Soligas And Yeravas:
The Soligas and Yeravas, indigenous groups living in the Western Ghats, forage foods from the biodiversity-rich region, forming a significant part of their diets.
- The recently launched book “Forgotten Trails: Foraging Wild Edibles” chronicles the diverse foods foraged by these tribes, emphasizing the importance of preserving traditional knowledge and addressing the impact of land use changes and shifting policies on their food sources.
- The Soligas are an indigenous community residing in the Cauvery Basin and surrounding hills of peninsular India.
- The Soligas speak Sholaga, belong to the Dravidian family, and practice a blend of naturism, animism, and Hinduism, with Madeshwara as their primary deity.
- Notably, they are the first tribal community within an Indian tiger reserve to have their forest rights formally acknowledged by a court of law.
- Yeravas another indigenous community in the same region, migrated from Wayanad district in Kerala and settled in Kodagu district.
- They speak the Revula language, practice Hinduism, and believe in spirits residing in natural elements.
- Yeravas, often agricultural labourers in coffee and tea plantations, include a higher quantity of tubers in their diet compared to Soligas.
- They consume mushrooms during the monsoon season, and their settlements are called ‘Kunju.’
