Tribes of Andhra Pradesh have added grandeur to the region with their rich heritage of culture, innocent lifestyle and age-old ethnicity. In Andhra Pradesh presently there are 32 lakh tribals, 50 lakh nomads and other backward people in Andhra Pradesh. Their habitat spreads along the coastal and mountain strip of the Bay of Bengal from the Srikakulam district to the Khammam district and Godavari districts right up to the north-eastwards to the Adilabad region. Maximum tribes of Andhra Pradesh are settled in the hilly and forest regions of the state.
Various Andhra Pradesh Tribes
The tribes of Andhra Pradesh are classified into two groups. One of the groups is present across the hilly tracts of the Deccan Plateau and by the Godavari River and Krishna River. The Chenchus of Srisailam hills are part of the second group. Gadabas, Savaras and Koyas belong to the Bhadrachalam and Simhachalam hilly areas. 33 types of tribes are found in 8 districts of Andhra Pradesh. The most prominent among them are the Khonds, Kolamis, Nayakpods, Koyas, Kondadoras, Valmikis, Bhagatas, Savaras, Jatayus, Gadabas, Yanadis and Chenchus.
There are certain nomadic tribes namely Piccukaguntlu, Balasanta, Saradakandru, Viramushtivaru, Bavanilu, Birannalavaru, Kommuvaru etc are Telugu nomads whose main occupation is ballad singing.
Savara Tribes of Andhra Pradesh: The Savara Tribes are mainly found in the districts of Vishakapatnam and Odisha. The areas of Savara tribes are full of lofty hills, darting mountain streams and deep gaping valleys, the terraced rice fields, etc. The Savara tribe people are remarkable irrigation engineers. They have a primitive sense of village planning, for their houses are aligned in parallel rows which reflect orderliness. The Savara triabal people are believed to be the descendants of the Sabaras referred to in the Aitareya Brahmana, the Ramayana and the Mahabharata.
Gadaba Tribes of Andhra Pradesh: Linguistically, people of Gadaba tribe belong to the Mundari dialect. The Gadaba Tribal people are distributed in the Jeypore, Malkangiri, Koraput and Pattangi taluks. The Gadaba women are good at weaving bark fiber cloth on miniature looms of their own manufacture and the woven fabric is dyed by them with various vegetable dyes.
Khonds Tribes of Andhra Pradesh: They are distributed both in Odisha and Vishakapatnam and are one of the largest of the Dravidian speaking tribes.
Koya Tribes of Andhra Pradesh: These are the southernmost branch in the Godavari valley. The word "Koya" means hill-dweller. The Koya tribe is divided into several occupational tribes such as blacksmiths, carpenters, brass workers and basket-makers.
Culture of Andhra Pradesh Tribes
The tribes of Andhra Pradesh worship their own pantheon of nature gods and goddesses and continue to revel in their ancient customs and manners.
Occupation of Andhra Pradesh Tribes
Some of the tribal are occupied in trade and commerce, while their womenfolk are part of cottage industries like making toys, baskets, mats, beads and cosmetics. The Tribal People of Andhra Pradesh are economically and technologically better equipped than the tribes of other regions.
Related Articles
Indian Tribal People
Indian Tribes
Indian Scheduled Tribes
South Indian Tribes
Andhra Pradesh
