MALA KURAVANS are inhabitants of the Trivandrum, Kollam and Kottayam Districts. They are seen in Chittar, Kattachira and Rajampara in the Ranni range, Pathanamthitta taluk, Nottakal in the Pathanapuram Taluk, on the banks of the Pamba river and in the low lying undeveloped forest tracts of the Nedumangad taluk, Trivandrum district. They speak corrupt dialect of Malayalam with many words and phrases from Tamil. The 2011 Census recorded their population as 175. Mala Kuravans subsist by agriculture, hunting and collecting hill produce. A few have small holdings of leasehold or proprietary lands which they cultivate. They hunt with muzzle – loading guns, bows and arrows, traps and snares. Women work with men and supplement their family income by collecting and selling firewood. Mala Kuravans were animists and totemists of the highest order. Worship of the spirits of ancestors is very popular.
No Comments