Jenu Kuruba
The Jenu Kuruba are a tribal community found in forest covered districts of southern Karnataka and border areas of Kerala. The Jenu Kuruba are classified by the Government of Karnataka as a Scheduled tribes.
Etymology
In Kannada language, jenu means honey and kuruba means shepherd, implying that jenu kuruba name means gatherer of honey.
Origins
According to one legend, after the fall of the pallava empire many kurubas settled down in south India as small land owners and farmers, some kurubas took to hiding in the forests of south india and adopted to a lifestyle in forest, they developed their own culture and traditions different from others due to their prolonged isolation.
Lifestyle
They live in small settlements called Hadi or Hatti. They have traditionally been food-gatherers, practicing shifting cultivation, leading to a nomadic existence. More recently, they have taken to living in larger hamlets, with government interventions. They practice agriculture as a subsidiary occupation. Instead of ploughing the field, they scratch the surface with a bamboo spear.