Kota tribe
Encyclopedia
Kotas or Kothar or Kov by self-designation are an ethnic group who are indigenous to the Nilgiris mountain range in Tamil Nadu
, India
. They are one of the many tribal or ethnic groups indigenous to the region. Others include Todas, Badagas
, Irulas
and Kurumbas. Although all groups lived closely by and had intimate interactions, elaborate taboos were developed to maintain social distance and prestige. Todas and Kotas have been subject to intense anthropological, linguistic and genetic analysis since the early 19th century. Study of Todas and Kotas has also been influential in the development of the field of anthropology
. Numerically Kotas have always been a small group not exceeding 1,500 individuals spread over seven villages for the last 150 years. They have maintained a lifestyle as a jack of all trades such as potters, agriculturalist, leather workers, carpenters, and black smiths and as musicians for other groups. Since the British colonial period
they have availed themselves of educational facilities and have improved their socio-economic status and no longer depend on the traditional services provided to make a living. Some anthropologists such as Richard Wolf have considered them to be a specialized caste
as opposed to be a tribe or an ethnic group.
Kotas have their own unique language that belongs to the Dravidian language family but diverged from South Dravidian sub family at some time in BCE. Their language was studied in detail by Murray Barnson Emeneau
, a pioneer in the field of Dravidian linguistics. Their social institutions were distinct from mainstream Indian cultural norms and had some similarities to Todas and other tribal people in neighbouring Kerala
and the prominent Nair
caste. It was informed by a fraternal polyandry
and polygyny
where possible. Kota religion was unlike mainstream Hinduism
and believed in non-anthropormorphic
male deities and a female deity. Since the 1940s, many mainstream Hindu
deities also have been adopted into the Kota pantheon and temples of Tamil style
have been built to accommodate their worship. They’ve had specialized groups of priests to propitiate their deities on behalf of the group.
placed in Nilgiris to service others but Kotas consider themselves to be original inhabitants of the region and do not accept the servile status. The name Kota is a term applied to the group by outsiders; Kotas refer to themselves as 'Kov'. There are number of meanings attributed to the term, but according to Emeneau, ko-v meant a male potter and ko-ty a female potter. Since the 1930s through the efforts of a Kota school teacher, social reformer and activist named Sulli Kota and his followers, Kotas have transformed their previous traditional relationships away from serving other so called high prestige ethnic groups and upgraded their socio-economic status.
Although many theories have been put forth as to the origins of Kotas and Todas, none have been confirmed as factual. What linguists and anthropologists agree is that ancestors of both Kotas and Todas may have entered the Nilgiris massif from what is today Kerala or Karnataka
in centuries BCE and developed in isolation from the rest of the society. According to F. Metz, a missionary, Kotas had a tradition that alluded to them coming over from a place called Kollimale in Karnataka. They seem to have displaced the previous Kurumba inhabitants from the higher altitudes to lower altitude infested with malaria
l mosquitoes. The Kota tribe shows M haplogroup frequency of 97%, which is one of the highest in India. M haplogroups is considered to have dispersed in India from East Africa
at least 60,000 years ago with the expansion anatomically modern humans. Within M haplogroup, M2 lineages are common amongst Dravidian speaking populations of South India. They also demonstrate very low admixture rate from other neighbouring groups.
At some point in their history they developed a symbiotic economic relationship with the buffalo
rearing Toda neighbours as service providers in return for Toda’s buffalo milk, hides, ghee
, and meat. They also had a trading and ritual relationship with Kurumba and Irula neighbours who were hunter-gatherers. They specifically used the Kurumbas as their sorcerers and as village guards. Origin myth of Kotas postulates that Kotas, Todas, and Kurumbas were all placed in the Nilagiris area at once as brothers by the Kota god. The origin myth does not include Badagas as they were a later immigrant group from Karnataka in the 16th century CE. Kotas also provided services to the Badagas and received in return agricultural products. This symbiotic relationship survived until disturbed by the British colonial officers starting in the early 19th century.
