities. The land will be acquired for private projects like SEZs, tourism, health as a result of the removal of the consent clause. As of now, the government has allowed the states to frame their own laws for the acquisition of land.

But the question is whether the consent clauses and the other pro-farmer measures will be included in these laws or not. The Indian Forest Rights Act The act was enacted to recognize and safeguard the rights of the forest dwelling communities and to encourage their participation in the management and conservation of the wildlife habitats.

Bhullar, The provisions of the Act are as follows: 1. Recognition of occupation of forestland to a maximum of 2. Bhullar, 4. The right to protect, regenerate or conserve or manage any community forest resource which communities have been traditionally protecting and conserving for sustainable use, has the potential to enhance conservation. Bhullar, 5. The right to access biodiversity and the community right to intellectual property and traditional knowledge related to forest biodiversity and cultural diversity.

Bhullar, The Indian Forest Act: — A critical Analysis The Act initially recognized forest dwelling Scheduled Tribes as the sole beneficiaries of the Act while excluding the non-tribal forest dependent population that stayed in or depended on forests for their livelihood but have not been recognized as forest dwellers. Thus, this exclusion may result in societal conflict between people who have lived and mutually benefiting each other for many years.

Thus, many have opined that it is more appropriate to make this distinction between those who live in forests for survival and livelihood means and those who exploit the forests for other commercial means and profit making. The act also raises the question of equity, as certain tribal communities will be declared as a Scheduled Tribes but not in other areas, which will lead to differential treatment in two different states.

The Act also posed a problem to some tribal communities who had migrated from their place of origin to other areas for livelihood. The limited scope of the bill proved to be problem for these tribal communities as they could be disentitled from claiming rights to their traditional land they had initially inhabited and practiced cultivation.

The bill was revised to include "other traditional forest dwellers" to the list of beneficiaries. Bhullar, This provision will render the claims of the members of the more vulnerable non-Scheduled Tribes who may have relied on other means for livelihood since invalid. The act fails to provide clear information on the nature of valid evidences required for the beneficiaries to claim rights over forest land. The claimants were required to provide proof of residence for a period of about 75 years, which starts from the pre Independence peiod.

It was obvious that, if oral evidence and spot verification were not considered valid evidences for claiming rights, a considerable portion of the genuine claimants of forest lands will be deprived of their claim as the government will have to rely on the colonial records many people resided on land without having any formal colonial record. It has also been observed that the Gram Sabha may often ask for more than one evidence to validate the claim which often led to the denial of forest rights in many cases.

While the Act has vested the forest dwelling scheduled tribes and other tribes with many forest rights, they may be unable to exercise them because of the restrictive provisions of many other applicable existing laws.

Many social activists have pointed out that many provisions of the Act have been drafted without even looking into the adverse effects on conservation in case of their implementation. Impact of Land Alienation: Land alienation has given birth to several allied problems among the tribals.

They are: 6. Increased poverty among the tribals 7. Decreased the occasion of employment 8. Migration of tribals 9. Exploitation of tribal women Created tension between tribals and non-tribals Increased the distance between the rich and the poor tribals Developed extremism and naxalism in tribal areas Brought law and order problem in tribal areas, directly or indirectly Brought the incidence of beggary and prostitution in the tribal areas.

As a result of the acquiring of tribal land by government for various development purposes and also by the contractors and money lenders for their own benefits, the problem of landlessness in tribal areas have come up. The economy of tribals is mainly subsistence oriented. They are not familiar with the concept of saving as they generally produce perishable things.

Exploitation by the non tribals is one important effect of land alienation. The non-tribals and money lenders, who enters the tribal areas tries to exploit the tribal people by purchasing the goods produced by the tribals at a very meagre amount.

They further exploit the tribal people by providing loans at very high interest rates. Mathur1 and Kunhaman2 in their studies points out the land alienation and livelihood issues of tribal community in Kerala.

