1. No category

SOCIO-ECONOMIC CHARACTERISTICS
OF THE SAMPLE HEAD OF
HOUSEHOLDS
-
CHAPTER 5
SOCIO-ECONOMIC CHARACTERISTICS OF THE
SAMPLE HEAD OF HOUSEHOLDS
To study the economies of tribals and their transformatron, a
detailed account of the socio-economic characteristics of the selected
sample head of the households are very necessary. As such an attempt is
made to scrutinise the relevant socio-econom~ccharacteristics of the sample
head of households and highlights the inter-community disparities among
the tribals.
1 . Community of the head of the households.
The sample head of the households belong to two tribal
communities in Wayanad, namely Paniyans and Kur~chians,which could
be seen from Table 5.1
Table 5.1: Community wise distribution of sarnple head of the
households
----
Tr~balcornnil~n~i) Number of samples
Source.. Sample Sun-ey
'
Percentage of the ioral
As the table 5.1 shows among the total 300 samples, we have
selected 66.67 percent (200) from Paniyans and 33.33 percent (100) from
Kurichian community.
2. Nature of the family
The number and percentage o f the head o f the households
according to the nature of the family is presented in Table 5.2, which
reveals that the percentage o f joint family is more among Kurichians. In
contrast, only an insignificant 1.5 percentage among the Paniyan
households follow joint family system. However, it can be noted that the
nuclear family system is steadily emerging among Kurichians.
As
Kurichians have been traditionally followed joint family system, the
emergence o f nuclear family system is significant factor in the context o f
transformation o f tribal economies. In this juncture it is not incorrect to
infer that the emergence of private property, interaction with non- trihals
and the legislative measures o f the goverrinient made considcrahlc
influence upon Kurichians. I t can be observed from Table 5.2 that among
the Kurichians 62 percent follow joint family system and 38 percent anlong
then1 follow nuclear Sam~lysyste~n. A ~ i i o ~ ithe
g I ' a ~ i i y a ~liead
~ 01' tllc
housellolds 98.5 percent folloi\, ~iuclearfalllily syslenl.
Table 5.2: Community-wise distribution of head of the households
according to nature of familv
Nuclear
-
-- a
+
-200
Kurichian\;
Sourcc' Sample
100
197
-..+
I
62
62 00
!X
I
98.5
j
li(0il
.
I
J .
Survey
3. Average family size
Even though several enquires among the non-tribals have found an
inverse relation between the size of the family and the level of living on the
hand, and a higher average size of the family among the poorest segments
on the other. The situation among the trlbals who have been practicing
collective farming and communal ownership of landed property are
contrary to the result of these enquiries. In comparison with Paniyans, the
average size of the family 1s very high in the case of Kurlch~ans But the
le\el of l i \ ing of the Kurtchians
IS
far bcttcr tila11Pan~qanb
D~stributionof head of the households according to family slze is
shown in Table 5 . 3 . The fact and figures revealed t'roni the table is that
Iicnd of
tlit
housel~old. among Pirnlhan,
.ire
tiit
]in\ 111g,111 .1\cv,12crl/c 01'4 25
and the ;i\erage slze 01' fanlily among Kurichians la 8.12
This li~gli
variation in the average size of the family can be explained in terms of the
nature of family. A good number of Kurichians followcd joint family
syste~na1111 co~rsrquentlythey are having a h ~ g havcragc
SIX
nhcre as
Paniyans follow nuclear family system and so they are having a low
average size of family.
The deta~lsof the size of these two tribal
communities are shown in Table 5.3
Table 5.3: Distribution of the head of the households according
to family size
9 and above
- -.
4.35
Source: Sample survey
Note: Here we have used exclusive metllod of class~ficat~on
4. Seu Composition
Classificat~o~i
of saniple hcnd of' liouscliolds
011 111s bah~sof
he\ 1s
that among 300 total saniple head of households, 250 are males and 50 are
Seniales. In 1111scontext it can be ~notcd that 83 3 2 pcscent of Ihcnd of
hoi~si.holdsarc males and lO.66 Ircscent ;11.efernnler
5. Housing C:ooditions
Iiouhcng h;~sbeen recogii~scdas one ol'thc pri~nils) neccssitlcr of
human life. I t intluences liealtli ;lnd \\ell b c ~ n g .I:ustllc~. I [ ,cl~usctlc~t:,IIIC
S O C I O - ~ C O I ~ Oconditions
~~~C
01' the ~nhabitants. Hcrc. tllc nnturc of' thc
houses of the sample head of the households has been classified into liur
categories namely, hut, Katcha, Semi-Pacca and Pacca. Bullding w ~ t hno
proper basement, walls and ventilations are treated as huts. The hut is
made of grass, leaves or reeds. At the same time building with stone
basement and bamboo or cadjan with vent~larionsare Kacha houhcs. They
are with thatched roofs. The structures with the main ponion having propcr
stone basement, walls, windows, ventilations etc of standard materials are
g strong stone basenicnr.
considered as semi-pucca building. B u ~ l d ~ nwith
stoned or bricked plastered walls, windows, proper \cntilatiorib arc
considered as pucca houses. They are having tiled or concrete roofs.
The building condition according to tribal community is deplcted in
Table 5.4. Among Paniyan sample households 68(34%), 28(14"/0),
33(16.5%) and 71(35.5%) are residing in hut, Kacha, seml-pucca and pucca
lhouaes respecti\ely. 111contrast, among Kurichians. 59 (59%) arc rcaidii~y
In Pucca houses and 2 2 percent in
semi-pucca
housca. Among then1 I I
percent In huts and 8 percent in Kaccha hoitses. Thcsc figures denorc tlic
~ii\p;tui~! ;111ic>1igP ~ I I I I ! J I~111ti
~ ~ K L I ~ I C ~ ~\\i111
I ~ I IrIc\~ < i ~ to
iI II\ILI\III<
cond~t~ons.
The table 5.4 shows the distribution of' Iicad of houscliolds
r l ~ L ' ~ l ~I O' lI1;llill.C
~ ~ ~ l 01'hOllb~?..
~
Table 5.4: Community wise distribution of nature of houses
Source: Sample survey
The community wise disparity among Paniyans and Kurichians can
also be observed in terms of their ownership of houses. The details
regarding the ownership of houses are depicted in Table 5.5.
