Themes
tribal livelihood
Livelihood of Irular Tribe, tamil nadu
Irular is the second tribal community of Tamil Nadu. Most of them inhabit the Nilgiris. It is forest-based life. The twelve clans of Irular people worship nature and have a non-vegetarian diet. Though extremely underdeveloped, they have rich ecological knowledge and cultural traditions in 80 villages and perhaps beyond.
Irular's have changed from food-gathering to traditional farming and wage labour. They make brooms from wild grass, collect forest produce, and work in farms or plantations. A few cultivate millets, some engage in production of tea or coffee, still others weave baskets, and some are involved in cattle rearing, fishing, hunting, and forestry.