Mathur, in his work has pointed out the link between the prevailing indebtedness among the tribal people and the problem of land alienation. The studies by both Mathur and Kunhaman discusses the deteriorating livelihood means of the tribal communities who were primarily dependent upon the forest and land. These studies mention forced dependence on newer livelihood options as one of the prominent impacts of land alienation.

This requires the tribal people to have different skill sets. The socio cultural structures which are self-imposed by past societies and are strengthened by the tribal communities are the impediments to acquiring new skill sets. They have identified numerous Adivasi girls in bondage, some within the state and some outside. It has been observed that bonded labor was present even in the colonies in which these tribal people were rehabilitated by the government.

Land alienation which results in the loss of livelihood has major implications. With the loss of livelihood of the landless tribals, the intricate relationship among the tribal communities in their specific geographical regions cease to exist or attenuates.

Conflict with the settlers migrant population increased as the livelihood resources of the original inhabitants were utilized or rather exploited by the state as well as the settlers. Sexual exploitation by the immigrants was another problem, such that the intensity of sexual exploitation is clearly visible through the large number of unwedded mothers at that time. Laws in the Indian constitution for the welfare of Adivasis: The constitution of India demands for the reconstruction of the unequal social order through legislative or executive measures by distributive justice through the rule of law.

Distributive justice, Article 46 also mentions about removal of economic inequalities and solving the injustice arising from the transactions between unequals in society. And also, Article 39 b entrusts state the duty to frame its policy towards securing the ownership and control of the material resources of the community. Specifically Article Clause 1 Schedule V makes it mandatory for the state to ensure Para 5 2 of Schedule V total prohibition of transfer of immovable property to any person other than to a tribe, for peace and proven good management of a tribal area and to protect possession, right, title and interests of the STs.

This act KST Act was further included in the Ninth Schedule of the Constitution to ensure that the act itself would not be challenged in any court of law. Brijoy, Transfer of lands from tribal to non-tribals was also prohibited from Conclusion The celebrated Kerala model of development has not made much change for the socio- economic life of the marginalized sections of Kerala.

Tribals have been largely left out of the gains of the Kerala model of development. In the implementation of land reforms, the legitimate claim of the dalits, the traditional tillers of the soil, to cultivable land was never recognized. Among the few states that have achieved land reforms in India Kerala has been rated very high. However, it is equally true that Kerala did not achieve complete success in land reforms.

Despite government initiatives and developmental projects the existing socio-economic profile of the tribal communities is low compared to the mainstream population.

All forms of social exclusion and a high degree of deprivation are the major problems faced by the tribal community in Kerala. These groups have very limited capability to act as strong pressure groups in Kerala politics, because of the poor organizational strength; and bargaining power.

Consequent to this, the political bodies seldom take care of their concerns. India and the rights of indigenous peoples: Constitutional, legislative, and administrative provisions concerning indigenous and tribal peoples in India and their relation to international law on indigenous peoples. They constitute Tamil and write in the Tamil script. The percentages respectively of the tribal population.

The least Malayalam language and the Malayalam script are used for inter- majority of tribals are found in Alappuzha district 0. The Karavazhi are non-vegetarians. Men percentages. Only the males smoke, while betel chewing is Salutation among member of the family is interesting common to both the sexes.

Father is addressed more neighboring people. Their attitude towards formal education is Kurumbas, Nayadies, and Uralis. Hill Pulaya Kurumba, they are one of the three Tribes of Kerala. The other two endogamous groups are Kuravazhi Pulaya and Pambu Pulaya. Adiyan:- A community of Kerala, they also describe themselves The Kuramba Pulaya are distributed in the Idukki district of as Ravuler have a population of according to the Kerala. They speak in Tamil among themselves and use Tamil census.

Their name has originated from an old rule that they and Malayalam with others. The Malayalam script is used. They should maintain a distance of ar six addi feet to a avoid are non-vegetarians. Their staple food is rice and ragi, pollution.

