#history
Irula Tribe.
The vintage photo of 1871 is of the Irula women of the Nilgiri Hills in Tamil Nadu.
The Irula tribe is a Dravidian ethnic group who live in Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Karnataka.
In the Tamil language, Irula means ” dark people”.
A study conducted by Yelmen et al (2019) found that the Irula people were the closest likely proxy for the indigenous Ancient Ancestral South Indian, one of the presumed founder and autochthonous original Indian populations.
The DNA analysis (2018) of a skeleton from the Indus Valley Civilisation found in Rakhigarhi showed a greater association with the Irula people than any other modern ethnic group in India.
According to the Census 2011, the tribe’s population is around 200,000;
189,621 in Tamil Nadu,
23,721 in Kerala,
10,259 in Karnataka.
The people of the Irula tribe are called Irular and they speak the Irula language, which belongs to the Dravidian family.
They are categorised as a scheduled tribe.
The Irular believe in life after death.
The Irula are Hindu, but many of them have retained their own tribal beliefs that revolve around the spirit world.
Traditionally, the main occupation of the Irulas has been snake/rat-catching and honey collection.
They also work as labourers in the fields of the landlords during the sowing and harvesting seasons or in the rice mills.
Fishing and cattle farming are also major occupations.
Rats destroy a quarter of the grain grown on Tamil Nadu-area farms annually. To combat this pest, Irula men use a traditional earthen pot fumigation method.
They have a phenomenal knowledge about the use of herbal medicines, tracking and digging skills, and have an unusual diet (which includes rats).
( adapted)
– Joy Kallivayalil.