Since the early 19th century, missionaries, British bureaucrats, anthropologists and linguists of both Western and Indian kind have spent an enormous amount of time studying the different ethnic and tribal groups; of all, the Todas were the most studied, followed by Kotas and Badagas. Other groups such as Irulas and various groups of Kurumbars were least studied. The study of the ethnic groups of Nilgiris was instrumental in the early development of the field of Anthropology
. Although most groups lived in peace with each other and had developed a symbiotic relationship, taboos and cultural practices were developed to maintain social distance. According to F. Metz, as the original settlers of the highland, Kurumbars were subject to continuous violence including occasional massacres by the Todas and Badagas. According to Kota informants, they had supplied battle drums during periods of war.
in Kerala. Kota villages are known as Kokkal in their language and as Kotagiri by outsiders. Each village had three exogamous clans of similar name. Each clan settled in a street called Kerr or Kerri. Clan members were prohibited from marrying within each within the same village but could from the same clan or any other clan from non-native village. The relationship between similarly named clans was unknown and no social hierarchy was evident amongst the inter and intra village clans.
. A woman marrying a man is also expected to have conjugal relationship with all his brothers although children born out of this relationship are strictly considered to be her husbands. In some instances conjugal relationships can be extended to parallel cousins as well who are considered to be brothers and sisters in the Dravidian kinship system. A man marrying a woman is also expected to have conjugal rights over the woman’s sisters but it is seldom enforced as sisters are usually married across different villages. This system was maintained well into the 20th century, as it had an economic base for survival, as brothers sharing a wife or wives were expected to contribute to the welfare of the family in equal share. Polygamy was also practiced by Kota men when affordable. Polyandry was also noticed amongst Todas and number of other tribes in Kerala including the prominent Nair
caste. Kotas also had a specialized group who were custodians of their native deities. These priestly groups did not participate in the polyandrous relationship and were strictly monogamous.
and low fertility
rates.
millet
known as vatamk. Vatamk is served in almost all ceremonial occasions but rice is the preferred daily food. It is served with udk , a sambar like item made of locally available pulses, vegetables and tamarind
juice. Beef is seldom eaten but eggs, chicken and mutton are consumed, when available, along with locally grown vegetables and beans.
. They did not identify with the Hinduism of the plains folks until contact with Europe
an colonials. Currently Kotas consider themselves to be Hindus. Their major deities are A-yno-r also divided into big or Doda-ynor or small or kuna-yno-r, a father god and Amno-r or mother goddess. Father god is also called Kamati-cvara or Kamatra-ya in some villages. Although there were two male gods, there was only one version of the female goddess. These gods were worshiped in the form of Silver disks at specific temples. According to Mendelbaum, the mother goddess was married to two brother gods, a reflection of the fraternal polyandry prevalent in society.
Kotas had a number of religious festivals during the colonial precontact and immediately after the colonial contact period. It ranged from praying to their rain god Kannatra-ya or titular deity Kamatra-ya. During the seed sowing ceremony, they used to build a forge and a furnace within the main temple and smiths would make avocatory item like axes or gold ornaments to the deity. The head priest mundika-no-n and headmen gotga-rn usually belong to the particular family (kuyt) and it was passed from father to son. Mundika-no-n is assisted by the te-rka-ran, through whom the god (so-ym) communicates with the people while being possessed. Te-rka-ran could come from any family but mundika-no-n comes from a specific family in a village.
Kota funeral rites consist of two ceremonies. The first one is called Green funeral and concerns cremation of the body. The second ceremony is called a dry funeral and involves exhumation of buried bones from the first ceremony, followed by sacrifice of semi wild buffaloes. The second funeral is no longer practiced widely. Since the mid 1900's, many Hindu gods have been introduced into the Kota pantheon and have been installed in temples. These temples are run by a variety of people not restricted to original priestly families.
. It diverged from the common South Dravidian stock in years BCE. Kota language speakers became isolated and the language developed certain unique characteristics that were studied in detail and by the prominent Dravidian linguists Murray Emeneau. It is informed by maintenance of words that shows strong affinity to Archaic Tamil. According to Emeneau Kotas have been living isolated since their separation from the mainstream Tamil speakers in years BCE. Emeneau dates the split to the 2nd century BCE as terminus ante quem ("limit before which") and was unable to date the period earlier than this in which the split may have happened, but it happened after Kannada split from the common Tamil–Kannada stock.
All Nilgiri languages show areal influence and show affinity to each other. Kota was influenced by the arrival of Badaga refugees from Karnataka in the 16th century who spoke a dialect of Kannada that was unique to the Mysore region that they came from. Since the reorganization of linguistic states in India, most Kota children study in Tamil
at schools and are bilingual in Kota and Tamil. Previously Kotas were multilingual in Kota, Toda and Badaga languages.
