Toda people

E820806

The Toda people are a small pastoral tribal community native to the Nilgiri Hills of South India, known for their distinctive buffalo-centered culture, unique barrel-vaulted houses, and intricate embroidery.

Jump to: Statements Referenced by

Statements (45)

Predicate Object
instanceOf ethnic group
pastoral community
architectureStyle curved thatched huts
artForm geometric black-and-red embroidery on white cloth
associatedWith Nilgiri tribal groups NERFINISHED
climateZone montane region
conservationIssue loss of grazing lands
pressure from tourism development
continent Asia
country India
culturalRegion Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve NERFINISHED
culturalSymbol buffalo horn motifs
demographicTrend declining traditional lifestyle
economy dairy products from buffalo
educationTrend increasing formal schooling among youth
governedBy Panchayat-level local governance (modern period)
heritageStatus intangible cultural heritage (Toda embroidery, architecture)
historicalRegion Madras Presidency (colonial period) NERFINISHED
landUse high-altitude grassland grazing
language Toda language NERFINISHED
languageFamily Dravidian languages NERFINISHED
locatedIn Nilgiri Hills NERFINISHED
South India
Tamil Nadu
mainDomesticatedAnimal buffalo
marriageCustom traditionally practiced fraternal polyandry
neighboringGroups Badaga people NERFINISHED
Kota people NERFINISHED
Kurumba people NERFINISHED
populationCharacteristic small population
recognizedAs Scheduled Tribe of India NERFINISHED
religion buffalo-centered ritual practices
religiousStructure dairy-temple system
ritualObject sacred dairy vessels
ritualSpecialization dairy priests
sacredAnimal buffalo
socialStructure clan-based society
threatStatus culturally endangered community
traditionalCraft Toda embroidery
traditionalDressFeature embroidered cloaks
traditionalDwellingType barrel-vaulted house
traditionalLaw customary clan rules
traditionalOccupation buffalo pastoralism
traditionalReligionType animism
urbanMigration limited but growing

Referenced by (3)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Kota–Toda subgroup spokenBy Toda people
subject surface form: Toda language