Who Are the Kurumba?
The Kurumba are an indigenous tribal people of the Nilgiri Hills in Tamil Nadu, South India, numbering approximately 20,000-30,000. They speak Kurumba, a Dravidian language. The Kurumba are one of several Nilgiri tribes (alongside Toda, Kota, Badaga, and Irula) who formed an interconnected socioeconomic system before British colonization. The Kurumba were forest-dwelling gatherers and cultivators, feared by neighboring tribes for their reputation as sorcerers and healers. This liminal position—respected and feared—gave them a unique role in Nilgiri society.
Sorcery Reputation
The Kurumba held a distinctive position in Nilgiri society: they were both feared and needed by neighboring tribes. Other groups believed Kurumba possessed powerful sorcery—the ability to cause illness, death, or crop failure. This reputation gave Kurumba leverage despite their small population and marginal economic position. They were hired to perform rituals, remove curses, and provide magical protection. The Toda, Kota, and Badaga all maintained ritual relationships with Kurumba. This spiritual power balanced economic marginality, demonstrating how indigenous peoples develop multiple forms of social capital.
Forest Knowledge
The Kurumba developed deep knowledge of Nilgiri forest ecosystems through generations of forest-dwelling life. They gathered honey, roots, tubers, and medicinal plants; practiced small-scale cultivation; and hunted forest animals. Their knowledge of medicinal plants was particularly valued. This ecological knowledge complemented the pastoralism of Toda, crafts of Kota, and agriculture of Badaga—the Nilgiri tribes formed an interdependent system exchanging specialized products and services. Colonial plantation development and forest protection disrupted this system, restricting Kurumba forest access.
Contemporary Kurumba
Modern Kurumba face challenges common to forest-dependent tribes: restricted access to protected forests, loss of traditional livelihoods, and economic marginalization. Many work as plantation laborers on tea and coffee estates that replaced their forests. Belief in Kurumba sorcery has declined but not disappeared, sometimes resulting in violence against suspected sorcerers. Education and development programs aim to improve living standards. Traditional ecological knowledge faces erosion as younger generations lose forest access. How the Kurumba transition from forest-based life while preserving cultural identity shapes this mystical forest people's uncertain future.
References
- Bird-David, N. (1999). "'Animism' Revisited: Personhood, Environment, and Relational Epistemology"
- Hockings, P. (1980). Ancient Hindu Refugees: Badaga Social History 1550-1975
- Kapp, D. B. (1985). "The Kurumbas' Relationship to the 'Megalithic' Cult of the Nilgiri Hills"