The Kudumbi, also referred to as the Kunubis, the Kurumbi, or the Kunbi, are traditionally a
Konkani __NOTOC__
Konkani may refer to:
Language
* Konkani language is an Indo-Aryan language spoken in the Konkan region of India.
* Konkani alphabets, different scripts used to write the language
**Konkani in the Roman script, one of the scripts used to ...
-speaking farming community residing in
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 ...
, India. They are a branch of the kudumban/kudumbiyar (Devendra Kula velalar) of
Tamilnadu
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 ...
.
History
Goan legacy
According to Goan historian Anant Ramakrishna Dhume, the Kunbi caste are modern descendants of ancient Mundari tribes. He refers to several words of Mundari origin in the Konkani language and also elaborates on the deities worshipped by the ancient tribe, their customs, methods of farming, etc.
G. S. Ghurye says that "Kurmi, Kanbi and Kunbi perhaps signify the occupation of the group, viz., that of cultivation, though it is not improbable that the name may of tribal origin."
The Kudumbi were forced to migrate from Goa following religious persecution by the Portuguese during the
Goa Inquisition
The Goa Inquisition (, ) was an extension of the Portuguese Inquisition in Portuguese India. Its objective was to enforce Catholic orthodoxy and allegiance to the Apostolic See of the Pontifex.
The inquisition primarily focused on the New Chr ...
, which sought to suppress Hinduism. The Kudumbis, along with
Gouda Saraswat Brahmins,
Daivajnas and
Vaishya Vani
Vaishya Vani is a sub-caste of Vaishyas, one of the varnas of Hinduism. In the Gujarat state and the Daman territory, they are also known as ''Vaishnav'' or ''Vaishnav Vanik''. In Uttara Kannada districts of Karwar and Ankola they are called as ...
s who wanted to preserve their religious and cultural identity, migrated from Goa along the west coast of India, primarily through sea voyages.
Some of the groups that fled Goa landed in coastal districts of state of
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 ...
, that is, the Uttara Kannada, Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts, and some groups voyaged further to
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 ...
.
The sociologist Y. R. Rao (2003) conducted fieldwork among the Kudubis from Goa who were living in a region of Karnataka. He studied a wide range of behaviours including those related to their food habits, taboos, language, economy, political organisation, kinship and marriage. He identifies Hinduisation, Sanskritisation and Modernisation as three factors that might influence behavioural changes.
Current status
K. R. Gowri Amma, a prominent figure in the communist movement in Kerala and former Minister, in her autobiography narrates the backwardness of Kudumbi Community as:
V. K. Valath says that the main agricultural labourers in the islands around Kochi have been from the Pulaya and Kudumbi castes. He adds that, whilst many people of the Pulaya and Mukkuvar castes converted to Christianity during the Portuguese period, the Kudumbis retained their traditional religious beliefs.
[V. V. K. Valath (1991). ''Keralathile Stala Charitrangal, Eranakulam Jilla''. Second Edition, 2006, published by Kerala Sahitya Academy.]
The community is officially classified as being within the Socially and Economically Backward Communities (SEBC).
Kudumbi temples
''Holi'', the festival of colours, is celebrated in many Devi temples by the Kudumbi.
See also
*
Gauda and Kunbi
Gaudas are aboriginal people residing in the coastal Indian state of Goa. They are believed to be the original inhabitants of Konkan. Most follow folk Hinduism, but many were converted to Catholicism by the Portugal, Portuguese missionaries dur ...
*
Devendrakula Velalar
Devendrakula Velalar (also referred to as ''Devendrar'' and ''Devendrakulam'') is an umbrella term for seven castes in the state of Tamil Nadu such as Devendrakulathar, Kalladi, Kudumbar, Pallar, Pannadi and Vathiriyar, after the bill amending t ...
References
Sources
* ''The Kurmis-Kunbis of India'' by Pratap Singh Velip Kankar. Published by Pritam Publishers PajiFord, Margoa, Goa Year −2006.
* 1956 An Introduction to the Study of Indian History (Popular Book Depot, Bombay) –
D.D. Kosambi.
* Kudumbikalude Charithravum-Samskaravum – written by Dr. Vini M. Published by Sahithya Pravarthaka Cooperative Society, Kottayam, Kerala
{{Ethnic and social groups of Goa and Konkan
Agricultural castes
Social groups of Kerala
Konkani people
Malayali people
Ethnic groups in India
South Indian communities