Context:
A recent book, Forgotten Trails: Foraging Wild Edibles authored by Malemleima Ningombi and Harisha has looked into the diets of Soligas and Yeravas communities.
About Soligas Community
- Soligas: They are an indigenous tribe of Biligiri Rangan Hills (B.R. Hills) in Karnataka who have been dependent on the forests for their livelihood traditionally.
- They are also called Children of bamboo.
- Food: Honey is an important part of their diet.
- Language: Sholaga, which belongs to the Dravidian family.
- Occupation: Shifting cultivation and their main source of income is harvesting and sale of Non-timber Forest Produce (NTFP).
- Culture: They follow naturism and animism along with following Hindu practices and their main deities are Madeshwara.
About Yeravas Community
- They came to Karnataka from the Wayanad district in Kerala and settled in the Kodagu district of the state whose settlements are called ‘Kunju’.
- Language: Revula language.
- Occupation: Most of them are agricultural workers in coffee plantations and tea estates.
- Culture: There are many customs and rituals practiced among the Adiyas who believe in witchcraft. They perform a ritual dance to cure disease, ward off miseries and evil eyes, and safe delivery of the child.
- Food: Mushrooms are part of their diet during monsoons while in winter, they depend on wild berries and edible ferns.