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu is one of the 28 states of India. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu lies in the southernmost part of the Indian Peninsula and is bordered by the union territory of Pondicherry, and the states of Kerala, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. They are one of the many tribal or ethnic groups indigenous to the region. Others include Todas, Badagas
Badagas
The Badagas are an indigenous people inhabiting the Nilgiri Hills of Tamil Nadu, southern India. Their language is Badaga.-Traditional Attire:In olden days the Badagas used to wear distinctive dresses...
, Irulas
Irulas
Irulas are a scheduled tribe of India. Irulas are present in various parts of India, but are mainly located in the Thiruvallur district of Tamil Nadu...
and Kurumbas. Although all groups lived closely by and had intimate interactions, elaborate taboos were developed to maintain social distance and prestige. Todas and Kotas have been subject to intense anthropological, linguistic and genetic analysis since the early 19th century. Study of Todas and Kotas has also been influential in the development of the field of anthropology
Anthropology
Anthropology is the study of humanity. It has origins in the humanities, the natural sciences, and the social sciences. The term "anthropology" is from the Greek anthrōpos , "man", understood to mean mankind or humanity, and -logia , "discourse" or "study", and was first used in 1501 by German...
. Numerically Kotas have always been a small group not exceeding 1,500 individuals spread over seven villages for the last 150 years. They have maintained a lifestyle as a jack of all trades such as potters, agriculturalist, leather workers, carpenters, and black smiths and as musicians for other groups. Since the British colonial period
British Raj
British Raj was the British rule in the Indian subcontinent between 1858 and 1947; The term can also refer to the period of dominion...
they have availed themselves of educational facilities and have improved their socio-economic status and no longer depend on the traditional services provided to make a living. Some anthropologists such as Richard Wolf have considered them to be a specialized caste
Caste
Caste is an elaborate and complex social system that combines elements of endogamy, occupation, culture, social class, tribal affiliation and political power. It should not be confused with race or social class, e.g. members of different castes in one society may belong to the same race, as in India...
as opposed to be a tribe or an ethnic group.
Kotas have their own unique language that belongs to the Dravidian language family but diverged from South Dravidian sub family at some time in BCE. Their language was studied in detail by Murray Barnson Emeneau
Murray Barnson Emeneau
Murray Barnson Emeneau was an emeritus professor and founder of the Department of Linguistics at the University of California, Berkeley.-Early life and education:...
, a pioneer in the field of Dravidian linguistics. Their social institutions were distinct from mainstream Indian cultural norms and had some similarities to Todas and other tribal people in neighbouring Kerala
Kerala
or Keralam is an Indian state located on the Malabar coast of south-west India. It was created on 1 November 1956 by the States Reorganisation Act by combining various Malayalam speaking regions....
and the prominent Nair
Nair
Nair , also known as Nayar , refers to "not a unitary group but a named category of castes", which historically embody several castes and many subdivisions, not all of whom bore the Nair title. These people historically live in the present-day Indian state of Kerala...
caste. It was informed by a fraternal polyandry
Polyandry
Polyandry refers to a form of marriage in which a woman has two or more husbands at the same time. The form of polyandry in which a woman is married to two or more brothers is known as "fraternal polyandry", and it is believed by many anthropologists to be the most frequently encountered...
and polygyny
Polygyny
Polygyny is a form of marriage in which a man has two or more wives at the same time. In countries where the practice is illegal, the man is referred to as a bigamist or a polygamist...
where possible. Kota religion was unlike mainstream Hinduism
Hinduism
Hinduism is the predominant and indigenous religious tradition of the Indian Subcontinent. Hinduism is known to its followers as , amongst many other expressions...
and believed in non-anthropormorphic
Anthropomorphism
Anthropomorphism is any attribution of human characteristics to animals, non-living things, phenomena, material states, objects or abstract concepts, such as organizations, governments, spirits or deities. The term was coined in the mid 1700s...
male deities and a female deity. Since the 1940s, many mainstream Hindu
Hindu
Hindu refers to an identity associated with the philosophical, religious and cultural systems that are indigenous to the Indian subcontinent. As used in the Constitution of India, the word "Hindu" is also attributed to all persons professing any Indian religion...
deities also have been adopted into the Kota pantheon and temples of Tamil style
Dravidian architecture
Dravidian architecture was a style of architecture that emerged thousands of years ago in Southern part of the Indian subcontinent or South India. They consist primarily of pyramid shaped temples called Koils which are dependent on intricate carved stone in order to create a step design consisting...
have been built to accommodate their worship. They’ve had specialized groups of priests to propitiate their deities on behalf of the group.