The word adiyan also connected a slave or a vassal supplemented with different pulses, roots, and tabers. The word addi is now Traditionally the Kurumba Pulaya were engaged in hunting, interpreted to mean lowly. The adiyan are distributed in the gathering, trapping of birds and animals, shifting cultivation, district of Wayanad and Cannanore where they mainly inhabit animal husbandry pastoralism.

They speak themselves in adiyan bhasha which is a dialect of the Kannada language belonging to the Dravidian Irular or Irulan:- The Irular or Irulan inhabit the hilly tracts of family of language. They are also conversant with Malayalam the Palaghat district in Kerala.

Both Malayalam and Tamil and use the Malayalam script. The women wear a saree with a languages are spoken. The irular knot over the right shoulder Sindha Kettu and bear tattoo marks women of Kerala bear a V-shaped tattoo mark on their forehead.

Regarding food habit, they are nonvegetarians, Their average status is short to medium below medium whereas and their staple diet is rice supplemented with pulses like gram, the nose is medium to broad in shape.

Among the irular of peas, and beans. Men drink alcoholic beverages and smoke Kerala, they have eleven exogamous clans kulam namely beedis. Both sexes are found of chewing betel leaves. A black bead necklace Aarandan: - A community of Kerala which may have derived its kurapasi is the marriage symbol. A newly-wed couple lives name from two local words aravam, meaning a snake and nadan, away from the natal families. Hunting and gathering, trapping of denoting countrymen.

They hunt Pythons to extract oil which birds and animals, shifting cultivation, animal husbandry and they sell to the people of the place as a remedy for leprosy.

They pastoralism were their traditional occupations. At present they speak their own dialect which is kin to Malayalam with others are engaged in settled cultivation, animal husbandry, basket and they speak in Malayalam. The mat making service and labor. They profess Hinduism. Arandan usually attaining adulthood. Monogamy is the common form. A bead necklace Kallu is the marriage symbol.

Bride Kadar: - They are distributed mainly in the Trichur and Palghat price Patta Panam s paid to the father of the bride by the districts of Kerala.

The climate of the area is moderate with low bridegroom at the time of marriage. Divorce is permitted and the humidity and medium rainfall. The terrain is hilly with dense bride price has to return to the husband. They are non-vegetarian forest.

The term Kadar has been derived from the word Kadar, who eat carrion too. The Arandan worship the village deity and meaning forest. The Kadar language is close to the Dravidian deities of the Hindu Pantheon. With others, they converse in Malayalam and Tamil.

The Kadar are short Vedans, they are distributed in the Palakkad district of Kerala. The Their speech resembles Tamil, Dravidian languages. They speak Kadar observe community endogamy. Earlier the Kadar were either in Tamil or Malayalam or Tamil script.

A few are engaged in Monogamy is the form. The marriage pendant tali and toe-rings Government services as forest guards and peons. The seasonal are marriage symbols. The traditional occupation of the Eravallar collection of minor forest produces also contributed to their Open Accessed, Peer Reviewed and hi-Indexed Research Journal www.

A Kadar headman is known as Moopan. The engaged in settled cultivation or wage labor. Boys and Girls of Community professes Hinduism and Worship village and this community generally study to the secondary and primary regional deities and deities of the wider Hindu Pantheon.

Kanikkaran, Kanikkar:- They are also known as Kanikkaran, They worship the territorial deity kudi devata , but their neighbors refer to them as the Kani. Kurumbas:- They are found in Kottayam district. They are of They are short, long-headed, flaring nostrils, prognathous jaw, medium height, dark complexioned. They are two main and brachicep-halic heads. Their colors vary from light to dark divisions that are Urukurumbas and Kadukurumbas. They are brown.

Both sexes grow long hair and knot at the back of the food gathers and hunters. They follow the patrilineal rule of head. The Kurumbas have the institution of the headman known as Arason. It is hereditary. They have the Chapli Priest They have the institution of headman known as who is the important person at funeral and marriage Vettermale Kanikkars.

