Koya Tribe

Koya Tribe Latest News

The Supreme Court recently issued notice on a plea by Koya tribe members challenging Telangana HC’s order on the ST status of Lambadi, Sugali & Banjara communities, citing the impact on reservation benefits.

About Koya Tribe

• The Koya are one of the few multi-racial and multi-lingual tribal communities in India.
• They live in the forests, plains, and valleys on both sides of the Godavari River, in the states of Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Chhattisgarh, and Odisha. 
• According to the 2011 census, the total population of these tribes in India is 7,38,629.
• The Koyas call themselves as “Koithur“
• They are said to have migrated to central India from their original home in Bastar, northern India.

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Koya Tribe Language

• Koyas speaks the Koya language, also known as koya basha, and is a member of the Dravidian language family. It is closely related to Gondi and has been strongly influenced by Telugu.
• Most Koyas speak either Gondi or Telugu, in addition to Koyi.

Koya Tribe Occupation

• Traditionally, they were pastoralists and shifting cultivators, but nowadays, they have taken to settled cultivation supplemented by animal husbandry and seasonal forest collections.
• They grow Jowar, Ragi, Bajra, and other millets. 

Koya Tribe Society and Culture

• All Koya belong to one of five sub-divisions called gotrams. Every Koya is born into a clan, and he cannot leave it.
• The Koyas have a patrilineal and patrilocal family. The family is called “Kutum”. The nuclear family is the predominant type.
• Monogamy is prevalent among the Koyas.
• The Koya usually live in villages located near dependable water sources. 
• Villages vary in size from three to more than sixty houses.
• The chief of every Koya village is called “Peda’.
• The Koya practice their own ethnic religion, but also worship a number of Hindu gods and goddesses.
• Many Koya deities are female, the most important being the “mother earth.”
• They maintain community funds and grain banks at the village level to help the needy families and provide food security.
• Koyas either bury or cremate the dead. They erect menhirs in memory of the dead.
• Their main festivals are Vijji Pandum (seeds charming festival) and KondalaKolupu (festival to appease Hill deities).
• Koyas perform a robust, colourful dance called Permakok (Bison horn dance) during festivals and marriage ceremonies.

Source:  LB