Identity
The Indian government considers them to be a scheduled tribe (ST), a designation reserved for indigenous tribal communities throughout India that are usually at a lower socio-economic status than mainstream society. They also have a special status as a Primitive Tribal Group (PTG) based on certain socio economic and demographic indicators. But Kotas are relatively successful group that makes its living as agriculturalist, doctors, post masters and availing themselves of any government and private sector employment. Few anthropologists and local community members consider them to be a service casteCaste
Caste is an elaborate and complex social system that combines elements of endogamy, occupation, culture, social class, tribal affiliation and political power. It should not be confused with race or social class, e.g. members of different castes in one society may belong to the same race, as in India...
placed in Nilgiris to service others but Kotas consider themselves to be original inhabitants of the region and do not accept the servile status. The name Kota is a term applied to the group by outsiders; Kotas refer to themselves as 'Kov'. There are number of meanings attributed to the term, but according to Emeneau, ko-v meant a male potter and ko-ty a female potter. Since the 1930s through the efforts of a Kota school teacher, social reformer and activist named Sulli Kota and his followers, Kotas have transformed their previous traditional relationships away from serving other so called high prestige ethnic groups and upgraded their socio-economic status.
History
Karnataka
Karnataka , the land of the Kannadigas, is a state in South West India. It was created on 1 November 1956, with the passing of the States Reorganisation Act and this day is annually celebrated as Karnataka Rajyotsava...
in centuries BCE and developed in isolation from the rest of the society. According to F. Metz, a missionary, Kotas had a tradition that alluded to them coming over from a place called Kollimale in Karnataka. They seem to have displaced the previous Kurumba inhabitants from the higher altitudes to lower altitude infested with malaria
Malaria
Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease of humans and other animals caused by eukaryotic protists of the genus Plasmodium. The disease results from the multiplication of Plasmodium parasites within red blood cells, causing symptoms that typically include fever and headache, in severe cases...
l mosquitoes. The Kota tribe shows M haplogroup frequency of 97%, which is one of the highest in India. M haplogroups is considered to have dispersed in India from East Africa
East Africa
East Africa or Eastern Africa is the easterly region of the African continent, variably defined by geography or geopolitics. In the UN scheme of geographic regions, 19 territories constitute Eastern Africa:...
at least 60,000 years ago with the expansion anatomically modern humans. Within M haplogroup, M2 lineages are common amongst Dravidian speaking populations of South India. They also demonstrate very low admixture rate from other neighbouring groups.
At some point in their history they developed a symbiotic economic relationship with the buffalo
Water Buffalo
The water buffalo or domestic Asian water buffalo is a large bovine animal, frequently used as livestock in southern Asia, and also widely in South America, southern Europe, northern Africa, and elsewhere....
rearing Toda neighbours as service providers in return for Toda’s buffalo milk, hides, ghee
Ghee
Ghee is a class of clarified butter that originated in South Asia and is commonly used in South Asian cuisine....
, and meat. They also had a trading and ritual relationship with Kurumba and Irula neighbours who were hunter-gatherers. They specifically used the Kurumbas as their sorcerers and as village guards. Origin myth of Kotas postulates that Kotas, Todas, and Kurumbas were all placed in the Nilagiris area at once as brothers by the Kota god. The origin myth does not include Badagas as they were a later immigrant group from Karnataka in the 16th century CE. Kotas also provided services to the Badagas and received in return agricultural products. This symbiotic relationship survived until disturbed by the British colonial officers starting in the early 19th century.
Since the early 19th century, missionaries, British bureaucrats, anthropologists and linguists of both Western and Indian kind have spent an enormous amount of time studying the different ethnic and tribal groups; of all, the Todas were the most studied, followed by Kotas and Badagas. Other groups such as Irulas and various groups of Kurumbars were least studied. The study of the ethnic groups of Nilgiris was instrumental in the early development of the field of Anthropology
Anthropology
Anthropology is the study of humanity. It has origins in the humanities, the natural sciences, and the social sciences. The term "anthropology" is from the Greek anthrōpos , "man", understood to mean mankind or humanity, and -logia , "discourse" or "study", and was first used in 1501 by German...
. Although most groups lived in peace with each other and had developed a symbiotic relationship, taboos and cultural practices were developed to maintain social distance. According to F. Metz, as the original settlers of the highland, Kurumbars were subject to continuous violence including occasional massacres by the Todas and Badagas. According to Kota informants, they had supplied battle drums during periods of war.
