>Jwikip at 20:06, 16 April 2021

2021-04-16T20:06:18Z

New page

{{short description|Ethnic group}}
The '''Jenu Kuruba''' are a tribal group from the [[Nilgiri Mountains|Nilgiris]], numbering around 37000. They are concentrated in the [[Kodagu district|Kodagu]] and [[Mysore district|Mysore districts]] of [[Karnataka]]. 'Jenu' means 'honey' in [[Kannada]], referring to their traditional occupation as collectors of honey in the forest. In the early 20th century they lived in huts in the forests and cultivated.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|last=Thurston, Edgar.|url=http://worldcat.org/oclc/734094928|title=Castes and tribes of Southern India.|date=1993|publisher=Asian Educational Services|isbn=81-206-0291-9|volume=4|oclc=734094928}}</ref> Starting from the 1970s and continuing today, many of the Jenu Kurubas have been evicted from their homes due to conservation measures in the various tiger reserves of the Nilgiris, like [[Nagarhole National Park|Nagarhole]] and [[Bandipur National Park|Bandipur]]. Those who have been relocated outside the forest are daily wagers and agricultural labourers, who live in extreme poverty. Many work as labourers on coffee estates in [[Kodagu district|Kodagu]] or for the Forest Department.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Girisha|date=15 July 2020|title=Karnataka tribals evicted from Bandipur in the 1970s allege raw deal in relocation|url=https://www.thenewsminute.com/article/karnataka-tribals-evicted-bandipur-1970s-allege-raw-deal-relocation-128748|access-date=2020-08-06|publisher=[[The News Minute]]}}</ref> They speak the [[Jennu Kurumba language|Jenu Kurumba language]], either classified as being related to [[Kodava language|Kodava]] or a rural [[Kannada dialects|dialect of Kannada]].<ref>{{Cite web|last=Kumar H|first=Pavan|date=2019-03-03|title=Indigenous dwellers can be evicted only with consent|url=https://www.deccanherald.com/indigenous-dwellers-can-be-721258.html|access-date=2019-08-20|website=Deccan Herald|language=en}}</ref> The tribals have fought multiple times to live in the reserved forests, most recently in 2020, under the terms of the [[The Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006|Forest Rights Act]].<ref>{{Cite web|last=Jul 16|first=Lakshmikantha BK /|last2=2020|last3=Ist|first3=04:30|title=Aggrieved Jenu Kuruba community members write to PM Modi seeking justice {{!}} Mysuru News - Times of India|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/mysuru/aggrieved-jenu-kuruba-community-members-write-to-pm-modi-seeking-justice/articleshow/76988145.cms|access-date=2020-08-05|website=The Times of India|language=en}}</ref> and in 2021 protests have continued against "the forest department as an encroacher, promoting eco-tourism and safaris … [in a way which] … is illegal under Indian and international laws."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.newsclick.in/Over-6000-Jenu-Kuruba-Adivasis-Karnataka-Indefinite-Protests-Tiger-reserve|title=Over 6,000 Jenu Kuruba Adivasis in Karnataka Begin Indefinite Protests against Tiger reserve|author= |date=2021-03-24|website=www.newclick.in|access-date=2021-04-16|quote=" … The community has accused the state government and the forest department alongside the Wildlife Conservation Society of trying to forcefully evict them from the forest in a bid to pave way for eco-tourism activities while trampling on the Adivasis’ rights to the forest and land. <br>IN THE NAME OF TIGER CONSERVATION <br> The struggle for land rights by the traditional honey collecting community has been going on since the 1970’s … "}}</ref>

Previously their women wore a sari in the style of typical Mysore rural women, and if poor, wore a cloth around the waist and another to partially cover the upper body. The men of the community cut their hair short in the style of a typical cultivator, providing some protection from heat and sun.<ref name=":0" />

==References==
{{Reflist}}

[[Category:Ethnic groups in Karnataka]]

{{India-ethno-stub}}

Jenu Kuruba - Revision history

>Jwikip at 20:06, 16 April 2021