>GreenC bot at 20:46, 21 April 2021

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{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2020}}
{{Infobox ethnic group
| group = Koraga
| image = Koraga tribesman.png
| caption = A Koraga tribesman, ca. 1909.
| total = 16,376
| total_year = 2011 census
| total_ref = <ref name="Koraga"/>
| popplace = {{flag|India}}
| region1 = [[Karnataka]]
| pop1 = 14,794
| region2 = [[Kerala]]
| pop2 = 1,582
| languages = [[Koraga language]]
| related =
}}

The '''Koraga''' are a tribal community found mainly in the [[Dakshina Kannada]], [[Udupi]] districts of [[Karnataka]] and the [[Kasaragod district]] of [[Kerala]], south India. These areas in Karnataka, are altogether often referred to as [[Tulunaad]], which roughly corresponds to the boundaries of the erstwhile [[South Canara]] district.<ref name=Patel2005pp120-121>{{cite book |pages=120–121 |title=Primitive Tribes in Contemporary India: Concept, Ethnography and Demography |volume=1 |editor1-first=Sarit Kumar |editor1-last=Chaudhuri |editor2-first=Sucheta Sen |editor2-last=Chaudhuri |chapter=Koraga |first1=H. M. Maralusiddaiah |last1=Patel |first2=B. M. |last2=Srinivas |first3=B. R. |last3=Vijayendra |publisher=Mittal Publications |location=New Delhi |year=2005 |isbn=978-81-8324-026-0 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=foQK2klkzIcC |accessdate=2011-12-30}}</ref> They are also found in small numbers in adjoining districts of [[Uttara Kannada]], [[Shimoga]] and [[Kodagu]].<ref name=newhigh/> The Koraga are classified by the Government of India as a [[Scheduled Tribe]].<ref name=Patel2005p123>{{cite book |page=123 |title=Primitive Tribes in Contemporary India: Concept, Ethnography and Demography |volume=1 |editor1-first=Sarit Kumar |editor1-last=Chaudhuri |editor2-first=Sucheta Sen |editor2-last=Chaudhuri |chapter=Koraga |first1=H. M. Maralusiddaiah |last1=Patel |first2=B. M. |last2=Srinivas |first3=B. R. |last3=Vijayendra |publisher=Mittal Publications |location=New Delhi |year=2005 |isbn=978-81-8324-026-0 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=foQK2klkzIcC}}</ref>

The Koraga, who numbered 16,071 according to the 2001 census of India,<ref name="Koraga">{{cite book |title=Contemporary Studies in Anthropology: a Reading |first=D. C. |last=Nanjunda |publisher=Mittal Publications |location=New Delhi |year=2010 |page=101 |isbn=978-81-8324-332-2 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=EaHysSvSw1QC |accessdate=2011-12-30}}</ref> have their own [[Koraga language|language]], classified as an independent [[Dravidian languages|Dravidian language]],<ref name=atlas>{{cite book |last1=Schmidt |first1=Karl J. |title=An Atlas and Survey of South Asian History |url=https://archive.org/details/atlassurveyofsou0000schm |url-access=registration |quote=koraga language. |accessdate=8 December 2012 |year=1995 |publisher=M.E.Sharpe |location=New York |isbn=9781563243349 |page=[https://archive.org/details/atlassurveyofsou0000schm/page/8 8] }}</ref> which is strongly influenced by [[Tulu language|Tulu]], [[Kannada]], [[Malayalam]], languages commonly found in their area.

==Social status==
The 1901 census report noted the Koraga as being a lowly tribe of basket-makers and labourers, some of whom were employed as scavengers. They remain today among the [[Untouchability|untouchables]], being considered as ritually polluted by Hindus, but there have in the past been claims that they are of [[Chandala]] stock.<ref name=Patel2005p123 /> Their folklore claims [[Hubbashika]] to have been one of their chiefs but the [[Kadamba Dynasty|Kadamba]] narrative asserts a Chandala origin, that they are the descendants of the offspring of a [[Brahman]] woman and a [[Shudra]] father.<ref>{{cite book |title=Being tribal |first=Shereen |last=Ratnagar |publisher=Primus Books |location=Delhi |year=2010 |page=19 |isbn=978-93-8060-702-3 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tcTz54VVHF4C |accessdate=2011-12-30}}</ref> [[Edgar Thurston]] quotes M. T. Walhouse, who wrote in 1875 that this narrative was recorded by Brahmans and that, together with the Kapata, the Koraga were the lowest of the fifteen Chandala groups. However, Thurston thinks it probable that they were in fact the aboriginals of the region who were dispersed, dispossessed and turned into slaves by the influx of Aryans from the north of India.<ref name=Thurston1909p425>{{cite book |title=Castes and Tribes of Southern India |first1=Edgar |last1=Thurston |first2=K. |last2=Rangachari |year=1909 |volume=III (K) |page=[https://archive.org/details/castestribesofso03thuriala/page/425 425] |location=Madras |publisher=Government Press |url=https://archive.org/details/castestribesofso03thuriala |accessdate=2011-12-30}}</ref>