Table 5.5: Community wise distribution of nature of
ownersliip of houses
Nature of
Ownership
-
Tribal coniniunity
-Kurlcli~a~is
Pan~yans
OL,
No
No
(Yo
68
Own
0
Rented
Governnient
132
provided
200
Total
+ource:- Sample sul-ve)
1
81
34.0
0
0
-___--__19
66.0
IO0,OO
,
I00
81.0
0
I
-
19.0
y - % G r
The housing conditions of both Paniyans and tlmt KLiricl\ianscan be
explained in terms of socio-eco~ioniic conditions of these two 11-~bal
coniniunities. Better econoniic conditions, and consclousncss oC Iizal~lland
hygiene helped the Kuricliians to build ow11Ilouses. Aga111,the e x ~ s t e ~ of
~cc
large size of the family and joint falllily system neccssitatcd the Kurichians
to construct their own pucca houses. On the other hand, the unfavorable
socio-economic conditions forced the
Paniyans to depend upon
govemment-aided houses. Table 5.6 shows the housing conditions of these
two tribal communities. This will help us to get the real picture of the
housing conditions of these two tribal communities with different levels of
socio-economic status.
Table 5.6: Community- wise distribution of housing conditions
Tribal
community
.
Good
No
114
Paniyans
77
Kurichians
Source: Sample survey
%
57.0
77.0
Housing cotid~tions
Fair
Bad
No
YO
No 1 O/u
18
9.0
68 34.0
9
9.0
14
14:c..
As the Table 5.6 shows the tribal houses are classified into three
categories on the basis of the quality of housing condirions namely good,
fair and bad respectively. It can be noted that only 57 percent (1 14) sample
head of the households among Paniyans are residing in good houses. On
the other hand 34 percent (68) among them are living in bad houses and 9
percent (18) are living in fair houses. It can be noted hcre that 77 percent
of Kurichian liead of the households are l~vinygood housing conditions and
14 percent of then1 in fair houses. The sample licad of the lhouseholds
aliiong Kuricliians living in bad houses are only 9 percent.
Another fact that we want to stress hcre
IS
that some of the houses
provided by the government to the Paniyans are also not in good
conditions. Eventhough the government provided house for 132 sample
head of the households, only 114 among them are in good conditio~is.The
reason for the poor conditions of the houses provided by the government to
the Paniyan head of the households can be explained in terms of the substandard raw material used for the construction of houses.
Private
contractors constructed a good number of houses provided by the
government through housing schemes. Hence they used sub- standard raw
materials.
At the same time, Kurichian head of the households after
receiving the government aid directly constructed their own houses without
the participation of middlemen or contractors.
In addition to the
government aid they also accumulated a part of better raw materials for
their house construction.
Consequent disparities in budget and
administration helped the Kurichians to keep better housing conditions.
6. Facility of Electricity
The facility of electricity available in the houses of the tribals can
be considered as an indicator of socio-economic transformation. In this
context it is imperative 10 examine the details of the electrified houses of
these two tribal con~munities.Table 5.7 shows the facilities available in the
houses of these two tr~balcornmun~ties.
Table 5.7: Community wise distribution of houses clectrilied
Source: Ssnlple Survey
Table 5.7 shows that out 200 sample head of households, only 27
(l3.5'%) among them are having electrified houses. However 46 perccnt
(46) of Kurichian sample head of households are having electrified housc5.
I t can be noted here that 86.5 percent (175) Paniyan head of thc household\
and 54 percent (54) Kurichian head of the households are having in nonelectrified houses. Eventhough the conditions of the Kurichians are not
satisfactory in the case of electrified houses, conditions are worse In respect
of Paniyans. Hence we can trace the disparity betlreen Paniyans and
Kurichians.
7. Ownership of land
As we \\anted to examine the socio-economic characteristics of rile
sample head of the households, it is imperative to examine the details
regarding the ownership of land. The Table 5 8 shotrs that aniollg the 300
sample head oi' the households, Z X arc landlcbi. Anlong thc,c 2S I;~ndlchi
tribal head of the households. 25 (89.299b) arc from Paniyan Conimun~ty
and only 3 head of thc households are fron: Kurichians. The incqualit)
the d ~ \ t r i h ~ t i ool ri l ; ~ ~ io\\~icrsliip
(i
is c \ 1dc111i'ro111tlic t'ict
~ii
il1;11 F';1niy;111
li~:1(1
of lior~seholds\\.lie constilute 66.67 percent (200) among the raniple hcndr
of households are possessing only a total of 26.21 percent (96.47acres) of
land while the Kurichians who account only 33.33 percent (100) among thc
total 300 are possessing 73.79 percent (271.53 acres) of land.
The disparities in the ownership of land can be rcilcctcd in the
magnitude of land possessed per hcad of household from each community.
The average land possessed by Paniyan head of household is only 55acres
\vherc as the average land possessed by Kurcch~ansI S 2 XOacrca The table
5.8 shows the details o f community- wise dlstribut~onof land possessed by
the head o f the households from Paniyan and Kurichians communities.
Table 5.8: Community-wise distribution of the extent of land
possessed by head of the house holds (in Acres)
is thc Paranrhes~sshows the percentape
Source: Sample Survey
Fipurcs
The disparities of land ownersli~pbetibeen Paniyan and Kurichian
hcad of households become more evidcnt if \\e coclsidcr ~ h quillity
c
o r land
under possesscon. Table 5.9 shows the comniunlty \ \ ~ s cdistribution of'
culti~atedand irrigated land under posscuh~o~lof hcnd ol' Ilou\cllold.r of
both tribal co~nniunities.
I,
Table 5.9: Community-wise distribution o f cultivated and irrigated
la"(in
acres)
.
Proporrlon of '-I'Fr heal 01 ' - I'ruporlio~,~~LUIII\,~IC,I
cxtcnd o i
cullna!cd and
houhchold o f and lrr(sd1rd ldnc! ond I
'
hold5 possessed cullivared and irrigated land ti,
posicird
pcr hcriirl h o u ~ u l ~ ~ ~ l i l ~
, cuhivalcd and irrlgatcd ldnd the total land cultlvaled and lo (he land poj<i.i!cd I
(rr,gal:d land
posses5;d jinnib1
1rrlgat;d Ian(_,
_ On!)
