Toda

Indian civilization encompasses a diverse array of cultures, with tribal cultures holding significant importance, especially in the modern context of individuals seeking their roots. According to Census reports, approximately 6.97% of India’s population are tribals, ranging from small communities like the Andamanese to larger ones like the Bhils, numbering over 5 million. These tribes exhibit various racial types, including proto-Australoid, Mongoloid, Negrito stocks, with contributions from Palaealpine, Nordic, Mediterranean, and Negroid backgrounds. Their languages belong to major language families, with Austric, Dravidian, and Tibeto-Chinese being predominant.

Traditionally, tribal societies rely on agriculture, forestry, and animal husbandry for sustenance, though many are adapting to changing circumstances.

Toda

The Toda, a small pastoral tribe, inhabit the Nilgiris in Tamil Nadu. Their economy, social status, and religious practices revolve around the buffalo, which they believe will serve the departed soul in the afterlife. The Toda tribe practices polyandry, and their social structure lacks an equivalent term for marriage. Matches are arranged by parents, and fatherhood is established through a ceremonial bow and arrow ritual performed by the sire when a child is born. Traditionally, Toda women wear white cotton dresses intricately embroidered in red and black.

(Consultant for text: B. K. Roy Burman)