Irula, also known as Iruliga'','' are a Dravidian ethnic group inhabiting the Indian states of

Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is the southernmost States and union territories of India, state of India. The List of states and union territories of India by area, tenth largest Indian state by area and the List of states and union territories of Indi ...

, and parts of

Kerala Kerala ( , ) is a States and union territories of India, state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile ...

and

Karnataka Karnataka ( ) is a States and union territories of India, state in the southwestern region of India. It was Unification of Karnataka, formed as Mysore State on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, 1956, States Re ...

. A scheduled tribe, their population in this region is estimated at around 200,000 people.World Bank grant to improve standard of living for rat-catchers
/ref>
/ref> People of Irula ethnicity are called ''Irular'', and speak Irula, which belongs to the Dravidian languages family.

Distribution and Religion

The tribe numbers around 200,000 spread across three states: 189,621 in Tamil Nadu, 23,721 in Kerala and 10,259 in Karnataka. Those in Karnataka are named Iruligas. The Irulas are mainly concentrated in northern Tamil Nadu: in a wedge extending from

Krishnagiri Krishnagiri () is a city in the state of Tamil Nadu, India, and it serves as the administrative headquarters of Krishnagiri District formed in 2004. It is located at the bottom of Krishnadevaraya Hills, and the town is fully surrounded by hill r ...

and Dharmapuri districts in the west to Ariyalur and

Cuddalore Cuddalore, also spelt as Kadalur (), is a heavy industries hub and a port city, and headquarters of the Cuddalore District in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Situated south of Chennai, Cuddalore was an important city and port during the Britis ...

districts in the south and

Tiruvallur district Thiruvallur District, also spelled as Tiruvallur District, is one of the 38 districts (an administrative district) in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. The fast developing city of Tiruvallur is the district headquarters. The district has a mixture ...

in the north. Small populations live in

Coimbatore Coimbatore (Tamil: kōyamputtūr, ), also known as Kovai (), is one of the major Metropolitan cities of India, metropolitan cities in the States and union territories of India, Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is located on the banks of the Noyy ...

and Nilgiris districts and were classified by Thurston as a different population. In Kerala, the Irulas are in Palakkad district, while in Karnataka they are concentrated in Ramanagara and

Bangalore Bengaluru, also known as Bangalore (List of renamed places in India#Karnataka, its official name until 1 November 2014), is the Capital city, capital and largest city of the southern States and union territories of India, Indian state of Kar ...

districts. The Irula people practice some sort of

Animism Animism (from meaning 'breath, spirit, life') is the belief that objects, places, and creatures all possess a distinct spiritual essence. Animism perceives all things—animals, plants, rocks, rivers, weather systems, human handiwork, and in ...

where they primarily believe in a Goddess named Inga who lives with her 6 sisters worshipped in the form of stones under trees. The Irula people traditionally believe that these 7 sisters created the first Irula man and woman. This traditional concept of 7 Goddesses was

Sanskritised Sanskritisation (or Sanskritization) is a term in sociology which refers to the process by which castes or tribes placed lower in the caste hierarchy seek upward mobility by emulating the rituals and practices of the dominant castes or upper c ...

as Sapta Matrika. The Irula people also believe in Ancestral Spirits, and they traditionally believe that Kannipe (spirits of virgin girls) can possess anyone. These kannipe spirits are worshipped as guardian deities of villages by Irula tribals. The Irula also believe in the presence of evil spirits known as Pe who can possess and haunt people. In order to keep these spirits away, a

Rooster The chicken (''Gallus gallus domesticus'') is a domesticated subspecies of the red junglefowl (''Gallus gallus''), originally native to Southeast Asia. It was first domesticated around 8,000 years ago and is now one of the most common and w ...

is sacrificed and offered to them. Many Irula people worship Hindu Gods and also take part in Hindu festivals. Some Irulas have also been converted to

Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion, which states that Jesus in Christianity, Jesus is the Son of God (Christianity), Son of God and Resurrection of Jesus, rose from the dead after his Crucifixion of Jesus, crucifixion, whose ...

Language

The Irula speak the

Irula language Irula is a Dravidian language spoken by the Irulas who inhabit the area of the Nilgiri mountains, in the states of Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and Karnataka, India. It is closely related to Tamil. It is written in the Tamil script. Origins The la ...

