Socio Economic Status of Soliga Women in Karnataka Since Independence

Abstract

The tribals are believed to be the earliest settlers of the Indian Peninsula. The tribals live in clusters of villages mainly in the hilly areas, depending on the forests for their very survival. The Soligas are one such tribals of South India, inhabiting certain parts of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. In Male Mahadeshwara Hills and Biligiri Rangana Hills of Chamarajanagar district, there is substantial population of the Soliga tribe. Like in any other tribal communities, the Soliga women play a substantial and crucial role in society and economy. They were involved in agricultural operations, mainly in shifting cultivation,collection of Non-timber forest products etc., But, in course of time, with the depletion of bamboo and other natural resources, they took to agricultural labour.The various acts of the government including the forest laws have made the access of tribal women to available forest produce very difficult. They were forced to migrate to different parts of the State and sometimes outside Karnataka in search of employment such as stone quarrying or labour in coffee estates. This migration affected their family and mainly the education of their children. The above said factors evinced greater interest and curiosity in the Researcher since the status of women in any society is a significant reflection of the level of social justice in that society and the result is the above study. The study proposes to trace the history of the Soligas and the socio-economic status of the Soliga women since independence. newline