The Adiyas constituted 7,073. The population of Kattunayakan, Mannan, Velladen and Malayan
ranged between 3,000 and 5,000 each, while the Tribes like Oorali, Hill Pulayas and Malai
Arayan numbered between 2,000 and 3,000. The Cholanaikan found in the Nilambur forests of
Malappuram District, is the most primitive Tribal community of Kerala. They live in caves.
Every District in Kerala has some Tribal population. They are found significantly in the Districts
of Wayanad, Kannur, Kozhikode, Palakkad and Idukki. These Districts are having 80% of the
Tribal population in Kerala. However, the main Tribal Communities are in the Taluks with
North Wayanad, South Wayanad, Mannerghat, Devikulam and Thodupuzha.
The Tribes have their own special lifestyles, culture, customs, traditions and religious practices.
They do not have a written script. Their history can be traced only through their oral tradition
and religious practices. As a result of the changes taking place, even their practices are becoming
extinct. Now-a-days many Tribal people blindly follow the modern culture. As a result, they are
losing their unique culture, land, language, etc. They have become a minority community
exploited by others.
Tribal hamlets of Attappady are found in all the three Panchayaths, namely, Agali, Pudhur, and
Sholayoor. lrula hamlets dominate in all the three Panchayaths. Kurumbas reside only in Pudhur
and Sholayoor is an exclusively zilla Panchayath. Numerically, lrulas from the largest Tribal
community (82.25%) followed by Mudugas (l2.53%), and Kurumbas (5.22%). The annual
compound growth rate of Kurumbas during the period 1961 to 1981 was 2.44% as against 1.61%
in the case of Mudugas, and 2.41% in the case of lrulas.
4.1.1 Tribes in Attappady
Irulas: The Irulas (Imlans or lrulars), the numerically dominant Tribe of Attappady, derive their
name from their pitch-black complexion. Irulars are of Tamil origin and formerly inhabitants of
Coimbatore District. It is probable that the people in Attappady are the descendants of persons
who had migrated from Coimbatore during a period when Coimbatore and neighbouring places
to experience severe water scarcity. The history of their mass immigration to Attappady dates
back to the end of the 16th century or the beginning of the 17th century. There are at present 104
lrula hamlets in Attappady. Irulas are of medium height, long armed and have curly hair,
prominent cheekbones and narrow noses. They speak a mixture of Malayalam, Kannada and
Tamil.
Originally they practiced shifting cultivation. As a consequence of the widespread encroachment
of Attappady by mainland settlers Irulas have taken to settle-agriculture and plough cultivation.
They used to cultivate millets such as makkacholam, ragi or French millet and chana, pulses
(like thuvara or red gram) and oilseeds (like groundnut and castor seed). As of now, they have
added to their cropping pattern almost all the crops cultivated by Tamil and Malayali settlers.
The traditional Irula houses are made up of bamboo, mud, and grass and are built in a row in
close proximity to one another. In recent years, the Integrated Tribal Development Project