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Kadar people
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Key Information
The Kadar (also spelled Kadan or Kadir)[3] are a tribal community or indigenous community in India, a designated Scheduled Tribe in the states of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka,[4] and Kerala.[2] They are an aboriginal tribe whose traditional way of life has been based on hunting and gathering.
Name
[edit]Their name likely derives from the South Dravidian word kaadu meaning 'forest',[5][6][7] either from Malayalam[8] or from Tamil.[9] The name is likely an exonym.[10]
Dwelling
[edit]They used to stay in the Annamalai Hills in the Western Ghats,[11] but moved to other locations over the years.[12][13] In a 1955 report, the Kadars were reported to reside in Tonder Desam, Terriote and Mangalasseri of Wynaad taluk.[14] They also live in Palghat and Trichur districts.[15]
Economy
[edit]They specialized in collecting honey, wax, sago, arrowroot, cardamom, ginger, and umbrella sticks for trade with merchants from the plains.[16] The people of the Paraiyar community claim that the Kadars are part of Paraiyar who live and take care of forest and forest lives.[17][18]
Modern history
[edit]In the early twentieth century, the Kadars used to work with forest officials to take care of forest and guide royal hunting parties in the princely state of Cochin.[12] Currently, many of the tribe members have moved to areas closer to the plains and urban areas. In addition to their traditional occupations, they work as agricultural laborers, basket makers and map weavers. They face many issues such as lack of infrastructure and educational opportunities. They do not interact with other communities as outsiders are prohibited from entering the forests they live in, in order to protect the wildlife.[19] However, in recent decades, many Kadar tribe members have joined mainstream educational institutions and work places and married outside the tribe.[13] Their language Kadar is critically endangered and at risk of disappearing forever due to speakers shifting to regional languages such as Tamil.[20] The Kadars practice Animism and Hinduism.
Notable people
[edit]Geetha Vazhachal, from the Kadar community settled in Vazhacal, Thrissur, is a well-known and award-winning activist who works for the rights of the community.[21]
References
[edit]- ^ The culture of India. New York, NY: Britannica Educational Pub. in association with Rosen Educational Services. 2011. p. 29.
The Kadar population was estimated at approximately 2,000 individuals in the early 21st century
- ^ a b c "Kadar". Ethnologue. 2016-02-20. Retrieved 2019-10-30.
- ^ Luiz, A. A. D. (1986) [1962]. Tribes of Kerala. Bharatiya Adimjati Sevak Sangh. p. 59.
- ^ "KIRTADS | Tribals in Kerala". Kirtads.kerala.gov.in. Retrieved 2019-10-30.[permanent dead link]
- ^ Majumdar, Dhirendra Nath (1951) [1944]. Races & Cultures of India (second ed.). Universal Publishers. p. 91.
Kadar means forest-dweller.
- ^ Ehrenfels, U. R. (1952). Kadar of Cochin. Anthropological series. Vol. 1. Madras: University of Madras. p. 3n8.
- ^ Luiz, A. A. D. (1986) [1962]. Tribes of Kerala. Bharatiya Adimjati Sevak Sangh. p. 59.
Their name connotes that they are 'Al' (people) of the Kad (forest).
- ^ Mathur, P.R.G. (1996). "Kadar". The Encyclopaedia of Dravidian Tribes. Vol. 2. International School of Dravidian Linguistics. p. 76. ISBN 9788185692166.
The word, kādan, in Malayalam, means the dweller in a forest (plural - kādar). The tribe obviously got the name because of their exclusively forest habitat.
- ^ Chakraborti, Mukul; Mukherji, Dipak (1971). "3. The Kadars". Indian Tribes. Calcutta: Saraswat Library. pp. 37–54 [37].
The word 'kadar' is the plural form of Kadan ('forest dweller') derived from Kadu which means forest in Tamil.
- ^ Chakraborti, Mukul; Mukherji, Dipak (1971). "3. The Kadars". Indian Tribes. Calcutta: Saraswat Library. pp. 37–54 [37].
The plainsmen designate this tribe only by this term [Kadar], other forest dewlling (sic) tribes being known by different names. In anthropological literature the tribe is known as Kadar or Kadir.
- ^ Iyer, L. K. Ananta Krishna (1981) [1909]. "1. The Kadars". Tribes And Castes Of Cochin. Vol. 1. Cosmo Publications. pp. 1–27 [1].