The area in which they live comprises mostly agricultural land and forest<ref>{{cite book |page=118 |title=Primitive Tribes in Contemporary India: Concept, Ethnography and Demography |volume=1 |editor1-first=Sarit Kumar |editor1-last=Chaudhuri |editor2-first=Sucheta Sen |editor2-last=Chaudhuri |chapter=Koraga |first1=H. M. Maralusiddaiah |last1=Patel |first2=B. M. |last2=Srinivas |first3=B. R. |last3=Vijayendra |publisher=Mittal Publications |location=New Delhi |year=2005 |isbn=978-81-8324-026-0 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=foQK2klkzIcC |accessdate=2011-12-30}}</ref> and the tribe continue to make use of the forest produce—principally, bamboo and creepers—for the manufacture of baskets today.<ref name=Patel2005pp124-125>{{cite book |pages=124–125 |title=Primitive Tribes in Contemporary India: Concept, Ethnography and Demography |volume=1 |editor1-first=Sarit Kumar |editor1-last=Chaudhuri |editor2-first=Sucheta Sen |editor2-last=Chaudhuri |chapter=Koraga |first1=H. M. Maralusiddaiah |last1=Patel |first2=B. M. |last2=Srinivas |first3=B. R. |last3=Vijayendra |publisher=Mittal Publications |location=New Delhi |year=2005 |isbn=978-81-8324-026-0 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=foQK2klkzIcC |accessdate=2011-12-30}}</ref> They traditionally lived in structures made of leaves, called ''koppus'' and also dressed in leaves.<ref>{{cite book |title=Castes and Tribes of Southern India |first1=Edgar |last1=Thurston |first2=K. |last2=Rangachari |year=1909 |volume=III (K) |pages=[https://archive.org/details/castestribesofso03thuriala/page/424 424]–425 |location=Madras |publisher=Government Press |url=https://archive.org/details/castestribesofso03thuriala |accessdate=2011-12-30}}</ref> Around the beginning of the 21st century, they started to live in simple free houses constructed and sanctioned by Government agencies,<ref name=housing>{{cite news|title=Taluk-level meetings to be held for tackling drinking water problem|url=http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Mangalore/article3390205.ece|accessdate=9 December 2012|newspaper=The Hindu|date=6 May 2012}}</ref><ref name=devp/> but some of them are still either homeless or live on government-owned lands.<ref name=homeless>{{cite news|title=Survey: 406 houses of Koragas not fit for living |url=http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Mangalore/survey-406-houses-of-koragas-not-fit-for-living/article2957227.ece?css=print|accessdate=9 December 2012|newspaper=The Hindu|date=3 March 2012}}</ref>

===''Ajalu'' practice===

Koraga people have been subjected to a practice known as ''ajalu'', which the Government of Karnataka defined as "differentiating Koraga people and persons belonging to other communities, treating them as inferior human beings, mixing hair, nails and other inedible abnoxious substances in the food and asking them to eat that food. They were also made to run like buffaloes before the beginning of Kambala."<ref name=ajalu/> ''Ajalu'' has been considered to be inhuman and was prohibited in 2000 by the Karnataka Koragas (Prohibition of Ajalu Practice) Act, 2000. Contravention of the Act is punishable by a term of imprisonment of between six months and five years, as well as a cash penalty.<ref name=ajalu>{{cite web |title=The Karnataka Koragas (Prohibition of Ajalu Practice) Act, 2000 |url=http://dpal.kar.nic.in/.%5C30%20of%202000%20(E).pdf|publisher=Government of Karnataka|accessdate=10 December 2012}}</ref> Nonetheless, ''ajalu'' has been occasionally witnessed during ''Nemotsava'' or temple fairs at places such as Inna ([[Karkala]]) and [[Saligrama, Udupi]], leading to Koraga people demanding action against the culprits and the police who failed to prevent it.<ref name=inna>{{cite news|last=DHNS|title=Koragas stage stir against Ajalu|url=http://www.deccanherald.com/content/220584/koragas-stage-stir-against-ajalu.html|accessdate=10 December 2012|newspaper=Deccan Herald|date=19 January 2012}}</ref><ref name=saligrama>{{cite news|title=Federation seeks ban on 'ajalu'|url=http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Mangalore/article2800905.ece|accessdate=10 December 2012|newspaper=The Hindu|date=14 January 2012}}</ref>

