Soligas and Yeravas Tribe

Soligas and Yeravas Tribe

News: Loss of habitat and knowledge could adversely impact diets of tribal communities living in Western Ghats.

Who are Soligas?
• The Soligas are an ethnic group of India, inhabiting the mountain ranges mostly in the Chamarajanagar district of southern Karnataka and Erode district of Tamil Nadu. They live predominantly in the Biligiriranga Hills and associated ranges, mainly in the talukas Yelandur, Kollegal, and Chamarajanagar of Karnataka.
• The Soliga used to practice shifting cultivation. They grow Ragifor subsistence. Their main source of income is harvesting and sale of Non-timber Forest Produce (NTFP) like honey, bamboo, Paasi (Lichen), algae, wild turmeric, Indian blackberry, soapnut and nennari (wild root).
• Soliga people follow naturism and animism along with following Hindu practices and their main deities are Madeshwara.
• They speak Sholaga, which belongs to the Dravidian family.

Who are Yeravas?
• The Yeravas, also known as Ravula, are a tribal community in Karnataka and Kerala. They live predominantly in the Kodagu district of Karnataka along with its adjacent regions in the districts of Kannur and Wayanad in Kerala. They speak the Ravula language.
• Most of them are agricultural workers and are in the process of detribalization. It is believed that they were agricultural serfs in the past. They are mostly agricultural laborers in coffee plantations and tea estates.
• They have many customs and rituals practiced among them, and they believe in witchcraft. Gadhika is a ritual dance form performed by them to cure disease, ward off miseries and evil eye, and ensure safe delivery of a child.