- ^ a b Thurston, Edgar (1909). Castes and Tribes of Southern India, Vol 3. Madras: Government Press. pp. 6–29.
- ^ a b "Kadar Education at Vazhachal". The Kerala Museum. Retrieved 2024-06-03.
- ^ The Adivasis. Publications Division, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Govt. of India. 1960 [1955]. p. 50.
- ^ Luiz, A. A. D. (1986) [1962]. Tribes of Kerala. Bharatiya Adimjati Sevak Sangh. p. 59.
- ^ The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica (15 September 2014). "Kadar". Britannica. Retrieved 25 May 2023.
{{cite web}}:|author=has generic name (help) - ^ "Data" (PDF). egyankosh.ac.in. Retrieved 2019-10-30.
- ^ totem (2014-12-18). "Tribal Communities of Kerala | totem". Totemngo.wordpress.com. Retrieved 2019-10-30.
- ^ "Kadan in India".
- ^ Chandramohan, P. (2025). "Kadar—An Endangered Dravidian Tribal Language of India". In N. S. Dash; S. Arulmozi; N. Ramesh (eds.). Handbook on Endangered South Asian and Southeast Asian Languages. Cham: Springer. pp. 331–363. doi:10.1007/978-3-031-80752-7_15. ISBN 978-3-031-80751-0.
- ^ Binoy, Anna (2018-06-05). "Recounting the tales of displacement, injustice and marginalisation". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 2025-09-14.
- Bibliography
- Iyer, L. K. Ananta Krishna (1981) [1909]. "1. The Kadars". Tribes And Castes Of Cochin. Vol. 1. Cosmo Publications. pp. 1–27.
- Ehrenfels, U. R. (1952). Kadar of Cochin. Anthropological series. Vol. 1. Madras: University of Madras.
- Luiz, A. A. D. (1986) [1962]. Tribes of Kerala. Bharatiya Adimjati Sevak Sangh. pp. 59–64.
- Chakraborti, Mukul; Mukherji, Dipak (1971). "3. The Kadars". Indian Tribes. Calcutta: Saraswat Library. pp. 37–54.
- Mathur, P.R.G. (1996). "Kadar". The Encyclopaedia of Dravidian Tribes. Vol. 2. International School of Dravidian Linguistics. pp. 76–86. ISBN 9788185692166.
Further reading
[edit]- v. Ehrenfels, U. R. (1950). "A Kadan Creation-Myth". Anthropos. 45 (1/3): 165–76. JSTOR 40450835.. Accessed 6 Dec. 2025.
- Hermanns, M. (1955). "161. Contributions to the Study of Kadan Religion". Man. 55: 145–51. doi:10.2307/2793482. JSTOR 2793482. Accessed 6 Dec. 2025.
- The Adivasis. Publications Division, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Govt. of India. 1960 [1955]. pp. 50-51 (religion).
- Ehrenfels, U. R. (1956). "75. Kadan Religion". Man. 56: 75–76. JSTOR 2794342. Accessed 6 Dec. 2025.
- Sarkar, Sasanka Sekher (1960). A Physical Survey of the Kadar of Kerala. Department of Anthropology, Government of India.
- von Ehrenfels, Umar Rolf Freiherr (1969). Innere Entwicklungshilfe: eine ethnologische Studie in Südindien. Schriftenreihe des Südasien-Instituts der Universität Heidelberg (in German). Vol. 8. O. Harrassowitz. ISSN 0440-601X.
- SAHA, N.; KIRK, R.L.; SHANBAG, S.; JOSHI, S.R.; BHATIA, H.M. (1974). "Genetic studies among the Kadar of Kerala". Human Heredity. 24 (2): 198–218. doi:10.1159/000152653. PMID 4424647.
- Chakrabarti, S.B. (Mar 1979). "Economic transmutations in a food gathering ecology - a note on the Kadar of Kerala". Journal of the Indian Anthropological Society. 14 (l): 33–40.
- Thundy, Zacharias P. [in German] (1983). South Indian Folktales of Kadar. Archana Publications.
- Chakrabarti, S. B. (1987). "Family, Marriage and Kinship System in a Food Gathering Community: A Note on the Kadar of Kerala". Human Science. 36: 175–185.
- Sindhu, K. K. (2023). Socio Cultural Identity of Tribes Kadar Community in Athirapally (PhD). University of Kerala. hdl:10603/571364.
External links
[edit]
Media related to Kadar people at Wikimedia Commons
