Kolam Tribes

About Kolam Tribes:

• Kolam tribes, also known as Kolamboli, Kulme and Kolmi, occupy a major portion of Madhya Pradesh.
• The main concentration of this tribe is on the plains and in the mountainous region.
• These tribal groups are reckoned as scheduled tribes and apart from Madhya Pradesh they reside in some parts of Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh.
• They are listed as Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group (PVTG) in the state of Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh.
• History:
  • Around the twelfth century, the Kolam served as priests for the Gond, representing some of their important gods.
  • It is generally accepted that the Kolam descended from the original population in the area.
  • Since they now live near the Gond, they have adopted much of the Gond lifestyle. 
• The Kolam people are divided into different clans, like Chal Deve, Pach Deve, Saha Deve, and Sat Deve.
• Marriages between the same clans are not permissible.
• The Kolams use the name of their clans as their surnames.
• Their society is patrilineal, meaning that the line of descent is traced through the males.
• The Kolam are mainly farmers and forest worker In times past, they used shifting cultivation on the hill slopes. Today, they primarily live as settled farmers and use plough cultivation.
• They speak a Dravidian language called Kolami, and nearly all of the adults also speak Marathi, Telugu, or Gondi.
• They also speak other languages like Marathi, Telugu or Gondi.
• For writing, this Kolam tribal community uses the Devanagari script.