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Chenchu people
Indigenous Scheduled Tribe from India From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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The Chenchus are a Dravidian tribe, designated as Scheduled Tribe in the Indian states of Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka and Odisha.[2] They are an aboriginal tribe whose traditional way of life been based on hunting and gathering. The Chenchus speak the Chenchu language, a member of the Dravidian language family. In general, the Chenchu relationship to non-tribal people has been largely symbiotic. Some Chenchus have continued to specialize in collecting forest products for sale to non-tribal people. Many Chenchus live in the sparse and deciduous Nallamala forest of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.
 | This article includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations. (October 2018) |
The Chenchus are referred to as one of the Primitive Tribal Groups that are still dependent on forests and do not cultivate land but hunt for a living. Non-tribe people living among them rent land from the Chenchus and pay a portion of the harvest. Other people also settled among them with the help of the Chenchus and learned agriculture from them, and the nomadic Banjara herders who graze their cattle in the forest also have been allotted land there. The Chenchus have responded unenthusiastically to government efforts to induce them to take up agriculture themselves.
Settling in South India after leaving the Indus Valley Civilisation around 1800 BCE, Chenchu legend speaks of Induskang, a tribal chief that existed around the time of the migration, known for his exceptional hunting and combat abilities. The figure remains vital in their folk literature, best preserved in a poem Chenchu mothers traditionally recite to their children at night, depicting the triumph of Induskang over the rakshasa Kurisprayata.
The Chenchus are primarily Hindus. The legendary Shaiva saint Kannappa is also a Chenchu and is revered in Hindu Shaivic traditions for his deep devotion to Lord Shiva. His story is closely connected with the Srikalahasteeswara Temple in Andhra Pradesh. He is one of the 63 Nayanmars in the Saiva Siddhanta tradition and believed to be a reincarnation of Arjuna from the Mahabharata times.
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See also
- Christoph von Fürer-Haimendorf
- Chenchu Lakshmi, 1958 Telugu film
- Poda Thurpu
References
External links
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