'7t%!E?Ta~
'
~ ~
1
I_
Ilgures In paranrhea15denores percentage
Sotirce.. $ample survey
The table 5.9 shows that o f the totai cuit~vatedand ~rrlgatedland of
32 I 30acres 18.92 percent (60.80 acres) are owned by Paniyans head of thc
households \\ha constitute two third of the total head of the householda
while 81.02 percent (261 50 acres) are osned by Kuricliiya lirad of the
households who const~tute one third o f the total sample head o f the
households. Column 4 of the table shows the proportion of cultivated and
rrrigated land to the total land It can be seen that o f the rota1 land possessed
b? head o f the households of Pan~yanco~iimunily,only 63 O? percent are
cuiti\ated and irrigated land to the total land
011 rhe
orhsr hand, or'tiii:
total land possessed b) Kur~shtanshead of lioi~sehold\ 95 04 pcrcenr
;ire
cuIti\ated ;lnd ~rrigatcd Column 5 o f tiit ~;lbIc shova tllc e\rcllr of
cul~~vated
and ~rrigaledland. It can be seen that the possession of pcr head
culri\ated and ~rngatedland
coiitr;lrt.
111t11t
IS
.37 acres In the case o f P:inlyans.
111
care o f Ku~.icIlrirn11 IS 2 6') ;tcrr.* ('olunl~i0 !1I't11c ~ ; ~ h5l c'1
~ndicalrs\+hat proponlon o f the land possessed by a head o f 3 household is
cultivated and irrigated. The proportion varies from 7'7. I percent to 98.90
percent for Paniyan and Kur~chianhead of the households recpcct~vely.In
this context it can be noted that not only the average land holding of
Paniyans is small compared with Kurichians but also a small percentage of
the land holdings of the former are cultivated and irrigated compared to thc
latter.
The tribals of Wayanad, like their counter parts in thc rest of Kerala
have been facing the problem of land alienation since the intrusion of nontr~balsinto the tribal land of Wayanad. The alienation of land occurred
during the last many decades. Consequent upon the penetration of the nontribes, the life of the tribals became more miserable. In this context it is
irnperat~veto examine the magnitude of land al~cliiitio~i
L I
~ O IIIC~IC'
I ~
I\\<)
tribal communities. It is also necessary to observe whether- the process of
land alienation is homogeneous in character in respect of these two tribal
communities. Table 5.10 shows the details of land alienation upon these
LO ~ribalconimunlt~es.
Table 5.10: Community wise distribution of land alienation
-----t)eiails of land al~enat~or:
I Total Number L) of (rib81henti ; . - )'e\
. .
%!I
;
J?L!~fi~?!!f~.- --?. .. [ .. -..\
-1
<'(I
Source:- Satilple survey
.I
Table 5.10 denotes that among 200 Paniyan head of households 17
percent (34) of them lost land consequent upon land alienation. tioucvcr.
49 pcrcent of the head of households from Kur~chiancommunity lo.;! thcir
land due to land alienation. There is ample documentary ev~denceto
establish that the process of land alienation had affected the two tribal
communities differently. Kurlchians, the earliest to take settled agrrculture
~n Wayanad could caslly find adequate fert~le land tbr cultivation.
llo\bever, Paniyans who took to agr~culturcat a later stage had to be
contented with small srze and less fertile land for more than one reason.
Major pan of land had alread) becn occuplcd ulth Kurichians. Again, the
non-tribals migrated Into Wayanad and rntroduce settled agriculture had
brought a sizeable part of fertile land under plough.
Consequently.
Paniyans forced to satlsfy with less fert~leinterlor hilly tract of land. On the
other hand, those who possessed large s17e of land, Kurichrans, lost land in
large scale due to land allenallon
8. Occupations and Income
\4'c hn\c examined ccnnln s ~ ~ l o - c c o i i o n ctlaracter~st~cs
i~c
of the
sample head of the houscholdr of hotti P:II~I!~II.:and Kur~ch~;intr~hnl
conlniunltics
11 is also ~ i c c c s ~to; e\;llnllis
~~~
Ilo\\ thtse chnlacterist~cs
h;l\ c ufl\.ilctfl l ) ~ occul,;i[ianal
.
hlructurr of thche
I\\ 0
conlnlilllitlc's ~ l l dalso
lo exanlllls how these dlspar~tieh 111 o c c ~ ~ p a t ~ ostructure
~ i ; ~ l nfli.c(cd the
lncoliic pattern of thrsc two tr~h:iIC O I ~ ~ I I ~ I I I I I ~ I S *
AS the tribal economies of Wayanad are basically subsistence
economies agriculture occupies a predominant position. Though tribals
depended upon forest for collection of minor forest products, in course of
time collection of minor forest product become a nominal source of
income. What we can witness in the tribal economies of Wayanad is the
very low degree of occupational diversification. The excessive dependence
on agriculture both as self-cultivation and agriculture labour reflect. the
limited availability or non- availability of non- agricultural employment
opponunities. However, we can observe the inter- community disparit~es.
It is evident from the Table 5.11 that the head of the tribal
households have been classified into
SIX
groups accord~ng to major
occupations. The major occupations are agriculture (self cultivation)
agriculture labour, government employment, private employment,
collect~onof minor forest produce and other works. Apart from major
occupations, all the head of the households are engaged In subsidiary
occupat~ons. Table 5.1 1 denotes the deta~ledaccount of the occupational
structure of the tribal econoniles of Wayanad represented by Paniyans and
Kuricllians.
Table 5.1 1: District olTribal head of l~ouseholdsaccording to
comniunity and occupation
M = Main ~ c c u p a ~ k nS-. Subsidary occupation
Source: Saniple Survey
Table 5.1 1 shows that all the head of the households of both tribal
communities have major as well as wbsidiary occupatloni Ilouc\cr. thcrc
are s~gnificantinter-community disparities in occupational pattern. Tablc
5.1 1 shows that from a total of 200 sample head of households of Pan~yans
33 (16.5 percent) are engaged in agricultural operauons In the ca$e of
Kur~chians56 (56percent depend upon self cultivation among 100 samplc
hcad of the households. It shows that majority of Kurichians, as a
trnd~t~onallyculuvating comrnunlty, are depending on agriculture (self
culti\ation). I t can bc noted that 32 percent among Pan~yansand 3 X percent
from Kurichians take agriculture as their suhs~diaryoccupatlonu In thi?
context i t can be observed that in
comparison
with Paniyans, more
percentage of Kurichians are engaged In self cultivation both as main as
\\ell as a subsidiary occupation.
