The Paliyan , or Pulliyar , Palaiyar or Pazhaiyarare are a group of around 9,500 formerly nomadic Dravidian tribals living in the South Western Ghats montane rain forests in South India , especially in Tamil Nadu and Kerala . They are traditional nomadic hunter-gatherers , honey hunters and foragers. Yams are their major food source. In the early part of the 20th century the Paliyans dressed scantily and lived in rock crevices and caves. Most have now transformed to traders of forest products, food cultivators and beekeepers. Some work intermittently as wage laborers, mostly on plantations. They are a Scheduled Tribe . They speak a Dravidian language, Paliyan , closely related to Tamil .
17-512: "Thurston,(1909) quoting from the writing of Rev. F. Dahman.(1908) describes Palians as nomadic tribe, who for the most part rove in small parties through the jungle clad gorges ( Sholas ) that fringe the upper Palnis plateau. Pate (1916) describes Paliyans as a "Very backward caste who live-in small scattered parties amid the jungles of the upper Palnis and the Varrushanadu valley". Gardner describes Paliyans as moderately dark in complexion, short in stature, and their physical characteristics fall within
34-409: A natural setting, cultivating a mature and independent self, respecting all others and fostering a peaceful society". Peter M. Gardner (2000) studied the conflict resolution and nonviolence among recently sedentary Paliyan foragers. According to his research, Paliyan foragers in south India remain relatively nonviolent when becoming sedentary. Successful Paliyan peacekeeping may be due in part to both
51-479: A serious threat to this high elevation ecosystem. Some, like Acacia mearnsii and Eucalyptus globulus are the consequence of commercial plantation and afforestation drives, especially in the Nilgiri Mountains . Other threatening invasive species include Lantana camara and Ageratina adenophora . Periodic fires have been considered to help maintain the grassland, however, excessive burning has led to
68-404: A stable final state or climax vegetation. This stability is maintained by climatic conditions such as frost which allow the grass to grow but kill off any forest seedlings. Others have suggested that the grassland may have been created and maintained by early pastoralists and point out that fire has a major role in the maintenance of the grassland. There is evidence for both and several features of
85-547: Is now restricted to a 400-km stretch of shola-grassland mosaic, from the Nilgiri Hills to the Agasthyamalai Hills . Laughingthrushes , Nilgiri woodpigeons , shortwings , and some of the endemic flycatchers ( black-and-orange flycatcher and Nilgiri flycatcher ) are some of the 300+ species of birds that inhabit this area. The area shows high endemicity and is rivaled only by the forests in northeast India; 35 percent of
102-522: The burning and removal of forests by early herders and shifting agriculturists. Shola forests are found in the higher elevation hill regions of the Nilgiris , Anaimalai , around Anamudi , Palni hills , Meghamalai , Agasthyamalai to the south and the Malnad and associated ranges in parts of Wayanad , Coorg , Baba Budangiri , Kudremukh up the north, to Goa , Satara district and Sindhudurg district in
119-478: The destruction of many species, including the cinnamon through bark collection. But now with only a small population of cinnamon trees surviving deep in the core of the forest, the Paliyan have informed the contractor that 'the cinnamon has been exhausted, and leave these trees alone' Sholas A shola is the local name for a patch of stunted tropical montane forest found in valleys amid rolling grassland in
136-492: The forest trees and the grasslands that have been considered and debated. Pollen analysis from bogs in the Nilgiris suggest that the complex of grassland and forest existed 35,000 years ago, long before human impact began. Long-term studies on the dynamic processes of vegetation change continue. Due to their isolation, elevation, and evergreen character, shola forests are home to many threatened and endemic species . Some of
153-458: The genus Colias , it is found at high elevations and subtropical climate. However, this is the only one found in South India. Among the many larger animals inhabiting a shola-grassland mosaic are tigers , leopards , elephants and gaur . The endangered Nilgiri tahr (of the family Bovidae , which includes gazelles, antelopes, and wild buffaloes) is endemic to the shola-grassland, and its range
170-493: The higher montane regions of South India , largely in Kerala , Karnataka and Tamilnadu . These patches of shola forest are found mainly in the valleys and are usually separated from one another by undulating montane grassland . The shola and grassland together form the shola-grassland complex or mosaic. Not all such high-elevation grasslands have sholas in their valleys, especially if they are isolated from other such meadows, such as
187-627: The meadows found in the Idamalayar Reserve Forest in Ernakulam district of Kerala . The word 'Shola' is probably derived from the Tamil language word cōlai (சோலை) meaning grove . The shola-forest and grassland complex has been described as a climatic climax vegetation with forest regeneration and expansion restricted by climatic conditions such as frost or soil characteristics while others have suggested that it may have anthropogenic origins in
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#1732858612618204-444: The multiplicity of their safeguards, the prevention of positive feedback and retreat from conflict. In the long run, however, altered treatment of children foreshadows change. The Paliyan are not very willing agents of all this destruction; but with their traditional hunting - gathering economy no longer a practical proposition, they are dependent on forest produce collection for a living. As such, they have been directly responsible for
221-989: The plants, 42 percent of the fish , 48 percent of the reptiles , and 75 percent of the amphibians , and about 13 percent of the insects , about 25 percent not being found east of Bangalore , that live in these forests are endemic species. At least 25 types of trees are present in the major sholas of the Nilgiri Hills . The dominant trees in this type of forest are Magnolia nilagirica , Bischofia javanica (bishop wood), Calophyllum tomentosum , Toona ciliata (Indian mahogany), Eugenia (myrtle) spp., Ficus glomerata (atti or cluster fig tree or gular fig tree) and Mallotus spp. Shola forests have an upper storey of small trees, generally Prunus ceylanica , Heptapleurum racemosum , Chionanthus ramiflorus , Syzygium spp., Rhododendron arboreum subsp. nilagiricum , Berberis napaulensis , Elaeocarpus recurvatus , Ilex denticulata , Magnolia nilagirica , Actinodaphne bourdillonii , and Litsea wightiana . Below
238-414: The range of South and South East Asian. - To learn subsistence skills with minimal formal verbal instruction. - To ascertain themselves what others denote by terms – in the face of substantial interpersonal knowledge variation. - To "know" by testing empirically the validity of theories (e.g., on the condition of a hunted animal) . He summarizes: "The Paliyan prescription for a good life - residing in
255-503: The species found here have close relatives only in the distant evergreen forests of Northeast India , the Himalayas and Southeast Asia . Some others are found nowhere else in the world. The Western Ghats are one of the globally recognized biodiversity hotspots . Colias nilagiriensis is a species of butterfly endemic to shola grasslands above 2000m, sometimes being considered a subspecies of Colias erate . Like most other species in
272-418: The states of Karnataka , Kerala , Goa , Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu . Although generally said to occur above 2000 meters above sea level, shola forests can be found at 1600 meters elevation in many hill ranges (e.g. Biligiriranga Hills ). The origin of the shola forest and grassland complex has been the subject of scientific debate. Some early researchers suggested that the floristic composition represents
289-696: The upper story is a low under story and a dense shrub layer. Strobilanthes kunthiana , known as Kurinji or Neelakurinji in Tamil , is a well known shrub endemic to Western Ghats that blossoms only once in 12 years. There is a thick concentration of mosses growing on the under story and many ferns in the sunlit narrow transition to grassland. Shola forests are interspersed with montane grasslands , characterized by frost- and fire-resistant grass species like Chrysopogon nodulibarbis , Cymbopogon flexuosus , Arundinella ciliata , Arundinella mesophylla , Arundinella tuberculata , Themeda tremula , and Sehima nervosa . Invasive introduced species are
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