==Religion==
Although an untouchable community, the Koraga regard themselves as Hindus, albeit ones who follow a tribal religious system.<ref name=Patel2005p127 /><ref name=Ratnagar2010p5 /> Despite being discriminated by other higher ranked groups, they exert a sense of superstitious fear because those groups consider the Koraga to be capable of influencing events through the use of magic and witchcraft.<ref>{{cite book |title=Castes and Tribes of Southern India |first1=Edgar |last1=Thurston |first2=K. |last2=Rangachari |year=1909 |volume=III (K) |page=[https://archive.org/details/castestribesofso03thuriala/page/426 426] |location=Madras |publisher=Government Press |url=https://archive.org/details/castestribesofso03thuriala |accessdate=2011-12-30}}</ref> They worship spirits known as ''[[Bhoot (ghost)|Bhutas]]'' as well as some ''[[Deva (Hinduism)|deva]]s'' and a sun god. Although once they practiced a form of [[matrilineal]] inheritance known as ''[[Aliya Santana]]'', the Koraga may now be [[patrilineal]] (''[[Makkala Santana]]''). They practice [[endogamy]] with regard to their three main subdivisions, the Sappina, Ande and Kappada Koraga.<ref name=Patel2005p127>{{cite book |page=127 |title=Primitive Tribes in Contemporary India: Concept, Ethnography and Demography |volume=1 |editor1-first=Sarit Kumar |editor1-last=Chaudhuri |editor2-first=Sucheta Sen |editor2-last=Chaudhuri |chapter=Koraga |first1=H. M. Maralusiddaiah |last1=Patel |first2=B. M. |last2=Srinivas |first3=B. R. |last3=Vijayendra |publisher=Mittal Publications |location=New Delhi |year=2005 |isbn=978-81-8324-026-0 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=foQK2klkzIcC |accessdate=2011-12-30}}</ref><ref name=Ratnagar2010p5>{{cite book |title=Being tribal |first=Shereen |last=Ratnagar |publisher=Primus Books |location=Delhi |year=2010 |page=5 |isbn=978-93-8060-702-3 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tcTz54VVHF4C |accessdate=2011-12-30}}</ref> Each of the three subdivisions are further divided into clans known as ''balis'', and they do not marry within their own clan.<ref>{{cite book |page=126 |title=Primitive Tribes in Contemporary India: Concept, Ethnography and Demography |volume=1 |editor1-first=Sarit Kumar |editor1-last=Chaudhuri |editor2-first=Sucheta Sen |editor2-last=Chaudhuri |chapter=Koraga |first1=H. M. Maralusiddaiah |last1=Patel |first2=B. M. |last2=Srinivas |first3=B. R. |last3=Vijayendra |publisher=Mittal Publications |location=New Delhi |year=2005 |isbn=978-81-8324-026-0 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=foQK2klkzIcC |accessdate=2011-12-30}}</ref>

==Diet==
The diet of the Koraga is generally of poor quality in part because they spend between 40 and 50 per cent of their income on alcohol, which is consumed by all ages, and they also indulge in [[beedi]] and [[betel]]. They subsist mainly on rice and meats such as pork and beef, although they are increasingly also using produce such as pulses and vegetables. Their meat is often sourced from animals that have died naturally rather than by slaughter.<ref name=Patel2005pp124-125 /> Malnutrition is common among Koraga children due to poor diet and this is something of concern to the Government health authorities.<ref name=health>{{cite news|title=Malnutrition high among Koraga children|url=http://www.thehindu.com/news/states/karnataka/article2882140.ece|accessdate=9 December 2012|newspaper=The Hindu|date=11 February 2012}}</ref> Despite Government schemes designed to improve the nutritional content of their food, the implementation has been poor and Koraga people have sometimes demanded improvements to it.<ref name=food>{{cite news|title=Koragas stage protest seeking nutritious food|url=http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-miscellaneous/tp-others/koragas-stage-protest-seeking-nutritious-food/article2438226.ece?css=print|accessdate=9 December 2012|newspaper=The Hindu|date=9 September 2011}}</ref>

