The Socio-Cultural Lifeworld of the Irulas of the Western Ghats

Abstract

Abstract

The Irulas constitute one of the largest Scheduled Tribe communities inhabiting the southern reaches of the Western Ghats, with their principal settlements concentrated in the Attappady region of Kerala. Existing studies have largely examined isolated aspects of their society, including ethno-history, ritual practices, education, or livelihood, resulting in a fragmented understanding of the community. The present study brings these dimensions together to examine the socio-cultural landscape of the Irulas as an interconnected system shaped by ecology, social organization, customary institutions, and contemporary socio-economic change. The study draws upon primary field data collected from Irula settlements in Attappady through household surveys, interviews with community elders and traditional leaders, field observations, and documentary evidence, supplemented by census reports and published literature. The analysis demonstrates that Irula society continues to preserve distinctive institutions of kinship, settlement organization, customary leadership, ritual life, and indigenous ecological knowledge despite increasing integration into state welfare programs, formal education, and wage-based livelihoods. Rather than interpreting change as a process of cultural erosion, the study shows that the community selectively accommodates external influences while maintaining core social and cultural institutions that continue to regulate everyday life. The article argues that the socio-cultural landscape of the Irulas is best understood as a dynamic interaction between environmental adaptation, collective memory, customary governance, and developmental interventions. Such an integrated perspective contributes to a more comprehensive understanding of indigenous communities in the Western Ghats and highlights the importance of viewing tribal societies beyond static ethnographic descriptions or purely developmental narratives.