- Irulas
Irula is a
scheduled tribe ofIndia . Irulas are found in various parts of India, but their main habitat is in theThiruvallur district ofTamil Nadu . Their population in this region is estimated to be between 15,000-25,000. [http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/OPPORTUNITIES/GRANTS/DEVMARKETPLACE/0,,contentMDK:20214659~menuPK:214469~pagePK:180691~piPK:174492~theSitePK:205098,00.html World Bank grant to improve standard of living for rat-catchers] ] [http://www.ashanet.org/projects/tamilnadu/irulas/Irulas.html Irula Project Proposal and site report] ] .Census of Kerala indentified 756 Irulan individuals from 189 families living in 9 settlements covering .23 km² in the state. [ Kerala Forests & Wildlife Department (2004) "Population of Important Forest Dwelling Tribes in Kerala" retrieved 4/4/2007 [http://www.keralaforest.org/html/management/tribaldev.htm] ]
Their main occupations are
snake andrat catching. They also work as labourers (coolie s) in the fields of the landlords during the sowing and harvesting seasons or in the rice mills.Fishing is also a major occupation.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. Smoke is blown through their mouths, which leads to severe respiratory and heart problems.
Anthropological literature says that the Irulas belong to the
Negrito ethnic group. [ [http://www.rediff.com/us/2000/aug/08us.htm Giving Irulas their due] ] Unlike the tribes in the Andaman Islands who have retained their language, Irulas inThiruvallur have adopted the local regional languages such as Tamil and Telugu. [ Keystone Foundation (2006) "People of the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve" retrieved 3/26/2007(NBR) [http://keystone-foundation.net/web/nbr/ "People of the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve"] ]References
External links
* [http://zs.thulb.uni-jena.de/servlets/MCRFileNodeServlet/jportal_derivate_00036471/wp_2007_031.pdf "Building a better Rat Tr
]
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