Society
Kotas were observed to be domiciled in seven relatively large nuclear villages intercepted between Toda and Badaga settlements. Six villages were within the Nilgiris district in Tamil Nadu and the seventh one in the Wayanad districtWayanad District
Wayanad District in the north-east of Kerala, India, was formed on November 1, 1980 as the 12th district by carving out areas from Kozhikode and Kannur districts. Kalpetta is the district headquarters as well as the only municipal town in the district. The region was known as Mayakshetra in the...
in Kerala. Kota villages are known as Kokkal in their language and as Kotagiri by outsiders. Each village had three exogamous clans of similar name. Each clan settled in a street called Kerr or Kerri. Clan members were prohibited from marrying within each within the same village but could from the same clan or any other clan from non-native village. The relationship between similarly named clans was unknown and no social hierarchy was evident amongst the inter and intra village clans.
Polyandry
A unique feature of the society was enforced fraternal polyandryPolyandry
Polyandry refers to a form of marriage in which a woman has two or more husbands at the same time. The form of polyandry in which a woman is married to two or more brothers is known as "fraternal polyandry", and it is believed by many anthropologists to be the most frequently encountered...
. A woman marrying a man is also expected to have conjugal relationship with all his brothers although children born out of this relationship are strictly considered to be her husbands. In some instances conjugal relationships can be extended to parallel cousins as well who are considered to be brothers and sisters in the Dravidian kinship system. A man marrying a woman is also expected to have conjugal rights over the woman’s sisters but it is seldom enforced as sisters are usually married across different villages. This system was maintained well into the 20th century, as it had an economic base for survival, as brothers sharing a wife or wives were expected to contribute to the welfare of the family in equal share. Polygamy was also practiced by Kota men when affordable. Polyandry was also noticed amongst Todas and number of other tribes in Kerala including the prominent Nair
Nair
Nair , also known as Nayar , refers to "not a unitary group but a named category of castes", which historically embody several castes and many subdivisions, not all of whom bore the Nair title. These people historically live in the present-day Indian state of Kerala...
caste. Kotas also had a specialized group who were custodians of their native deities. These priestly groups did not participate in the polyandrous relationship and were strictly monogamous.
Demography
Kota demography has not exceeded 1,500 individuals in the last 150 years due to fraternal polyandry, dearth of women due to early female infanticide, high infant mortality rates, past epidemics and economic hardships. Studies since 1960’s had indicated that the high rate consanguineous marriages amongst relatively a small group of people has contributed to increase in infant mortalityInfant mortality
Infant mortality is defined as the number of infant deaths per 1000 live births. Traditionally, the most common cause worldwide was dehydration from diarrhea. However, the spreading information about Oral Re-hydration Solution to mothers around the world has decreased the rate of children dying...
and low fertility
Fertility
Fertility is the natural capability of producing offsprings. As a measure, "fertility rate" is the number of children born per couple, person or population. Fertility differs from fecundity, which is defined as the potential for reproduction...
rates.
Women’s position
Women had a greater say in choosing their marriage partners than in any mainstream Indian villages and also helped out in many economic activities. In a fraternal polyandrous situation they were expected to share their husband’s brothers as sexual partners. They had the right to divorce. They were also exclusively engaged in making pottery. According to early western observers, unlike Toda women, who were friendly towards visitors to their villages, Kota women maintained their distance from outsiders. Wives of Kota priests played equally important ritual role in religious functions. Women who became possessed to flute music are called Pembacol and were consulted during important village decisions. Women also had specialized roles associated with cultivation, domestic chores and social functions.Food
Unlike Todas, Kotas ate meat and were in good physical condition when met by early anthropologists. Their traditional food is a type of ItalianItaly
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
millet
Millet
The millets are a group of small-seeded species of cereal crops or grains, widely grown around the world for food and fodder. They do not form a taxonomic group, but rather a functional or agronomic one. Their essential similarities are that they are small-seeded grasses grown in difficult...
known as vatamk. Vatamk is served in almost all ceremonial occasions but rice is the preferred daily food. It is served with udk , a sambar like item made of locally available pulses, vegetables and tamarind
Tamarind
Tamarind is a tree in the family Fabaceae. The genus Tamarindus is monotypic .-Origin:...
juice. Beef is seldom eaten but eggs, chicken and mutton are consumed, when available, along with locally grown vegetables and beans.
