TODA TRIBE


Interested in knowing about the tribal people living in India? 


According to the 2011 census carried out by the Government of India, there are about 10.42 crore tribal people living across India and nearly 90% of that population live in rural areas. Each tribe is unique in their own way, their physical appearances, the language they speak, the customs they follow etc, are all unique to each and every one of them.

While there is a lot of information available online about the various tribes, we would like to present some details about the Toda Tribe. 

They are one of oldest tribes living in the Nilgiri mountains in South India. Some reports say that they have been living in this region for the last 3500 years.  There are various theories regarding their origin. They traditionally live in settlements called, Mund. Each settlement usually consists of  three to seven small thatched houses. They have their own language which does not have a script. They largely depend on the products made from the milk of the buffaloes they rear and the art of embroidery, for their livelihood. 

The embroidery they do, is locally called the Pukhoor or Poothkuli and is exclusively done by the Toda women. It is done on a white cloth with red and black threads. The embroidered shawls are used by both men and women and is also part of their ceremonial attire. The symmetry and finish they achieve is simply remarkable. 


                                                
  Toda tribal women in their traditional attire.


Keeping the current market trends in mind, they have started using their embroidery to embellish various other items rather than just the traditional shawls. We, at Vivardhini, bring to you a small collection of such items.

We hope you have enjoyed reading about them. Your suggestions and feedback is extremely valuable to us. Please do drop us a note in the comments below. 


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