1. Introduction
- The Koya are one of the major Scheduled Tribes (STs) of central and southern India.
- They belong to the Dravidian ethnolinguistic group.
- They are traditionally associated with forest-based livelihoods and shifting cultivation.
- They are considered one of the important tribal communities for UPSC Prelims and Mains, especially under Indian Society, Tribal Issues, Geography, and Anthropology.
2. Distribution
Majorly found in:
- Telangana (Bhadradri Kothagudem, Mulugu)
- Andhra Pradesh (Alluri Sitarama Raju district, East Godavari)
- Chhattisgarh (Sukma, Bijapur, Dantewada)
- Odisha (Malkangiri)
- Small populations in Maharashtra
Important Region: Godavari River Basin.
The Koyas call themselves as “Koithur“
They are said to have migrated to central India from their original home in Bastar, northern India.
Traditionally, they were pastoralists and shifting cultivators, but nowadays, they have taken to settled cultivation supplemented by animal husbandry and seasonal forest collections.
All Koya belong to one of five sub-divisions called gotrams.
Every Koya is born into a clan, and he cannot leave it.
The Koyas have a patrilineal and patrilocal family. The family is called “Kutum”.
The nuclear family is the predominant type.
Monogamy is prevalent among the Koyas.
The Koya usually live in villages located near dependable water sources.
Villages vary in size from three to more than sixty houses.
The chief of every Koya village is called “Peda’.
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