Key Facts about Katkari Tribe

About Katkari Tribe:

• It is a primitive tribe found in Maharashtra (Pune, Raigad and Thane districts) and parts of Gujarat. 
• It is one of the 75 Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs) in India.
• They were historically forest dwellers.
• Katkaris are also known as Kathodis because of their old occupation of making Katha (Catechu), the thickened sap from the wood of Khair (Acacia catechu).
• Language: They are bilingual, speaking the Katkari language amongst themselves and Marathi with others. A few of them speak Hindi as well.
• Occupation:
  • They serve as agricultural labourers and sell firewood and some jungle fruits.
  • They also take up fishing for domestic consumption, coal making, and brick manufacturing.
• They have tremendous knowledge about uncultivated foods like fish, crabs, animals, birds, tubers/rhizomes, wild vegetables, fruits, nuts, etc.
• A majority of the Katkari families are landless. The landless rate of 87% among the Katkari is much higher than 48% for rural households in India as a whole.
  • As a result of landlessness, migration is rampant, and livelihoods are seasonal.