Language family

Dravidian Peoples

The indigenous language family of southern India and parts of wider South Asia, predating Indo-Aryan arrival.

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More about Koya

24
Member ethnic groups
23
Branches represented
1
World regions spanned

Other Dravidian groups24 groups

Aranadan

Forested hills around Nilambur in Malappuram district, northern Kerala, India, near the foot of the Nilgiris

Badagas

The Nilgiri Hills of Tamil Nadu, southern India, chiefly the Ooty, Coonoor and Kotagiri uplands.

Bearys

Coastal Karnataka, chiefly Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts around Mangaluru, extending into Kasaragod district of Kerala, India; large migrant workforce in the Gulf states

Brahuis woman from Balochistan (Pakistan)

Brahuis

Balochistan (Pakistan)

Chenchu

The Nallamala Hills and surrounding forest of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, India, with smaller numbers in Karnataka and Odisha.

Gonds woman from Gondwana (India)

Gonds

Gondwana (India)

Irulas

Northern Tamil Nadu, the Nilgiri Hills, and Attappady in Palakkad district, Kerala, with smaller populations in adjoining Karnataka, India

Jenu Kuruba

Forests of southern Karnataka, India, around Nagarhole and Bandipur in Mysuru, Kodagu and Chamarajanagar districts; related communities in Wayanad (Kerala) and the Nilgiris (Tamil Nadu)

Kadar

Anamalai hills and nearby Western Ghats forests of India: Parambikulam, Sholayar, Nelliampathy and Vazhachal in Kerala's Thrissur and Palakkad districts, and the Valparai area of Coimbatore district, Tamil Nadu

Kanikkaran

Southern Western Ghats around Agasthyamalai: Thiruvananthapuram and Kollam districts of Kerala, and Kanyakumari and Tirunelveli districts of Tamil Nadu, India

Kannadigas woman from Karnataka (India)

Kannadigas

Karnataka (India)

Khonds woman from Kandhamal (India)

Khonds

Kandhamal (India)

Kodava

Kodagu, formerly Coorg, a district in the Western Ghats of Karnataka, southern India

Koraga

Coastal Karnataka (Udupi and Dakshina Kannada districts) and Kasaragod district of Kerala, India

Koya woman from Forested Godavari River valley and nearby hills in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, extending into southern Chhattisgarh and Malkangiri district, Odisha, India

Koya

Forested Godavari River valley and nearby hills in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, extending into southern Chhattisgarh and Malkangiri district, Odisha, India

Kurukh woman from Chota Nagpur Plateau (India)

Kurukh

Chota Nagpur Plateau (India)

Malayali woman from Kerala (India)

Malayali

Kerala (India)

Malto

Rajmahal Hills of northeastern Jharkhand, India, chiefly Sahebganj, Godda and Pakur districts, with smaller communities in neighboring Bihar and West Bengal.

Muria

The Bastar region of southern Chhattisgarh, India, chiefly Narayanpur, Kondagaon, Bastar and Dantewada districts, with displaced populations in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.

Paliyan

Southern Western Ghats of South India, mainly the forests and foothills of Tamil Nadu (Palani Hills, Dindigul, Theni, Madurai and Virudhunagar districts), with smaller communities in Kerala

Paniya

Wayanad district of Kerala, India, with smaller communities in Kannur, Kozhikode and Malappuram, the Nilgiris of Tamil Nadu, and adjoining Karnataka

Tamils woman from Tamil Nadu (India), Sri Lanka (Northern and Eastern Provinces)

Tamils

Tamil Nadu (India), Sri Lanka (Northern and Eastern Provinces)

Telugu woman from India (Andhra Pradesh, Telangana)

Telugu

India (Andhra Pradesh, Telangana)

Toda

The Nilgiri plateau of western Tamil Nadu, southern India, centered on the uplands around Ooty and the surrounding shola grassland.

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