Agriculture labour is another main occupation of the tribals of
\\'ayanad.
1:wn the case of this occiipatloii u e can obserie the inler-
io~ilriiunitydispariur> Tablc 5.1 1 >llo\ta thl~tniajorlt) of Panlban head of
thc households are engaged in this occupat\on 128 (04 percent) Paiiiyan
lhc,~dof tllc Ilob~\c\lold\;Inloilg 111s200 \~111111s\
.II.C 1'11;~l;~'d ;ir : I ~ I I C L I J I L I ~ : I I
l . ~ l l ( ~ l ~ rI:r~iii
~ ' r ' ~t111\. \\c c;lil ii1(;'1
nild irrigated landlessness
t1i;it
\tr)
t11c
\CI!
1 1 1 ~ 1 1I I I C I ~ ~ C I~ I ~C~~'
~ 1 1 ~ 1$i/c
1
L ~ I ~ I I \ . I ~ L ' L ~
01' 1~11JIli~lii1il;
I~~I'cc~
I';liliyalls to opt agriculture lahour. As \\c Iia\t. c.\n~iiincd ~ I s ~ ' \ \ l l ~ r c .
K ~ r r ~ c h ~ aarc
n s lradlllonally lalid-lloldiilg I ' O I ~ I I ~ ~ llil\\~'\L'~'.
~ I I ~ I ~ ! 0111) 14
llcrccnt (14) among tl~emare ellgaged as agricultural I . I ~ O L I I S ~ > . f'r0ll1 this.
11 15
not incorrect to assume that frequent displacement of tribal cultivations
from their lands and land alienation resulted in a good proportion of them
being reduced to the status of agricultural labourers.
The limited
availability of non-farm employment on the one hand, and the forest control
policy of the government on collection of forest products on the other hand
have resulted an increase in the number of agricultural labourers. 31.5
percent of Paniyans and 34 percent of Kurichians opted agricultural labour
as their subsidiary occupation. The reason stated above forced a good
number of Kurichians to select agricultural labour as their subsidiary
occupation.
It can be observed from the table 5.1 I that overwhelming majority
of the tribal head of the households irrespective of their community are
engaged in agriculture as self cultivators or agricultural labourers. Among
the total of 300 sample head of households 23 1 (77 percent) are depending
on agriculture as self-cultivator or agricultural labourers. In this context
11
is
sad to observe that even after years of tribal development plans, the number
of tribals engaged in government employment is nominal in number.
Anrong Paniyans. 2 head of the households are in government service and 4
persons among Kurich~ans are in government service.
The tribals
employed in private sector are also not large in numbers. Aniollg I'aniyans
only 7 of them and fronl Kurichians 9 of them are engaged in private
empioyment.
labourers.
Here, private employnrent is nlainly in plantatiolls as
Another matter that we wanted to stress here is that the tribal head
of the households opted other works are not insignificant. Among Paniyans,
28 (14 percent) head of the households and 14 (14 percent) from Kurichians
are engaged in other occupations. Other works mainly consists of nonconventional occupations like porters construction labourers, carpenters,
drivers etc.
Income Pattern
We have already observed the inter- community disparities in the
occupational structure of the head of households among Paniyans and
Kurichians based upon our sample survey. Let us now examine how these
disparities are reflected in the pattern of income distribution between these
two tribal communities. The disparities in income distribution can be better
understood from Table 5.12. As the table shows we have classified the
total sample head of the households into five income groups for the
convenience of our analysis. The classification is based upon the income
earned by then1 from niajor and subsid~aryoccupations. The number and
percentage of head of households to each group
1s
presented ~n the
Table 5.12.
l'ablc 5.12: ('oe~~~~u~~iI).-wisc
discrib~~tion
ol llcatl ol'l~o~~sul~olds
hclsllg
l o I)iflcrcnt illcnnlc grollps
I I tui
Sot~rcc Ynrnl>k SIII! cy
It will be seen from Table 5 I2 that In the matter of lncome pattern
too, there are slgnlficant ~nter-community d ~ s p a r ~ t ~ eItscan be noted that
23 5 percent of Panryan head of households belong to the lowest Income
group, (below Rs 100) On the other hand, only 7 percent of Kur~ch~an?
belong t h ~ sgroup We can also trace the dlspar~t~es
In the proportions of
head of household belong~ngto the highest Income group of R5 400 and
above It IS evldent from the table that only 2 percent of Pan~yansbelong to
thls group wh~le, 13 percent of the head of the households among the
Kur~ch~ans
belong the h~ghestlncome group
The pecul~ar~tynoted in thls context 1s that, the overwhelm~ng
majonty of Pan~yansbelong to the lowest three lncome groups 189 (94 5
percent) Pan~yanhead of the households belong the lowest three income
groups At the same only 49 percent among the Kur~ch~ans
respondents
belong the same groups and 51 percent of then1 belong to the two upper
lncome groups Here we can observe the disparities In the d~str~butlon
of
income between these two tr~balcommunltles
In t h ~ scontext ~t IS Imperative to trace the reasons for the Intercommunity
dispar~t~es
In the lnconie distribut~on As we noted elsewhere.
Panlyan head of households possess :only small slze of cult~vatedand
~rrlgatedland Consequently, Pan~yanswho are princ~pallydepended upon
agriculture labour can able to earn coniparat~vely lower Income
More
over, as we noted elsewhere, only 32 percent of the head of household\ take
up agriculture as their subsidiary occupation.
The remaining are not
engaged in profitable subsidiary occupations.
In contrast, a significant number o f Kurichians belong to the
highest three income groups. Comparatively larger size o f the cultivated
and irrigated land helped them to earn more income than their counter
parts.