, a

Dravidian language The Dravidian languages are a family of languages spoken by 250 million people, primarily in South India, north-east Sri Lanka, and south-west Pakistan, with pockets elsewhere in South Asia. The most commonly spoken Dravidian languages are (i ...

that is closely related to

Tamil Tamil may refer to: People, culture and language * Tamils, an ethno-linguistic group native to India, Sri Lanka, and some other parts of Asia **Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka ** Myanmar or Burmese Tamils, Tamil people of Ind ...

Economy

Traditionally, the main occupation of the Irulas has been

snake Snakes are elongated limbless reptiles of the suborder Serpentes (). Cladistically squamates, snakes are ectothermic, amniote vertebrates covered in overlapping scales much like other members of the group. Many species of snakes have s ...

and rat catching, and

honey Honey is a sweet and viscous substance made by several species of bees, the best-known of which are honey bees. Honey is made and stored to nourish bee colonies. Bees produce honey by gathering and then refining the sugary secretions of pl ...

collection. They also work as labourers (

coolie Coolie (also spelled koelie, kouli, khuli, khulie, kuli, cooli, cooly, or quli) is a pejorative term used for low-wage labourers, typically those of Indian people, Indian or Chinese descent. The word ''coolie'' was first used in the 16th cent ...

s) in the fields of the landlords during the sowing and harvesting seasons or in the rice mills. Fishing and cattle farm is also a major occupation. Rats destroy a quarter of the grain grown on

-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. In January 2017, Masi Sadaiyan and Vadivel Gopal from the Irula tribe of

were brought in, along with two translators, to work with detection dogs to track down and capture invasive Burmese pythons in Key Largo, Florida. The Irula men and their translators were paid $70,000 by the State of

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

, and captured 14 pythons in less than two weeks.

Caste discrimination

Irula people face severe discrimination and harassment from other castes and numerous such cases are reported every year. * In 2020, a girl named Dhanalaxmi was assaulted and barred from getting a Scheduled Tribe certificate by

Vanniyar The Vanniyar, formerly known as the Palli, are a community or '' jāti'' found in the northern part of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. The Vanniyars were historically considered a lower caste, although some were peasant-warriors in the 14th ...

community in her village. * In Dharmapuri, Irula people were trashed and urinated upon by a mob who were infuriated by the marriage between a Irula man and a

woman. * In 1993, the Rajakannu Vs. State of

and Ors. was a case that was fought in the High Court of Judicature at Madras (

Madras High Court The High Court of Judicature at Madras is a High Courts of India, High Court located in Chennai, India. It has appellate jurisdiction over the state of Tamil Nadu and the union territory of Puducherry (union territory), Puducherry. It is one of ...

). It involved the death via

Torture Torture is the deliberate infliction of severe pain or suffering on a person for reasons including corporal punishment, punishment, forced confession, extracting a confession, interrogational torture, interrogation for information, or intimid ...

of a Irular man held in custody for the false charge of theft at the Kammapuram Police Station in the

Cuddalore district Cuddalore District is one of the 38 List of districts of Tamil Nadu, districts in the States and union territories of India, state of Tamil Nadu in India. History Since ancient times, the old town has been a seaport. Through the centuries, Cu ...

of Tamil Nadu. Three police officers were charged in the case for murder by the High Court despite the arguments given by prosecution to have the case be done in a Criminal court. The case was fought by K. Chandru and proved to be a important event for the Irular people as it led to the establishment of the பழங்குடி இருளர் பத்துகாப்பு சங்கம் (Eng. Palangudi Irular Pathugaappu Sangam) in 1996, the union is dedicated to the protection of the rights of the Irula people and has fought over 1,000 cases, mostly relating to false charges or

Human rights Human rights are universally recognized Morality, moral principles or Social norm, norms that establish standards of human behavior and are often protected by both Municipal law, national and international laws. These rights are considered ...

violations.

References

External links

* *
"Building a better Rat Trap: Technological Innovation, Human Capital and the Irular" - Economic Research Paper about the Irula

"Irular: The Seekers of light" - Article by G. S. Unnikrishnan Nair in ''Kerala Calling'' March 2014
{dead link, date=January 2018 , bot=InternetArchiveBot , fix-attempted=yes Social groups of Tamil Nadu Scheduled Tribes of Kerala Scheduled Tribes of Tamil Nadu