Korku people

Korku

A Korku family living near Melghat Tiger Reserve, Maharastra
Total population
995,399 (2011 census)
Regions with significant populations
India
Madhya Pradesh	730,847
Maharastra	264,492
Languages
Korku •Marathi •Hindi
Religion
Hinduism

The Korku are an Adivasi ethnic group predominantly found in the Khandwa, Burhanpur, Betul and Chhindwara districts of Madhya Pradesh and adjoining areas near the Melghat Tiger Reserve of Maharashtra. They speak the Korku language, which is a member of the Munda languages and is written using Devanagari. They are classified as a Scheduled Tribe by the Indian government.

Etymology

The name ‘Korku’ is originated from two terms ‘Koro’ and ‘Ku’ whereas ‘Koro’ means person and ‘Ku’ means alive. In combination, the two words ‘Koro and Ku’ can be defined as the alive member. The Korkus are a Munda tribe and live near a Dravidian-speaking tribe — the Gonds. The Korku people are believed to have been initially a hunter-gatherer community who dwelt in the forests of the Satpura Range on both sides of the Tapti River.

Dwelling

The Korku tribe lives in small groups of huts made of grass and wood. Every household has an elevated stage-like structure at the front side of the house. This elevated stage is used as a storage space for farm produce such as cattle feed. They consume liquor made from the flowers of the Mahua tree which is prepared in almost all the houses. Predominantly, a rural-based community with 97% living in rural areas, Korkus are primarily cultivators.

Whilst they share the love of the forests with the Gonds, they are also excellent agriculturists and Korkus in Bhainsdehi tahsil of the Betul district of Madhya Pradesh have pioneered the cultivation of potato and coffee. In their traditional festivals of Hari and Jitori, they celebrate a month long planting campaign. In this way they combat malnutrition and environmental degradation.

The community is home to a unique and distinct culture, and possesses a rich heritage of age old traditional systems of knowledge, belief, customs and social system. The traditional representative body of the society, known as ‘Korku Panchayat’, is found in many villages. Headed by a chief known as Patel, other members of the Panchayat include Padihar (priest), Kotwar (Chaukidar) and ten to twelve older male members of the community known as Panch. It plays a decisive role during traditional occasions such as festivals, marriages and intra- and inter-village conflict resolution. Known for poverty, hunger, malnutrition, mass-scale exploitation by moneylenders and traders, the community confronts numerous socio-economic challenges in its day-to-day life partly due to the poor natural resource bases. Although agriculture is the primary source of livelihoods for most community members, many of them earn their livelihoods seasonally employed as agricultural labourers.

Korku Folk Dance in village near Hatru

Korku Tribal girl at an event in Delh

See also

• Munda peoples