Konda Reddy Tribe

02.04.2024

Konda Reddy Tribe

Why in the news?                                           

Recently, Andhra Pradesh Forest Department officials with the help of Konda Reddy tribe discovered water stored in Indian Laurel trees (Terminalia tomentosa) in Papikonda National Park in Alluri Sitarama Raju district.

About Indian Laurel Tree:

• During dry summers, the Indian laurel tree accumulates water which has a strong odor and tastes sour.
• The wood of the Indian laurel, known as Indian silver oak, has great commercial value.
• It is also known as Chinese banyan or Malayan banyan.
• It belongs to the fig family Moraceae and is found mostly in Southeast Asia and Chinese regions.
• It improves soil fertility, provides shade for crops and is a valuable fodder for the Konda Reddy tribe.

About Konda Reddy Tribe:

• The Konda Reddy tribe is classified as a Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group (PVTG).
• They are found in the Eastern Ghats.
• The indigenous knowledge of the Konda Reddy tribe, a particularly vulnerable tribal group living in the Papikonda hill range in the Godavari region, has proven resourceful.
• His mother tongue is Telugu, which has a unique pronunciation.
• The Konda Reddy tribe has been divided into exogamous classes to regulate marital relations among these people.
• Like other Telugu-speaking people, their surnames are prefixed to individual names.
• Generally, each sept is exogamous, but some septs are considered brother septs and marriage alliances with brother septs (endogamy) are prohibited.
• The family is found to be patriarchal.
• Monogamy is the rule in their families, but polygamous families are also found.
• Marriage by negotiation, love and elopement, by service, by capture and by exchange are socially accepted ways of obtaining mates.

Religion of Konda Reddy Tribe:

• The primary religion practiced by the Konda Reddy is folk Hinduism, characterized by local traditions and cults of local deities worshiped at the community level.

Political organization:

• They have their own institution of social control which is called 'Kul Panchayat'.
• Every village has a traditional head called 'Pedda Kapu'.
• The post of head is hereditary and the head is also the priest of the village deities.

Livelihood of Konda Reddy Tribe:

• They are mainly shifting cultivators and depend largely on the flora and fauna of the forest for their livelihood.
• They collect and sell non-timber forest produce like tamarind, adda leaves, myrobalan, broom sticks etc. to supplement their meager income.
• They cultivate jowar on a large scale, which is their staple food.

                                                           Source: The Hindu