OUTLINE OF THE PROPOSED TOPIC OF RESEARCH

Name of the candidate

: B.GNANA BHARATHI

ID No

: 2013PHXF012G

Place of Research work & Organization : BITS Pilani, K. K. Birla Goa Campus

Proposed Supervisor Details

Name

Dr. K.A.Geetha

Qualification

Ph.D

Designation

Assistant Professor

Organization

BITS Pilani, K.K.Birla Goa Campus

Proposed Co-Supervisors details

Name

Qualification

Designation

Organization

1. Proposed Topic of Research : A Comparative Cultural Study of the Irula Kurumba Tamil
Folk Narratives.
2. Objectives of the proposed research:a. To provide an adequate collection and English translation of the various oratory genres,
pertaining to the indigenous Irula- Kurumba community residing in Tamil Nadu.

b. To understand and interpret various cultural nuances and resistances present within these
two folk narratives.
c. To de-centralize the mainstream dominant (Western) literary canons and find an ideal
niche for these Oratures in the mainstream curriculum (English literary studies).
Key Words:-Irulas, Kurumbas, Oral Traditions, Folklore, Folkmore, Curriculum,Translation.
3. BACKGROUND OF THE PROPOSED RESEARCH
3.1 Introduction
Oral traditions (Oratures) have been the backbone of ethnic communities that disseminate
indigenous arts and letters. They are a living tradition that spans across ancient and
contemporary periods in all aspects of cultural life. A number of studies have emphasized the
necessity to reiterate the vitality of these indigenous traditions and in intensifying their
educational values. Predominantly these narratives rely on various genres like proverbs, riddles,
trickster tales, puzzles, songs, street plays, chants, etc. These traditions see culture as something
interconnected that inspires and sustains these indigenous communities. These narratives being
passed from generation to generation, through socialization and informal apprenticeships have
always remained the most effective and a cognitive method of learning, thereby disseminating
ethnic values and customs. Most performers start their training within the family with the help of
adult narrative performers, who in turn encourage children to learn through active participation
thereby enabling them to relate to their immediate environment and stabilize their communal
identity to a vast extent. Often in these narratives, the main characters life and experiences
portray heroic deeds, acts of kindness, honesty and perseverance that reinforce strong communal
values, its belief systems and ideology.

This research proposes to collect, study and analyze the oral genres of two south Indian ethnic
(Indigenous) groups called the Irulas and the Kurumbas. The research focuses on the Irula and
the Kurumba communities residing in Tamil Nadu. The study primarily focuses on the wealth of
oratures that these ethnic groups possess and have retained from their ancient times. These ethnic
groups being constitutionally categorized as Scheduled tribes have a population estimated to be
more than 90,000 in number. The ethnic decent of the language irulika (spoken by the Irulas)
and the kuruba (a sort of a pidgin Tamil spoken by Kurumbas) can be traced to the Dravidian
family of languages. Traditionally, the Irulas have been in the occupation of snake and rat
catching and are well known for their indigenous medical therapies. They also work as laborers
(Coolies) in the fields of the landlords during sowing and harvesting seasons and earn their
additional wages. Also among certain coastal parts of Tamil Nadu, fishing has been a major
occupation for the Irulas. The early 20th century anthropological literatures have classified the
Irulas under the Negrito ethnic group and unlike the Andaman tribes who have retained their
native language, the Irulas of Tamil Nadu have adopted regional languages. Unlike the Irulas, the
Kurumbas are primarily a hunting, gathering and bartering community, who provide goods to
other tribes and show prowess in the art of sorcery and ritual performances. Early settlements
were usually isolated, with Kurumbas living in caves or rock shelters, or in dwellings near forest
clearings, or in small hamlets interspersed with garden patches. Bananas, mangoes, jackfruit,
maize and chilies were the usual garden produce. Today, with increasing population and
deforestation, the Kurumbas have been shifted to lower elevations of the plateau and subsist
primarily by working on tea or coffee plantations. The Kurumbas live on the steep edges of the
mountain plateaus and practice shifting cultivation and manage a small scale livelihood by
hunting and selling small birds and animals