Even though both Kurichians and Paniyans take subsidiary
occupations, Paniyans are engaged in non-traditional unskilled subsidiaiy
occupations like head loading o f soil for building construction, manual
work for road construction etc. On the other hand Kurichians are engaged
in skilled subsidiary occupations like, carpentry, making o f bricks and
plastering o f walls etc. so as to earn more income.
It can be observed that while the traditionally non- cultivating
Paniyans are sympathetically backward, the traditionally cultivating and
land holding Kurichians exhibit signs o f socio-economic progress.
When we cxaniine the socio-econoni~ccharucterist~csof Ihe sarnplc
head o f households 11 is imperative to examine the educational status o f
those sample head of the households o f these two tribal communities. The
educational stntus o f the head o f Iiouseholds influence thc literacy levcl i n a
family and also make its impact on the educational level o f the members o f
the community.
Here, we examine the literacy level o f the head o f the
households o f two tribal conimunities.
The table 5.13 reveals the community wise distribution of literacy
rate of the head of the households of these two tribal communities. To
avoid the conceptual ambiguity of the word 'literate' we take the meaning
of those who can read and write 'malayalam' the language they use in their
dealings with non-tribals and among other tribals.
Table 5.13: Community-wise distribution of the head of the
households who are literate
Tribal
Community
Paniyans
Kurichians
Total number of
Sample head of the
households
200
100
Number of head of
The households
who are literate
26
27
% of the number of
households who are
l~terate
13.00
27.00
Source: Sample survey
As the table 5.13 shows that in respect of literacy the tribals in
general are backward.
However, we can trace the community-wise
disparities in the case of literacy rate. When we consider the literacy rate of
Paniyans, the table shows that only 13 percentage head of the households
are literate, while 27 percent of Kurichians are literate. Eventhough the rate
of literacy is very poor among the tribals in general, the condition is
particularly worse in the case of Palilyan head ofhouseholds.
As we have observed clsewhere, Paniyans are econoniically very
poor. The low per- household possession of land, excessive dependence of
agricultural wage labour, high concentration of low income groups etc have
already been noticed. Hence,
I[
is correct lo infer that the factors like land
ownership, type of occupation and level of income have greatly affected the
level of literacy rate. Kurichians have a better socio-economic status, must
have hclpcd their head of households to become relatively more Irteratc.
To get a better insight into the educational status of the tribals,
II
is
necessary to examine the sex- wise drstribution of the l~terateamong thc
head of the households ~ \ ~ t h o considering
ut
their tribal community. Tablc
5.14 shows the sex- wise distribution of the literate tribal head of
households
Table 5.14: Sex-wise distribution of the literate tribal head
of the households
Sex
I ~ u m b e ~ o f ~ a m ~Number
le
of literate to the
of l~terate
tiead of households
total
Male
250
50
20.0
50
6.0
Female
3
Source: Sample survey
As the Table 5 14 shows, out of 250 male head of households.
Irrespective of their tribal community, only SO (20%) of them are literate.
The condit~onof the female head of the households is more deplorable
Iiere, as the table reveals. \\e can obserie gender d~ffcrenceIn the rate of
literacy.
Like all societies, the status of women in traditional tribal
soc~eties1s also low. Apart from these. general lo\\ status of \vornen.
education.
Further, \\r ccln observe In trlbdl ccollonlica. c>pcc~nll! 111
Wayanad, the female members wanted to engage in household acti\ iticb
even before the tender age of 10 years. All these constroinls rcsultcd a
wide disparity between males and females in the case of educntio~r
However, the inter-community disparities in the level of education
can be more evident, if we examine the community wise distribution of
children at the age group of 6 to 15 years going to schools. It will be seen
from Table 5.15 that in the community wise distribution of children going
to schools in 6-15 age group, there exist disparities between Paniyans and
Kurichians.
It can be seen from Table 5.15 that comparatively more
children are going to school from Kurichian community. The Table 5.15
given a detailed account of the inter- community disparities in this case
also.
Table 5.15: Community-wise distribution of children going
to school at the age group of 6- 15
Age group 6-15
Tribal
communitv
Total
I
School
1 %of the total
number
Number
going
467
178
38.12
Paniyans
70.65
207
Kurichians
293
385
50.66
760
Total
Source: Sample Survey
The Table 5.15 shows that among the Paniyans the total number of
children in the school going age group (6-1 5) is 467. However, only 17R
(38.12%) among then1 are going lo school in the case of Paniyans. It
reveals that the majorities among them are not going to school. In contrast,
the total number of Kurichiya children in school going agc group
IS 793
Among them 207 children are going fo school. Even thougll the cond~tion
of the Kurichian children is not satisfactory. we can tracc the disparity
between Paniyans and Kurichiayas. In this context we can inlcr that inter.
community disparities in education will increase rather than decrease in
future. However, we are not establishing that the conditions of Kurichians
are satisfactory. On the other hand, the conditions of tribal children in
general are quite unsatisfactory.
In this context it is imperative to examine the condition of the preprimary education among tribals.
Among the tribals in general, the
percentage of children In the age group of 4 to 6 attending in any Balavadi
or Kindergarten institutions are also less. In the present day, providing
education in pre-primary level to children can be considered as an indicator
of the educational level of the society and also the magnitude of socioeconomic transformation.
The facts and figures in the sample survey
conducted among 300 tribal head of households also reveal the dismal
picture of the future generation. The Table 5.16 shows that though the
performance of tribal children in general is not satisfactory, the conditions
of Paniyan children are more deplorable. The Table 16 gives a clear picture
of the disparities between Paniyans and Kurichians in respect of PrePrimary education Table 5.16:
Table 5.16: Community-wise distribution of children going to
- .-Source: Sample Survey
- --
As the Table 5.16 shows, among 186 children from Paniyan
community only 29 children (15.59%) are going to pre-primary educational
institutions. Among 132 children from Kurichian community 87 (65.91%)
are going to pre-primary educational institutions. However, we cannot
explain the reasons for this disparity in terms of poverty nor the economic
backwardness of these two tribal communities. In this context, 11 is not
incorrect to pursue that lack of social consciousness is the main reason if
not the sole reason for this dismal condition of tribal children. However,
the existing disparity in respect of pre-primary education among the two
tribal communities shows a better social awareness among Kurichian head
of households.
