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{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2019}}
{{Use Indian English|date=September 2019}}
'''Kurichiya''' or '''Kurichiyar''' also known as '''Hill Brahmins'''<ref name = "Kur1">[http://www.krepublishers.com/02-Journals/T%20&%20T/T%20&%20T-02-0-000-000-2004-Web/T%20&%20T-02-0-001-076-2004-Abst-PDF/T%20&%20T-02-1-019-021-2004-Ramachandran-012/T%20&%20T-02-1-019-021-2004-Ramachandran.pdf Fertility Concept in a Ritual an Anthropological Explanation of "Pandal Pattu".] Stud. Tribes Tribals, 2(1): 19-21 (2003), Bindu Ramachandran</ref> or '''Malai Brahmins''' are a matrilineal tribe of Kerala distributed mainly in [[Wayanad]] and [[Kannur]] districts of [[Kerala]], [[India]].<ref name="Kur1"/><ref name = "Kur2">Rao Bahadur C. Gopalan Nair. ''Wynad : Its Peoples and Traditions.''</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite book|title=Ecology, Economy, Matriliny, and Fertility of Kurichiyas|last=A. Aiappan|first=K. Mahadevan|publisher=B. R. Publishing Corporation|year=1990|location=Delhi}}</ref> Kurichiyans are one of the Scheduled Tribes of Kerala practicing agriculture.<ref name = "Kur4">http://www.kerala.gov.in/dept_st/index.htm#rtyu.</ref> 

==Etymology==
The name Kurichiyan was given by the [[Kottayam Raja]] to this class of people as they were adepts in archery. The word Kurichiyan is derived from two words ''kuri'' (target) and ''chiyan'' (people).<ref name="Kur2"/>

==1.Society and culture==
Generally their houses are found in clusters and cluster of houses in one settlement is called ''Mittom'' also known as ''Tharavadu''. A lineage head called ''Karanavar'' heads a ''Mittom''. In addition to ''Karanavan'', Kurichiya society includes medicine man, and other social functionaries such as ''Pittan''.<ref name="Kur1"/> Joint family system is common among the Kurichiyan. Society is divided into lineages headed by lineage heads. A female initiation ritual called the ''pandal pattu'' is performed before a girl’s ''menarche'' and after the ear boring ceremony among the tribe.<ref name="Kur1"/> 

Wives stay with the husband, but children only until 5-6 years, then they go to their mother's house.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Vr|first=Sanal|last2=Pp|first2=Muhammed Atheeque|date=2018-03-01|title=Socio cultural and agricultural practices of kurichiyan tribe in Wayanad: A historical analysis|url=http://www.allscientificjournal.com/archives/2018/vol3/issue2/3-2-21|journal=International Journal of Advanced Scientific Research|language=en|volume=3|issue=2|pages=51–58}}</ref> 

Wives stay Among the Kurichiyas, a husband may divorce his wife any time he likes, but the wife has to bring her case before the elders if she wants to leave him, and they decide the case.<ref name="Kur2" /> 

The Kurichiyans bury their dead; an arrow is buried with the body if a male, and a [[scythe]] if a female. The funeral ceremony on a grand scale is observed at any time  convenient in the year.<ref name="Kur2" /> They have no priests, instead the elders act for the occasion. The deceased ancestors are remembered and once a year, toddy, meat, etc., are placed in a room for their use and subsequently enjoyed by the Kurichiyans. They occupy the highest status among the Wynad tribes in point of caste, they do not take meals of any castes. Their houses are supposedly polluted if any other caste man should enter the same, and the slightest suspicion is enough to put a man or woman out of the caste.<ref name="Kur2" /> These outcastes have, on such occasion, been taken to the Christian fold. 

