Who Are the Soliga?
The Soliga are an indigenous tribal people of Karnataka state in southern India, primarily inhabiting the Biligiriranga (BRT) Hills, Male Mahadeshwara Hills, and surrounding forest areas. Numbering approximately 20,000-25,000, they are among the few tribal groups still living within and around protected forests in southern India. The Soliga speak Soliga, a Dravidian language closely related to Kannada. Their homeland, now the BRT Tiger Reserve, has been the center of pioneering efforts to integrate tribal rights with wildlife conservation. The Soliga became the first community in India to receive rights within a tiger reserve under the Forest Rights Act, making them important in debates about indigenous peoples and conservation.
Forest Knowledge
Traditional Soliga economy was based on shifting cultivation, gathering, and hunting within the deciduous and semi-evergreen forests of their homeland. Intimate forest knowledge developed over generations: the Soliga recognize hundreds of plant species and their uses, understand animal behavior and ecology, and read forest signs that outsiders cannot perceive. Honey collection, particularly from giant rock bee colonies, was economically important. Gathering of amla (gooseberry), lichens, and other forest products provided both subsistence and market income. The Soliga practice fire management, setting small fires to clear undergrowthâa practice initially prohibited by forest departments but now recognized as beneficial for some habitat types.
BRT Tiger Reserve
The BRT Tiger Reserve, established in 2011, encompasses the Soliga homeland. Unlike many tiger reserves where tribal communities were evicted, the Soliga fought for and won recognition of their rights under the Forest Rights Act (2006). In a landmark 2011 ruling, Soliga podus (settlements) received Community Forest Rights within the tiger reserve. This represented a departure from exclusionary conservation, recognizing that Soliga presence was compatible with wildlife protection. Studies have shown that Soliga territories maintain healthy wildlife populations and that Soliga fire and gathering practices may actually benefit certain species. The BRT experience has become a model for community-based conservation in India.
Contemporary Soliga
Modern Soliga navigate between forest-based traditions and integration into modern society. While forest rights have been recognized, economic pressures remain: gathering income is limited, and many Soliga work as agricultural laborers outside their traditional areas. Education has expanded, with some Soliga students reaching higher education. The Soliga have organized politically through organizations like the Soliga Abhivrudhi Sangha (Soliga Development Association), advocating for rights and services. Eco-tourism initiatives employ some community members as guides, sharing forest knowledge with visitors. Health services have improved, though challenges remain. The Soliga demonstrate possibilities for indigenous peoples to maintain forest connections while adapting to contemporary circumstances, offering alternatives to displacement-based conservation.
References
- Madegowda, C. (2009). Traditional Knowledge and Conservation
- Rai, N. D. et al. (2018). The Role of Indigenous Communities in Tiger Conservation
- Thekaekara, T. et al. (2017). Sacred Groves and Tribal Communities: A Case Study of the Soliga of BRT