Kadar people

Last updated
Kadar
A KAADAR TRIBALWOMAN OF ANAPPANTHAM,THRISSUR,KERALA.JPG
A Kadar tribal woman of Kerala
Total population
2000 [1] -4000
Regions with significant populations
Tamil Nadu, Kerala [2]
Languages
Kadar language [2]
Religion
Animism, Hinduism
Related ethnic groups
Kadar hut Kadar hut.jpg
Kadar hut
Kadar girl wearing a comb Kadar girl wearing a comb.jpg
Kadar girl wearing a comb

The Kadar are a tribal community or indigenous community in India, a designated Scheduled Tribe in the states of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, [3] and Kerala. [2] They are an aboriginal tribe whose traditional way of life has been based on hunting and gathering.

Contents

Name

Their name likely derives from the South Dravidian word kaadu meaning 'forest', [4] [5] either from Malayalam [6] or from Tamil. [7] The name is likely an exonym. [8]

Dwelling

They used to stay in the Annamalai Hills in the Western Ghats, [9] but moved to other locations over the years. [10] [11] In a 1955 report, the Kadars were reported to reside in Tonder Desam, Terriote and Mangalasseri of Wynaad taluk. [12]

Economy

They specialized in collecting honey, wax, sago, arrowroot, cardamom, ginger, and umbrella sticks for trade with merchants from the plains. [13] The people of the Paraiyar community claim that the Kadars are part of Paraiyar who live and take care of forest and forest lives. [14] [15]

Modern history

In the early twentieth century, the Kadars used to work with forest officials to take care of forest and guide royal hunting parties in the princely state of Cochin. [10] Currently, many of the tribe members have moved to areas closer to the plains and urban areas. In addition to their traditional occupations, they work as agricultural laborers, basket makers and map weavers. They face many issues such as lack of infrastructure and educational opportunities. They do not interact with other communities as outsiders are prohibited from entering the forests they live in, in order to protect the wildlife. [16] However, in recent decades, many Kadar tribe members have joined mainstream educational institutions and work places and married outside the tribe. [11] Their language Kadar is critically endangered and at risk of disappearing forever due to speakers shifting to regional languages such as Tamil. [17] The Kadars practice Animism and Hinduism.

Notable people

Geetha Vazhachal, from the Kadar community settled in Vazhacal, Thrissur, is a well-known and award-winning activist who works for the rights of the community. [18]

References

  1. ↑ The culture of India. New York, NY: Britannica Educational Pub. in association with Rosen Educational Services. 2011. p. 29. The Kadar population was estimated at approximately 2,000 individuals in the early 21st century
  2. 1 2 3 "Kadar". Ethnologue. 2016-02-20. Retrieved 2019-10-30.
  3. ↑ "KIRTADS | Tribals in Kerala". Kirtads.kerala.gov.in. Retrieved 2019-10-30.[ permanent dead link ]
  4. ↑ Majumdar, Dhirendra Nath (1951) [1944]. Races & Cultures of India (second ed.). Universal Publishers. p. 91. Kadar means forest-dweller.
  5. ↑ Ehrenfels, U. R. (1952). Kadar of Cochin. Anthropological series. Vol. 1. Madras: University of Madras. p. 3n8.
  6. ↑ Mathur, P.R.G. (1996). "Kadar". The Encyclopaedia of Dravidian Tribes. Vol. 2. International School of Dravidian Linguistics. p. 76. ISBN   9788185692166. The word, kādan, in Malayalam, means the dweller in a forest (plural - kādar). The tribe obviously got the name because of their exclusively forest habitat.
  7. ↑ Chakraborti, Mukul; Mukherji, Dipak (1971). "3. The Kadars". Indian Tribes. Calcutta: Saraswat Library. pp. 37-54 [37]. The word 'kadar' is the plural form of Kadan ('forest dweller') derived from Kadu which means forest in Tamil.
  8. ↑ Chakraborti, Mukul; Mukherji, Dipak (1971). "3. The Kadars". Indian Tribes. Calcutta: Saraswat Library. pp. 37-54 [37]. The plainsmen designate this tribe only by this term [Kadar], other forest dewlling tribes being known by different names. In anthropological literature the tribe is known as Kadar or Kadir.
  9. ↑ Iyer, L. K. Ananta Krishna (1981) [1909]. "1. The Kadars". Tribes And Castes Of Cochin. Vol. 1. Cosmo Publications. pp. 1-27 [1].
  10. 1 2 Thurston, Edgar (1909). Castes and Tribes of Southern India, Vol 3. Madras: Government Press. pp. 6–29.
  11. 1 2 "Kadar Education at Vazhachal". The Kerala Museum. Retrieved 2024-06-03.
  12. ↑ The Adivasis. Publications Division, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Govt. of India. 1960 [1955]. p. 50.
  13. ↑ The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica (15 September 2014). "Kadar". Britannica. Retrieved 25 May 2023.{{cite web}}: |author= has generic name (help)
  14. ↑ "Data" (PDF). egyankosh.ac.in. Retrieved 2019-10-30.
  15. ↑ totem (2014-12-18). "Tribal Communities of Kerala | totem". Totemngo.wordpress.com. Retrieved 2019-10-30.
  16. ↑ "Kadan in India".
  17. ↑ Chandramohan, P. (2025). "Kadar—An Endangered Dravidian Tribal Language of India". In N. S. Dash; S. Arulmozi; N. Ramesh (eds.). Handbook on Endangered South Asian and Southeast Asian Languages. Cham: Springer. pp. 331–363. doi:10.1007/978-3-031-80752-7_15.
  18. ↑ Binoy, Anna (2018-06-05). "Recounting the tales of displacement, injustice and marginalisation". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 2025-09-14.
Bibliography

Further reading


This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.