10. Membership in Co-operative Societies
In the tribal economies any economic or social indicator fails to
provide an appropriate yardstick to measure the magnitude of social
awareness. So we have taken the member the nienibershlp in co-operative
societies and the opinion of the head of households about tribal
development programmes as an indicator to get the magnitude of social
awareness of the tribal communities.
Tribal 5.17 shows the community wise distribution of the head of the
households who are having membership in co- operative societies.
Table 5.17: Community-wise distribution o f head o f households who
are members o f eo- operative societies
Tribal
*
Number ofCo-operative
Paniyans
1 Kurichians
Total
1
1
households
200
100
300
"lhe
of the Co-operative
soc~ety
T " ~ ~ ~ ~ : u r
society members
7
1
/
26
3.5
1
33
1
26 00
I 1O
.O
Source: Sample Survey
Table 5.17 reveals that co-operative movement made a insignificant
impact upon tribals in general irrespective of their community.
I t also
shows that only a minority o f 3.5 percent Paniyan head o f the households
are the members o f co-operative societies.
However 26 percent o f
Kurichian head o f the households have taken membership in co-operative
societies. On the basis o f the Table 5.17 we are not establishing that the
conditions o f the Kurichians are quite satisfactory, but we can infer that
social awareness among Kurichians are better than Paniyans.
What is to be noted in this context is that, in the nbscnce o f any
political alternative, for the socio-econom~cdevelopment of the tribals, cooperative societies have to play a vital role in the econornles o f tr~bals.
Further, co-operative society can be developed into a centrc where the
tribals can get support for their production, exchange, consumprioi~and
distribution oftlleir commodities. It can also bc dcvcloped
3s 3
snviour to
support and guide the tribals lo overconlc cllronic i~idubtcd~icssBut what
the Table 5.17 indicates is their apathy towards co- operative societies.
11. Asset Composition Movable Property
Possession of assets can be considered as an indicator of socio
economic development. We have already examined the possession of land,
house and the details regarding these assets. So it is also necessary to
examine the details of the possession of movable properly.
(a) Live Stock
The quality and numbers of livestock population owned by different
tribal communities also have an important rolc in the socio-economic
transformation of tribals
It can generate additional employment and
income as well as increase agricultural production.
Realising the
importance of livestock in tribal economies, considerable impoflance have
given to the provision of financial assistance to purchase livestock. So it is
necessary to examine the possession of livestock by differen1 tribal
communities. The Table 5.18 shows the conimunlty- wise possession of
livestock population among the tribal.
Tablc 5.18: Conimunity wise dlstributio~iof the possessioll
of live stock populntion
,--
, --
..-
' -Kur~cllia~is
.
Source: Sa~liplcsurvey
.
.
-
- -
-..
1.- :piI
-
. -.. .
.
.
.
The Table 5.18 shows that among the total 200 Paniyan head of
households only 2 of them are possessing cow, 3 of them sheep and 12 of
them pigs as their possession of livestock.
In contrast among 100
Kurichian head of households, 48 of them are possessing cow, 3 of them
sheep, four of them goat, 54 of them bulls and 30 among them buffallows.
In this context ~t
IS
worthwhile to examlne why the Kur~chian are
d o m e s t ~ c a ~ ~cow,
n g bull and bul'fallow. Kur~chians,tradiuonal agr~culrural
communities require these kinds of livestock for their agricultural
operation. However, Paniyans, traditionally non-cultivating community are
not required to keep large-scale livestocks.
The existing dispar~tles
between Paniyans and Kurichlans in respect of the possession of livestocks
also Indicate the better socio-economic development of Kurichians.
(b) Utensils
The number and quality of the utens~lspossessed by Panpans head
of the houacholdr ;Ire less and poor I t
IS
ohsei\ed from the field >t~id!tll.~r
majority of thc Pan~yanspossess only earthcnnare and cheep alunilnunl
vessels and urensils. These s~eelutens~lsconsist of a fen cooking pots and
plates. Few among them arc uslng sta~nlessand plastic \.essels Ho\\ e\ cr
inlost the Ki~ricll~an
hcad of lhe households are Lccping large mer;ll polz
III
tl~eirposscssio~l1llougI1 they arc using earthcn\rarc in common. rlie! are
possessing metal utens~ls.They are also rcsening certain kind of utcns~ls
especially for uslng
111 religious
ti'st~\.alsarid in \pec~alceremcililsz
1.11~
Table 5.19 shows the community- wise distribution of utensils posseqs by
tribal communities.
Table 5.19: Community wise distribution of the utensils possessed
Number of households possessing different kinds of utensils
~~~b~~ of
Tribal
sample head of ~ ~ , - t h .
Community the households
ware
Brass Aluminium melal
Bell
slccl Plastics
1 /
Pan~yans
I Kurichian
I
200
100
1200
(
3
/
1
1
I00
1
100
1
/ /
200
100
I
I
/
34
1 3 0 1
/
43
1
100
/
100
Source: Sample survey
As the Table 5.19 shows, all tribal head of the households are
possessing earthenware and aluminum utensils. However, it can be noted
that the majority of Paniyans are not having comparatively costly metal
utensils. Among 200 sample head of households from Paniyan community
only 3 of them having brass, 34 head of households are possessing stainless
steel and 30 of them having plastic vessels and other utensils. As the Table
shows only one among them possesses the brass otens~ls. On the other
hand, all the Kurichian head of the households possess all kinds of utensils
except bell metal ulensils. Only 43 Kurichians are hav~ngbell metal
utensils.
Tlie disparities in the number of utensils possess by each
community denotes the socio-economic status of these two colnmunltlcs.
On the basis of our analysis we can infer that the poor soc~o-econonric
conditions of the Paniyans prevented them to acquire better utensils
c. Household durrbles
Possession of household durables can be considered as an indicator
of socio-economic status of the tribals. Here we have treated furniture.
radio, and Television metal lamp, grain containers as household durables.
The Table 5.20 gives the community- wise possession of these household
durables.
