Soliga Tribe

Soliga Tribe Latest News

A recent study showed that fortress conservation approach has led to uprooting, ongoing distress and despondency worldwide, and offers the Soligas in the Biligiri Rangaswamy Temple Wildlife Sanctuary (BRTWS) as a prime conservation exemplar. 

About Soliga Tribe

• The term “Soliga” literally translates to “children of bamboo”, which reflects the tribe’s relationship with nature and their belief that they too have emerged from it.
• Distribution: They are a group of indigenous, forest-dwelling people found mostly in Tamil Nadu and Karnataka.
• They reside in the peripheral forest areas near Biligiri Rangana Hills and Male Mahadeshwara Hills.
• Soligas was the first tribal community living inside a tiger reserve and getting their forest rights recognised by a court in a judgment in 2011.
• Language: The Dravidian language sholaga is spoken by the Soliga. They also speak Kannada and Tamil.
• The Soligas live in single-room huts, built of bamboo and mud.
• They believe in coexisting with the environment and have indigenous ways of using nature to make unique utility products, such as the ‘jottai’, which is a cup made out of leaves.
• Religion of Soliga Tribes : Along with adhering to Hindu customs, the Soliga people practice naturism and animism.
• Economy:  The traditional economy of the Soliga is mostly based on shifting cultivation and collection of minor forest produce.

Source: TH

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