Governance
Prior to colonial era penetration of the Kota area there was very little if not no formal relationships between neighbouring political entities and Kota villages. It is assumed that political entities from Karnataka made forays into the highland but their control was not permanent. Kotas did pay a tribute to the Toda tribal leaders. There was no formal differentiation that existed within and outside the village level. Each village had an expectation to meet. The village of Ticga-r is famous for its women's song and dance, the funerals are well known in Me-na-r, and the Kamatra-ya festival and instrumental music are famous in Kolme-l. Kota village is led by a village headman called gotga-rn. The gotga-rn from Me-na-r was head of all the seven villages. Whenever a dispute arose, the gotga-rn will call a meeting known as a kut with the village elders and decide the solutions. Within a village, the gotga-rn and elders decide when festivals are to be held and how to solve problems in the community. Although regular justice is handled through the Indian judicial system, local decisions of Kota cultural requirements are handled by the village kut.Religion
Kota religion and culture revolved around the smithySmithy
Smithy may refer to:* Forge, also called a smithy, the workplace of a smith or a blacksmith* Smith , sometimes referred to as a smithy, a person involved in the shaping of metal objects...
. They did not identify with the Hinduism of the plains folks until contact with Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
an colonials. Currently Kotas consider themselves to be Hindus. Their major deities are A-yno-r also divided into big or Doda-ynor or small or kuna-yno-r, a father god and Amno-r or mother goddess. Father god is also called Kamati-cvara or Kamatra-ya in some villages. Although there were two male gods, there was only one version of the female goddess. These gods were worshiped in the form of Silver disks at specific temples. According to Mendelbaum, the mother goddess was married to two brother gods, a reflection of the fraternal polyandry prevalent in society.
Kotas had a number of religious festivals during the colonial precontact and immediately after the colonial contact period. It ranged from praying to their rain god Kannatra-ya or titular deity Kamatra-ya. During the seed sowing ceremony, they used to build a forge and a furnace within the main temple and smiths would make avocatory item like axes or gold ornaments to the deity. The head priest mundika-no-n and headmen gotga-rn usually belong to the particular family (kuyt) and it was passed from father to son. Mundika-no-n is assisted by the te-rka-ran, through whom the god (so-ym) communicates with the people while being possessed. Te-rka-ran could come from any family but mundika-no-n comes from a specific family in a village.
Kota funeral rites consist of two ceremonies. The first one is called Green funeral and concerns cremation of the body. The second ceremony is called a dry funeral and involves exhumation of buried bones from the first ceremony, followed by sacrifice of semi wild buffaloes. The second funeral is no longer practiced widely. Since the mid 1900's, many Hindu gods have been introduced into the Kota pantheon and have been installed in temples. These temples are run by a variety of people not restricted to original priestly families.
Language
Kotas speak the Kota language or Ko-v Ma-nt and it is closely related to Toda language. It was identified as an independent Dravidian language in as early as 1870's by Robert CaldwellRobert Caldwell
Bishop Robert Caldwell was an Evangelist missionary and linguist, who academically established the Dravidian family of languages. He served as Assistant Bishop of Tirunelveli from 1877. He was described in The Hindu as a 'pioneering champion of the downtrodden' and an 'avant-garde social reformer'...
. It diverged from the common South Dravidian stock in years BCE. Kota language speakers became isolated and the language developed certain unique characteristics that were studied in detail and by the prominent Dravidian linguists Murray Emeneau. It is informed by maintenance of words that shows strong affinity to Archaic Tamil. According to Emeneau Kotas have been living isolated since their separation from the mainstream Tamil speakers in years BCE. Emeneau dates the split to the 2nd century BCE as terminus ante quem ("limit before which") and was unable to date the period earlier than this in which the split may have happened, but it happened after Kannada split from the common Tamil–Kannada stock.
All Nilgiri languages show areal influence and show affinity to each other. Kota was influenced by the arrival of Badaga refugees from Karnataka in the 16th century who spoke a dialect of Kannada that was unique to the Mysore region that they came from. Since the reorganization of linguistic states in India, most Kota children study in Tamil
Tamil language
Tamil is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by Tamil people of the Indian subcontinent. It has official status in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and in the Indian union territory of Pondicherry. Tamil is also an official language of Sri Lanka and Singapore...
at schools and are bilingual in Kota and Tamil. Previously Kotas were multilingual in Kota, Toda and Badaga languages.
Kota kinship terms
| Kota | English |
|---|---|
| Per-in | Grandfather |
| Per-av | Grandmother |
| Ayn | Father, mother's sister's husband |
| Av | Mother, father's brother's wife |
| An | Elder brother |
| Kara-l | Younger brother |