Table 5.20: Community wise distribution of the possession
of household durables
Number of
Kurichian
100
Figures in Parenthesis show the percentage
Source: Sample Survey
The Table 5.20 shows that only 6.5 percent (13) Paniyan head of
houseliolds are possessing furniture. Here, furniture consists of wooden
stool, chair, table, bench, cot etc. So any person who possesses any one of
the above items are categorized as a person possessing furniture. Even by
this liberal categorization, we can observe the visible deplorable conditio~is
of the Paniyans. tiowever a good number of Paniyan households arc
possessing
radio sets. The rcason for the posscsslon of radio sets call not be
explained in ternis of their high level social awareness. It can he cxpla~ned
in lernis of the influence ofcinema and the interaction with non-tr~bals
None among the Paniyans is having T.V. Set and only one Paniyans
head of the households is having metal lamp. In the case of grain container
only one among them is having it. Grain containers are generally used
either to preserve the seeds for future cultivation or to reserve for future
consumption. Majority of the Paniyans are agriculture labourers. They are
not getting sufficient surplus grains to preserve or reserve for future needs.
Again, consequent upon the expansion of money system they are not
getting wages in grains. Hence we cannot expect them keeping grain
containers without surplus grain.
Though quite unsatisfactory, the conditions of Kurichians are in a
better position in respect of household durables. Among Kurichians all the
head of the households possess minimum furniture. Again in a joint family
of the Kurichians there are enough better furniture for the use of the elders.
It is significant to note that three head of households among the Kurichian
head of the households possess. T.V, sets. In the case of metal lamp and
radio scts all of them possessing theni.
In this context it is necessary to examine the reasons for
possessing
grain containers and metal lamp by all Kurichian head of households. As
we noted earlier. Kurichians as a cultivating community wanted to prcserte
seeds for the future needs. Likewise, they produced sul-plus grams for
keeping it for future consumption. So they have to kccp the grains in large
grain containers. Kurichians have to keep a lighted bell nictal lamp in front
of the main building from d w n to desk in all special occasions. Further in
all social functions Kurichians are obliged to keep a lighted lamp in front of
the main buildings. In short the social customs encouraged the Kurichians
to keep a metal lamp in their house. Depending upon the area of cultivation
and their social status the Kurichians are keeping more than one large grain
containers and also to keep more than one metal lamps. In a joint family,
Kurichians consider as a matter of social status to keep more large grain
containers and large size oil lamps, Just like traditional Hindu houses they
also keep a lighted oil lamp in front or their houses during the d w n hours
and desk hours. These kinds of social customs also helped them to possess
the metal lamp. However it can be observed that Kurichians are keeping
their traditional obligations and social customs.
It. Perception of the Tribals
A detailed account of the socio-economic characteristics of the
sample head of the households of the tribals must take into account of their
perception about the various tribal development programmes. It will throw
s
good rays of light upon the social awareness of the tribals. In t h ~ context.
it is imperative to examine their opinion about tribal developn~ent
programmes. their relation with political parties and t l ~ e ~leellngs
r
about
tribal movcnictits.
(a) Opinion of the tribals about tribal development programmes
The opinion of the tribals about the various tribal development
programmes and schemes can be considered as valid one as they are the
beneficiers o f the I programmes. i t can be considered as a mirror to reflect
their views about plethora of tribal development programmes and schemes
introduced by the government and other agencies. Table 5.21 shows the
detailed opinions of the tribal head o f the households about tribal
development programmes. For the convenience o f our analysis we have
given four statements and the sample head of households are glven freedom
to choose any one statement so as to express their opinion about the
programmes.
Table 5.21: Community wise opinion of the tribals about tribal
development programnies
SI.
No.
1
I
Op~nionso f the tribals about tribal
Dcvclopti~cntprograninics
Tr~baldcvclo[)~iientprogranitiics bcncfitcd
only Ibr tr~bals
Tribal coninlu~iity
18
(5.00)
(9.00)
Tr~baldevelop~iie~~t
prograninies benefited
only for non-tribals
Tribals dcvelopnienl programnles benefited
partially for tr~balsand largely for non-lribals
Tribal developnient progranimcs benefited
part~allyfor ion-tr~bals and largely for tribals
Figures In Parciithcsis show the percentage
Source:. Saliiple survey
(0.00)
1
(1.5)
(81 (KI)
-
~-~
(02.00)
Table 5.21 shows that from 200 Paniyan sample head of hou\cholds.
162 (XI1%))o f them and from 100 Kurichian sample head o f houcehold\ 92
(92%l)of them expressed their opinions that the benefits of thc tr~bal
development programmes got partially to the non- tribals and largely for
tribals. However, 18 (9%) Paniyans and 5 (5%) Kurichians expressed the~r
opinion that the benefits of the tr~baldevelopment programmes got only for
tribals. But 17 ( 8 . 5 % ) Paniyans expressed that only non-tribals got the
henetits o f the programmes. None among the Kurich~ansexpressed th~s
tiew. Nevertheless 3 (1.5%) Paniyans and 3 (3%) Kur~chian?exprebscd
their opinion that only non-tribals got the benefit\ of the tribal
development programmes. In this context we can infer that the tribals ah a
whole are not satisfied with implementations o f the tribal development
programmes.
However, majority of the tribals irrespective of the~r
community admit that the tribals got the major part o f the benefits of the
programmes. Froni our analys~s we can ~nferthat trlbal de\elopment
programnies helped a great extend for the transformat1011 of tr~bal
econonlies.
Hotvever. we can also trace that the tribal de\elopnirnt
11r0~1.1111111L%
Ihilrd lo .III.IIII
In this context ~t
IS
full! llic picdctrr~n~ricd
uhlcct~\c\
also necessary verify to the suggestion3 y \ z n I)!
the saniple head o f households for improving the tr~balde\clopnirl~r
propl.;lniilies. Table 5 ?! shows the d e t a i l - w w n i
Table 5.22: Community -wise distribution of suggestions for the
Improvement of the tribal development programmes
SI. Suggest~onsfor the improvementofthe
No, tribal development programmes
,'
Need based programmes for each tribal
community
Tribal member participation in planning
and imnlementinc nrocrammes
3
Both (one) and (Two) suggestions
Tribal community
Paniyans
Kurich~ans
32
0
(16.0)
68
/
(34.0)
O
100
(50.0)
100
(l00.0)
I1
I
Figures in Parenthesisshow the percentage
Source: Sample Survey
For the convenience o f our analysis we have categorised the
suggestions into three on the basis o f the similarity o f their suggestion.