Literature Review
The folklore literature today is emerging as an interesting area of study for various academic
scholars and folklorists. Through an in depth analysis of the various genres of Irula and the
Kurumba oral traditions of Tamil Nadu, writers like Bakthavatsala Bharathi, [1] have highlighted
the distinct space that these ethnic oratures have to gain within the present academic milieu.
Nirmal Kumar Bose, who has worked widely with the tribal communities of North India has
emphasized on the need to view folklore not as an exotic entity but rather as a common one,
whose characteristics seem to exist very much with other cultures [2]. Today, with a constant
contact with the modern world, the tribal communities have undergone alterations in its social
structures. The socio-cultural changes have provided a new perspective of these ethnic
communities and their struggle to establish an ideal niche in the global scenario [3]. Dr. Pauline
Das has made an in depth study of the Irulika language and literature and points out the
importance of safeguarding the uniqueness of Irulika language that is on the verge of extinction
[4]. The various ecological conditions, the prevalent caste structures, hegemony and other
hierarchical issues that are usually present in these ethnic societies have become important areas
of discussion in cultural studies [5]. Ganesh Devy gives an illuminating account of the
worldviews nurtured and sustained by indigenous communities from across continents, through
their distinctive understanding of concepts such as space, time, joy, pain, life and death. He
demonstrates how this different mode of knowing has brought the indigenous into a cultural
conflict with communities that claim to be modern and scientific. Bringing together scholars,
artists and activists engaged in understanding and conserving local knowledge (that continues to
be in the shadow of cultural extinction), his work attempts to interpret the repercussions of
modernity on ethnic identity thereby inaugurating a new thematic area in post-colonial studies
4

and cultural anthropology, highlighting the perspectives of marginalized indigenous

communities, often burdened with being viewed as primitive [6]. Analyzing the atrocities
inflicted upon these ethnic communities like political and economical deprivations of their native
lands and sexual exploitation of tribal women, Devy and Clare emphasize the need to understand
and take up tribal issues more sensitively [7-8]. On the other hand, the study of oral formulas,
rhyming patterns and their various performative and functionalistic theories, that directly relate
to geographical and ideological settings of ethnic communities have gained an interesting ground
of study in the vital concept of space [9-10]. The understanding of the fascinating doodling, wall
paintings, articrafts and various other crafted miniatures have led to a better understanding of
ethnic psychologies [11]. Apart from this, in recent times, the tribal dances and the folk
vocabulary with its phonology or chants that are uttered during the performances of the Irulas
and Kurumbas (residing in the Nilgris biosphere) have become an interesting area of language,
linguistics and culture studies [12-13]. The various cult formations and their significance in
relation to their communal lifestyle and belief systems have also contributed immensely, for an
in-depth understanding of the indigenous ethnic ideologies [14]. Further, the various oratory
research studies on the Nigerian Yoruban ethnic communities, have strongly stressed upon the
visibility of the close cultural connections found between Yoruban tribes and many other
indigenous tribes of southern India [15-16]. Hence, to a large extent, ethnic studies and its
incorporation into the mainstream Indian curriculum have a long way to go by adopting new
strategies in learning and pedagogy [17-18].

Gaps in Existing Research

Though studies have been conducted on the Irula and Kurumba communities, a comparative
analysis of the two Dravidian ethnic communities has not been attempted so far. An adequate
documentation and study of their folk songs has been done on a large scale but other oral genres
like riddles, puzzles, folk stories, trickster tales, childrens street culture, etc., have been
overlooked. Further, an in depth analysis and translation of these genres in English have been
very few. Apart from documenting their folklore, this research would examine and understand
the Irula-Kurumba cultural adaptations and changes in the twenty-first century. A detailed
analysis of their internal communal conflicts and other hierarchical issues would also be
undertaken. Recent research in anthropological studies have emphasized on the need of a
comparative cultural study. Today, through the contact with the modern civilization, the
introverted cultures of these ethnic communities have been radically altered due to inter-cultural
pressure, thereby making cultural studies today to include both the indigenous as well as the
urban societies. In addition, this research would also attempt to study the concept of folkmore
and its present day influence on these two ethnic folk narratives and their culture.
Folkmore being the study of lifestyles and belief systems, attempts to analyze folklore not as
unique or a kind of compartmentalized entity, but rather as being cosmopolitan and global.
Analysis of folklore as a continuum of modern and indigenous cultures would offer new insights
into the study of these folk narratives.
Methodology
This research would help in identifying important perspectives and ideas that have resulted in
shaping ethnic studies. This study involves an extensive documentation and analysis of the IrulaKurumba folk narratives. Firstly, a collection of various oratory genres of the indigenous Irula
6

