Chenchu people
 | This article includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations. (October 2018) |
 Chenchu man hunting, Nallamala Forests, Andhra Pradesh | |
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| c. 65,000 | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Andhra Pradesh, Telangana | |
| Languages | |
| Chenchu language | |
| Religion | |
| Hinduism | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
The Chenchus are a Dravidian tribe, a designated Scheduled Tribe in the Indian states of Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka and Odisha.[1] 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 Andhra Pradesh.
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.
See also
- Christoph von Fürer-Haimendorf
- Chenchu Lakshmi, 1958 Telugu film
References
- Fürer-Haimendorf, Christoph von (1943) The Chenchus: A Jungle Folk of the Deccan. London: MacMillan and Co.
- Betageri, Prahlad (1993) Adavichenchara Samskruti. Bangalore: Karnataka Sahitya Academy. (in Kannada)
Footnotes
- ^ "List of notified Scheduled Tribes" (PDF). Census India. Archived from the original (PDF) on 7 November 2013. Retrieved 15 December 2013.
External links
- CEPCE India
- Chenchu Empowerment Programme
- Sathya Mohan. Children of the Forest — India (Documentary). Journeyman Pictures. Archived from the original (streamed video) on 5 June 2010.
- The Chenchus A photo essay
- A Night With the Tribals
- This article includes material from the public domain Library of Congress Country Study on India.
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