Table 5.22 shows that 32 (16%) o f the Paniyans sample households
suggested need based tribal programmes for each tribal community while68
(34%) among them suggested tribal member participation in the planning
and implementation stages o f tribal programmes. However 100 (50%) o f
the Paniyans and the whole the Kurichian sample head o f the households
(100) suggested that need based programmes for each communily and tribal
member pa~licipationin the planning and implcnlentat~onstages o f tr~bal
development programmes are necessary for attain the objectives fully.
Even tllough we can observe certain dispar~tlesbetween I'alliyans
and Kurichians in connection with their suggestions, their suggcstlons
highlight certain concrete facts that the lribals arc not lhomogcncous. It
reveals the fact that there is not one tribal economy but many economies of
tribals aniong the tribals o f Wayanad. Above them all i t reveal the lilct [hill
the tribals in general are conscious about the tribal development
programmes and the lacunae of the programmes from planning stage to
implementation stage.
(b) Tribals relation with political parties and trade unions
When we verify the social and economic characteristics of the
sample head of the households, it is imperative to examine the magnitude
o f participations and connections with political parties and trade unions.
Membership in any political party or trade union denotes a better level of
political and social consciousness.
On the other hand, supportingpr
sympathizing with a political party or a trade union express a lower level of
political and social consciousness. However, detachment or aversion to
political parties or trade unions can be considered lack of political and
social consciousness. Table 5.23 shows the community wise distribution of
tribals according to their connections with political parties and trade unions.
Table 5.23: Conlmunity wise distribution of tribals according to their
connection with political parties and trade unions
I'anynns
Kurich~ans
Figures in Parenthesis show the percentage
Source: Sample survey
Table 5.23 shows that from the total 300 sample households, 23
among the tribals are membership holders of the political parties and 160 of
them are sympathizers of one or other political party. At the sametime102
sample head of the households are trade union members and 90 among
them are sympathizers of trade unions. When we consider community, we
can observe that only 3 Paniyans among the total samples are members of
political parties and 40 of them are members of trade unions. However 100
among them are sympathizers o f one or other political party and 60 of them
are sympathizers of trade unions.
However we can observe visible
community-wise disparities in the membership of political party and trade
union. Among 100 Kurichian respondents, 20 of them got membership in
the political party and 60 o f them are sympathizers o f political party.
Likewise 62 Kurichians are members o f trade unions and 30 among then1
are sympathizer o f trade unions. It can be noticed here that 48.5 percent of
Pan~yanand 20 percent o f Kurichian sample head o f households are nor
hav~ngany connections with any political party. Table 5.23 reveals tilt
disparit~esbetween Kurichians and Paniyans in connection with political
party.
Itowever, the disparity is more visible when we consider tl~e
niembersliip ill trade unions and sympathy towards i t
In the case of I1aniyans, sample head o f houssliolds, 40 (2000) of
them are n~eniberso f trade unions and 60 (30%) are s~~II[~~I~~II(L'I.?I
~I'OIIC
OI
the other trade unions. In contrast, 62 (62%) Kurichians sample head of
households are membcrs and 30 (30%) o f them are sympathizers of tradc
unions. Here we can observe that only 8% o f the Kurichians are not h a ~ i n g
any trade union connections. The lower rate o f politlcal and social
consciousness o f the Paniyans can be explained In terms of the~r
comparatively poor socio-economic conditions
However ~t can be noted
that in the thick o f poverty tribals in general are showlng soclal land
politlcal consciousness. I t shows that there exists good quantity o f inherent
potentiality for development in them.
Feeling about tribal movements
A chain o f social and economic causes comblned uith certaln
political causes resulted the origin o f tribal movements in Wayanad. The
problem o f land alienation, problems o f bonded labour, problems o f
~~niveddedmothers, social and economlc explo~tatlons o f non- tribal
~nimigrants,excesses o f policemen and forest guards and the Influence of
extreme political ideologies multipl~edthe tribal nlovements In Wa!anad.
111 this
context
II I( uorthwhile
to examine the feeling o f the tr~balstoiiarda
tnbals movement in Wayanad. Table 5.24 gives the comniunlty i\.ise
distribution o f sample head o f the households according to the kcling
towards tribal movement in Wayanad.
Table 5.24: Community wise distribution of the tribal sample head of
households according to their feeling towards tribal movements
Total No. of
sample head of
Pan~yans
-
/
1
1
1
1
ofhouseholds
200
~Kur~ch~an
(
100
300
, Total
Source:. Sample Survey
1
64
71
135
/
(
1
1
vards tribal movements
do no supporting
Number ofsample %lo the
total /
households
I total
1
3200
71.00
45 00
1
/
1
/
136
L6800
Table 5.24 shows that among the total samples of 300 head of
households irrespective of their community, 45 percent (135) of them are
supporting the tribal movement and 55 percent (165) among the, are not
supporting the movements in Wayanad. Here, our purpose is not to
establish that the tribals are not supporting nor against the tribal
movements. Again, their feeling of not support is not that they are agalnst
the movement. It can be observed that among 300 Paniyans respondents 61
(32%) are supporting and 136 (62%) are not supportlng the tr~bal
movenients.
On the other hand 71 percent (71) of Kur~chlnns are
supportlng the tribal movements and 29 percent (29) are not supportlng the
nlovelllents. The poor response of the Paniyans can bc esplailled In ternis
of low social and pollttcal
consciousness
on their part anti ignorant aha111
the Importance of tribal movenlcnts. Funher, they are ~gnorarltabout the
achtevemenls of co-operative efforts to accelerate tlic process o f soc~aland
eco~lotiiicdevelopnient. In contriist, bcttur socii~lslid rcollollllc status ;111d
political conscioustiess of the Kurichians enahlcd tlreln to c o n \ ~ ~ l c r
1
I
themselves the importance of co-operative efforts and mass movements to
gain social and economic development. The lessons they taught from the
movements of the pre- colonial and colonial period must have convinced
them the importance of tribal movements.
A detailed account of the socio-economic character15tics of the
selected sample head of the households reveal that the tribals can not be
considered as a homogeneous ethnic group and there exist a wide range of
disparities among the various tribal communities in Wayanad.
It also
reveal that as there exist not one tribal society, there exist not one tribal
economy but different economies of tribals in Wayanad.