The Kurichiyas worship some of the same deities as other [[Hindus]] in Kerala, such as ''[[Kuttichathan]]'' and ''[[Vettakkaran]]'', and ''[[Kali]]'' (also called ''Mariamma''). The Kurichiyas worship their deceased ancestors, called ''Nizhal'' (shadows) as well as a number of deities unique to their tribe. They worship ''Malakkari'' (''Kari'' of the hills) and the fierce Mother-Goddess ''Karimpili'' (the dark one from the hills).<ref name=":0" /> Offering to the deities is given after the harvest in either of the two methods ''Thera'' or ''Koll''. For the ''Thera'', the platform or shrine where the {{lang|hi|puja}} (worship) is to be performed is purified by holy water from a Brahmin's hands, and a Kurichiyan dressed up for the occasion, with a white head-dress, acts as an oracle. The ''KumbTiam-Vettal'' (cutting the vessel) then takes place, the ''Muppen''-headman cutting a bamboo piece full of toddy. Then all similar bamboo pieces in which toddy will have been brought are emptied and the contents consumed. In the offering known as ''Koll'', beaten rice, plantains and jaggery are placed on a plantain leaf at the shrine and the ''Muppen'', after prayers, distributes them.<ref name="Kur2"/>

==Legendary origin==
According to tribal myth,<ref name="Kur1"/> in the distant past before creation, they sky was on the top and the earth lies far below covered by the sea. At that time ''Vadakkari Bhagavathi'', the Kurichiya deity had a dream in which the almighty ordered her to find out a place to create 1001 castes. God also allowed her to move the sea side wards and then starts work. Young virgins were given as labourers. On completion of the work the worker went out to meet the God and asked for remuneration. But he objected to give the remuneration before examining the quality of the work. God created a bird called ''Chenthamarapakshi'' ( bird form a red lotus ) and asked the bird to fly around the earth and find out the quality of the work. After examination the bird found out a fault that in one place the work was incomplete. Two hills were standing close to each other without touching one another. There was also water in between these hills. On both the hills god created and placed 18 human castes, different types of animals and plants. Kurichiya believe that they are one among them.<ref name="Kur1"/>

==History==
The traditional account of the Kurichiyars advent into Wyanad is that the Kottayam Raja brought them for fighting the Vedar  rulers Arippen and Vedan. Their caste-men would not take them back and they settled in Wynad and in the hilly parts  of Kottayam. The number of families so settled is said to be 148. During colonial era, the Kurichya tribe has been well documented in their help of King [[Pazhassi Raja]] of Wayanad to fight against the British (during the last decades of the 18th century). Subsequent to the death of Pazhassi Raja, the Kurichiyars and Kurumbers in 1812 unsuccessfully revolted. Kurichiyas thus represent a tribal community that was brought into the Wyanad as mercenary soldiers, settled there as agriculturists a century back, defied British power, and found themselves compelled to earn their living as labourers due to lack of access to education.<ref name="Kur2"/> Today, Kurichiyans are one of the Scheduled Tribes of Kerala. Descendants of the Kurichiya tribes that fought the British alongside [[Pazhassi Raja]] have their settlements in and around [[Banasura Hill]]. In fact there are four tribal villages lying close to [[Banasura Hill]], three belonging to the Kurichiyas and one belonging to the Paniyas. The Kurichiyas present here helped in the construction of [[Banasura Hill Resort]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.banasura.com/banasuraFolklore.html |title=Kurichiya tribe presence in Banasura Hill |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120713032252/http://www.banasura.com/banasuraFolklore.html |archive-date=2012-07-13 }}</ref>

==Caste relations==
The Kurichiya consider themselves higher than all other social groups around them, to include even the Brahmin.<ref name="(India)Menon1972">{{cite book|author1=Kerala (India)|author2=A. Sreedhara Menon|title=Kerala District Gazetteers: Malappuram|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Sl4bAAAAIAAJ|access-date=26 May 2011|year=1972|publisher=printed by the Superintendent of Govt. Presses|page=199}}</ref> They observe the "highest levels of ritual purity", considering even the touch of a [[Nambuthiri]] Brahmin to be polluting.<ref name="Das2003">{{cite book|author=Nava Kishor Das|title=Culture, religion, and philosophy: critical studies in syncretism and inter-faith harmony|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=R5fXAAAAMAAJ|access-date=26 May 2011|date=January 2003|publisher=Rawat Publications|isbn=978-81-7033-820-8|page=116}}</ref>

==Notable persons==
* [[Sreedhanya Suresh]] [[Indian Administrative Service|IAS]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Ethnic groups in India]]
[[Category:Social groups of Kerala]]