==Drum beating==
Koraga people are known for drum beating (''dollu'' or ''dolu'' beating) and it is one of their important cultural contributions.<ref name=drum>{{cite news|last=Vishwakarma|first=Mounesh|title=Bantwal: Koraga Community's 'Gajamela' Attempts to Uphold Their Distinct Culture|url=http://www.daijiworld.com/news/news_disp.asp?n_id=121044&n_tit=Bantwal%3A+Koraga+Community%92s+%91Gajamela%92+Attempts+to+Uphold+Their+Distinct+Culture+|accessdate=8 December 2012|newspaper=Dijiworld|date=4 November 2011}}</ref> They used to beat ''dolu'' during events such as [[Kambala]],<ref name=fight/> village fairs or just for fun in their living places. Traditional belief was that Koraga drum-beating had special powers<ref name=nudisiri>{{cite news|title=Alva's group accused of ill-treating Koraga drummers at Nudisiri|url=http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-karnataka/alvas-group-accused-of-illtreating-koraga-drummers-at-nudisiri/article862767.ece?textsize=small&test=2|accessdate=9 December 2012|newspaper=The Hindu|date=1 November 2010}}</ref> and that the sound of drum-beating drives away evil spirits. However, the practice declined as the drum beaters were looked down upon by society.<ref name="looked down">{{cite news|title=Koragas highlight 'failure' of district administrations|url=http://www.hindu.com/2002/01/03/stories/2002010303320300.htm|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130125110256/http://www.hindu.com/2002/01/03/stories/2002010303320300.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=25 January 2013|accessdate=10 December 2012|newspaper=[[The Hindu]]|date=3 January 2002}}</ref> Attempts are being made to revive the art by forming drum-beating troupes such as ''Gajamela'' in Dakshina Kannada, with support from the Government.<ref name=drum/> Such troupes also give performances on occasions like tribal gatherings in coastal Karnataka.<ref name=gajamela>{{cite news|title=Stop harassing tribal people, officials told|url=http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Mangalore/article402569.ece|accessdate=10 December 2012|newspaper=The Hindu|date=18 April 2010}}</ref> Flute music and dance involving both men and women are also important parts of Koraga culture<ref name=drum/> and are apparent at celebrations such as ''Bhoomi Habba'' (worshipping earth).<ref name=bhoomipooja>{{cite news|title=The Koragas celebrate|url=http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-karnataka/the-koragas-celebrate/article583517.ece?textsize=small&test=2|accessdate=9 December 2012|newspaper=The Hindu|date=20 August 2010}}</ref>

==Education==
The Koraga people are an educationally disadvantaged tribe but progress is being made. The first PhD to be awarded to a member of the community was reported in 2010<ref name=phd>{{cite news|last=Shenoy|first=Jaideep|title=Koraga candidate feat|url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/speednewsshow/8412462.cms|accessdate=8 December 2012|newspaper=The Times of India|date=8 May 2010}}</ref> and two other Koragas made headlines in 2012 when they passed the National Eligibility Test (NET) for lectureship conducted by the [[University Grants Commission (India)|University Grants Commission]].<ref name=newhigh>{{cite news|last=Prabhu|first=Ganesh|title=Marking a new high for the backward Koraga community|url=http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/marking-a-new-high-for-the-backward-koraga-community/article3940808.ece|accessdate=9 December 2012|newspaper=The Hindu|date=27 September 2012}}</ref>

Government agencies are encouraging improvements in education for Koraga children by opening schools exclusively for their community in villages like Madhya Padavu.<ref name=school>{{cite news|title=Koraga leaders score a victory of sorts, move the bureaucracy|url=http://www.hindu.com/2008/06/06/stories/2008060654690900.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080611074250/http://www.hindu.com/2008/06/06/stories/2008060654690900.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=11 June 2008|accessdate=9 December 2012|newspaper=[[The Hindu]]|date=6 June 2008}}</ref>

