Why in the News?
The Muthuvan Adivasi Samudaya Sangam organised a convention on the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples.
About Muthuvan Tribe:
- Location: Indigenous tribe recognized as STs of the Anaimalai Hills (Kerala & Tamil Nadu); concentrated in Idukki, Ernakulam, Thrissur districts.
- Etymology: Name means “one who carries weight on the back”, linked to migration from Madurai carrying children and the king.
- Origins: Traced to the Pandya Kingdom; divided into Malayalam Muthuvan and Pandi Muthuvan dialect groups.
- Settlements: “Kudis” deep in hill forests; houses made from reeds, leaves, mud.
- Population: Around 15,000–25,000; among Kerala’s least educated tribes.
- Governance: Kani System (village headman) and Chavadis (dormitory for unmarried youth).
Distinct Features:
- Language: Tamil-related dialect; endangered; preservation efforts underway.
- Livelihood: Traditionally shifting cultivation (“Virippukrishi”); now grow cardamom, ginger, pepper, lemongrass.
- Religion: Animism & spirit worship; reverence for Subramanya, Hindu deities, and Kannagi tradition.
- Customs: Matrilineal descent, tribe endogamy & clan exogamy; collective eating (“koodithinnuthu”); herbal medicine knowledge kept within tribe.
- Culture: Distinct attire; strong ecological ethics, harmonious forest–wildlife coexistence.
- Festivals: Thai Pongal is main religious & harvest festival.
| [UPSC 2014] Which one of the following statements is not correct about Scheduled Tribes in India?
(a) There is no definition of the Scheduled Tribe in the Constitution of India. (b) North-East India accounts for a little over half of the country’s tribal population. (c) The people known as Todas live in the Nilgiri area. (d) Lotha is a language spoken in Nagaland |
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