The law of exogamy govern all ceremonies. A man usually marries the murapennu. There is no payment of dowry. Desertion and dowry are common. Women Marriage is only after puberty.

Marriages have to be have low status. The does not permit to Uttar the name of her exogamous. To marry the daughter of the maternal aunt is husband. To essentials, part of the ceremony is the Burying the dead is common except among those presentation of the cloth and the trying of a string of colored living in the forests of the Kottayam River. Funeral ceremonies beads. Marriage by the exchange is not popular.

Polygamy and were conducted in the most solemn manner. Pollution connected Sorority were popular. These family ties are not very strong and the morality They worship clan deities like Karutta Thamburan, is not satisfactory. Divorce and desertion are common. They are Kottara Thamburan, and Adulla Thamburan. Generally, their animist and totemists. Their favorite deity is Sanchali literacy rate is higher than scheduled tribes.

They bury the dead in a common graveyard, close to Kochuvelan:- Also referred to as Mala Ulladan, they are their settlement. The son is the chief mourner. Pollution distributed in the Kottayam, Idukki and Pathanamthitta districts connect with death lasts for six days. They are lives in the interior country. Their total population was They are the language.

Rice is their staple cereal. They are non-vegetarians most primitive kattujathi. They lead a nomadic way of life. Both They are still following hunting and food gathering. They are of men and women drink alcoholic beverages occasionally which medium height, dark in color have oily hair.

The closed they purchase from the market. Cross-cousin marriage is in vogue among them. Adult They are non-vegetarian.

They treat cow as a marriage is the common practice and marriages rearranged by polluting animal. They speak Tamil. They live in under elders through negotiation. Hunting, gathering, trapping of birds overhanging rocks and in the hollows of trees. Their family is the nuclear occupations of Kochuvelan. They profess Hinduism and appoint type. Mooppan or Periyathampy and female head women called Their attitude towards both indigenous and modern Ponnuthalavi. The Wiseman enjoy equal status in compared to medicine is favorable.

Modern contraceptive methods have been men in all walks of life. The life cycle ritual is simple and they accepted by them. As soon as girls Koraga: - Koragas are inhabitants of the Cannanore district. They are very rigid in the observance of taboos wavy or curly hair.

Both sexes use earrings and bangles. They connected with menses of women. They speak Tulu language. It generally Their total population was They are divided into takes place on Monday.

Basket Vanabhadra, Kaliamma, Banathiamma, etc. The dead person is making is their main occupation. They live in low huts hatched given a bath and is buried in the forest. Kota: - Kota is one of the primitive tribal group in Tamilnadu Marriages are arranged by the parents of the and Kerala. The Kota male wears a shirt and munda and uses a bridegroom.

Divorce is common. Divorce and widowed are free varad as covering. The female use a traditional wear called Kir to remarry. Polygamy and forbidden. When they go out of The Koragas were animists. They worship Sun and the village the women are fond of wearing gold and silver Guru Karnavans.

Their popular God is known as Katu and ornaments. Both the men and women beautifully their bodies Mariamma. Women are participating in all religious ceremonies.

They bury the dead. The grave is far away from the settlement Pollution connected with death lasts for sixteen days. The Kota social structure is based on a number of Keri or street. Normally each Kota village has three Keris with Kurumans:- A group of the Kuruman, they are referred to as two different names, they are Kiker lower street , Nadukar Mulla Kuruman and sometimes as Mulla Kurumba. The Mulla middle street. Kuruman are concentrated in the Wynad district of Kerala.

The family is the basic social, economic and religious Traditionally the Mulla Kuruman were hunters, food unit of Kota tribe. Husband is the head of the family. They are gatherers and shifting cultivators, but now they are mostly traditionally involved in Blacksmith, Carpentry, etc.

The Muduvan are Hindus Keri is an exogamous unit. Marriage and sexual are believe in a number of spirits. The Muduvan are relationship between the same Keri are strictly prohibited. They are non- Every month of the first Monday the whole village gather before vegetarians.

Rice and ragi are the staple cereals.