==Support by Government agencies==
There have been lacklustre attempts, certainly since the 1980s, to alleviate the conditions of the tribe. A [[Tribal Sub-Plan]] instigated by the government of Karnataka failed to have any impact, at least in part because the affected tribes were not aware of its existence, and attempts by the Koragas themselves to exert pressure for change from around 1994 met with little success because their very organisation was sponsored by the government whom they were trying to hold to account. C. B. Damle has said that "They still live in the thatched huts in the outskirts of the village and depend on agricultural labour for their livelihood. Most of them are landless labourers though a few continue their traditional skill of basket making. In townships and in cities, they are engaged in scavenging and sweeping jobs."<ref>{{Cite book |chapter=Tribal Transition in Karnataka: A Case of Yeravas in Kodagu |first=C. B. |last=Damle |title=Contemporary Society: Tribal Studies – Development Issues, Transition and Change |volume=2 |editor1-first=Georg |editor1-last=Pfeffer |editor2-first=Deepak Kumar |editor2-last=Behera |page=129 |publisher=Concept Publishing |location=New Delhi |year=2002 |isbn=978-81-7022-642-0 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TZOvYPBrxl0C |accessdate=2011-12-30}}</ref>

Government authorities are helping the progress of Koraga people by activities such as granting cultivable lands,<ref name=lands>{{cite news|title=24 Koraga families will be given title deeds, says DC |url=http://article.wn.com/view/2011/11/22/24_Koraga_families_will_be_given_title_deeds_says_DC/|accessdate=8 December 2012|newspaper=Deccan Herald|date=22 November 2011}}</ref> cross bred cows etc. Some of the Koraga colonies are developed with concrete lanes, tiled houses, electricity with financial support from District authorities, Taluk and village panchayats.<ref name=devp>{{cite news|last=Akshatha|first=M|title=Life's good for Badekottu Koraga colony now|url=http://www.deccanherald.com/content/153866/lifes-good-badekottu-koraga-colony.html|accessdate=8 December 2012|newspaper=Deccan Herald|date=14 April 2011}}</ref>

Government authorities promised low cost concrete houses to all the 1126 Koraga families living in Dakshina Kannada.<ref name=houses>{{cite news|last=Hegde|first=Bhakthi V|title=All Koraga families in DK may get houses|url=http://www.deccanherald.com/content/184263/all-koraga-families-dk-may.html|accessdate=8 December 2012|newspaper=Deccan Herald|date=16 August 2011}}</ref> Residential summer camps are held exclusively for Koraga children by Government agencies, to impart non-curricular and vocational skills.<ref name=camp>{{cite news|title=10-day 'Chinnara Mela' for Koraga students begins|url=http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Mangalore/10day-chinnara-mela-for-koraga-students-begins/article430594.ece|accessdate=9 December 2012|newspaper=The Hindu|date=15 May 2010}}</ref>

==Campaign for equality==
Koraga people have campaigned for equality in the 21st century with the support of organisations like the Koraga Abhivridhi Sanghagala Okkoota (Federation of Koraga Development Associations).<ref name=fight>{{cite news|title=Federation says Koraga people made to beat drums during kambala|url=http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-karnataka/article2716407.ece|accessdate=8 December 2012|newspaper=The Hindu|date=15 December 2011}}</ref> Government measures such as those prohibiting ''ajalu''<ref name=fight/> and the [[affirmative action]] afforded by the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989.<ref name=fight/> and the Bonded Labour System (Abolish) Act, 1976<ref name=newhigh/> are also significant. In places such as [[Kokkarne]], Koraga people have stopped their practice of drum beating during Kambala fairs on the grounds that they were forced to keep a watch on slush paddy fields for the entire night. They have also complained of forced consumption of alcohol and smoking.<ref name=fight/>

==See also==
*[[Jenu Kuruba]]
*[[Soliga tribe]]

==References==
{{reflist|colwidth=30em}}

==Further reading==
{{Refbegin|colwidth=50em}}
*{{Cite journal
|last3=Roy Burman
|first3= B. K.
|last2=Nag
|first2=N. G.
|last1=Koppad
|first1=K. B.
|year=1975
|title=Koraga: a scheduled tribe in Karnataka
|publisher=Office of the Registrar General, India, Ministry of Home Affairs
|postscript=}}.
{{refend}}

==External links==
*[http://www.daijiworld.com/news/news_disp.asp?n_id=121044&n_tit=Bantwal%3A+Koraga+Community%92s+%91Gajamela%92+Attempts+to+Uphold+Their+Distinct+Culture+ Koraga drum dance troupe photos]

[[Category:Basket weavers]]
[[Category:Social groups of Kerala]]
[[Category:Social groups of Karnataka]]
[[Category:Dravidian peoples]]
[[Category:Scheduled Tribes of India]]

Koraga people - Revision history

>GreenC bot at 20:46, 21 April 2021