and Kurumba community present in Tamil Nadu would be done. Secondly, the collected data
would be translated from Tamil to English. In order to obtain a holistic perspective, personal
observation and interviews with Irulas, Kurumbas and folklorists would be undertaken, to find
out the extent and impact of the folkmoric influences on contemporary lifestyles of indigenous
communities. Since the study would also be focusing on the responses of academia to folk
literatures, a qualitative study based on interviews and focus group discussions with the
academia would be conducted. Syllabus framers, Professors, research scholars and students of
both Tamil and English departments would be asked to give their views on incorporating these
folk- narrative into the present day literary studies curriculum. Hence on a whole, the qualitative
analysis of the data collected through the survey, would be taken up in order to realize the stated
objectives.
Work Plan
Phase 1: Review of Literature and formulating a detailed account of various oral genres of
Irula and Kurumba communities of Tamil Nadu.
Phase 2: Field Work and Data collection
Phase 3: Translation and analysis of folk narratives from Tamil to English.
Phase 4: Interview with Academia and analysis.
Phase 5: Analysis of the data collected from the academia.
Phase 6: Conclusion and thesis writing.

Plan of Work Chart

Phase 6
Phase 5

A
Phase 4

Phase 3

T
Phase 2

I
V

Phase 1

I
T
Y
6

12

1824

30

36

Duration in Months

References
[1]. Bharathi, Bakthavatsala. Manidaviyal Utpirivukal. Panpattu Manidaviyal. 1990, 10: 214230.
[2]. Bose, Nirmal Kumar. Nomadic Groups. Tribal Life in India.2004, 8: 112-123.
[3]. Chacko. Social Organisation. Tribal communities and Social change.2005, 12: 78-91.
[4]. Das, Pauline. The Irula. Irula language and literature.2013, 2: 18-27.
[5]. Devy, G.N. The Education. Knowing Differently: The Cognitive Challenges of the
Indigenous.2013, 11: 103-121.
[6]. Devi, Sailaja. The Nest. Socio- Economic conditions of Tribes.2005, 5: 22-36.
[7]. Devy, G.N. Vernacular. In another Tongue.1993, 13: 178-193.
[8]. Anderson, Clare. The Other. Legible Bodies: Race, Criminality and Colonialism in
SouthAsia. 2004, 5: 52-71.
[9]. Amos, Dan Ben. Flow and Music. Folklore Genres.1981, 10: 316-347.
[10]. Archer, W.G. Eco Tunes. The Hill of Flutes: Life, Love and Poetry in Tribal India:
aPortrait of the Santals. 1974, 12: 212-256.
[11]. Devy, G.N. Painted Words. An Anthology of Tribal Literature.2002, 2: 38-62.
[12]. Gunasekaran, A.K. AatakkalaiMuraikal. Nilagiri Malaiyin Makkal Aatangal. 1989,2: 2060.
[13]. Perialwar, R. Irulam. Phonology of the Irulas. 1979, 4: 73-88.
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[14]. Tremaine, Herbert. The Cult. The Tribal God.2010, 13: 212-263.
[15]. Neil, Dolapo Adeniji. Art, Music and Dance. The Yoruba Culture as Indigenous
Education.2009, 10: 130-216.
[16]. Tutuola, Amos. The Immediate. Yoruba Folk Tales.2000, 3: 41-73.
[17]. Reddy, P. Adinarayana., Uma D.Devi., Mahadeva E. Reddy. Culture is Learned. Tribal
Education: Problems and Strategies.2010, 6: 188-226.
[18]. Yadappanavar, A.V. The Comparative Science of Culture. Tribal Education in India.2003,
4: 181- 238.

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