Yanadis
WHO ARE THEY?
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| © Oggi Tomic / oggitomic.com |
Yanadi is a tribal community based in Andhra Pradesh (AP), India. They have a nomadic lifestyle and the estimated current population in AP is 800,000.
Under a strong culture of silence, they were made to believe it is normal to be abused by upper classes and non-tribals. The majority of Yanadis are bonded labourers, adolescents and women are sexually abused and children are forced to work.
There are 4 sub-castes of Yanadis:
Under a strong culture of silence, they were made to believe it is normal to be abused by upper classes and non-tribals. The majority of Yanadis are bonded labourers, adolescents and women are sexually abused and children are forced to work.
There are 4 sub-castes of Yanadis:
- Manchi/Reddy-Yanadis: cultivators and servants
- Challa-Yanadis: the most vulnerable ones, they were used as scavengers. Today, they are engaged in agriculture labour work and sometimes they fish in small lakes. And some of them also depends on begging
- Kappala-Yanadis: live by catching and eating frogs
- Adavi-Yanadis: live in the forests
WHERE DO THEY COME FROM?
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| Yanadi traditional healers walking into the forest to collect medicinal plants (Photo by iied.org on Flickr, Creative Commons License) |
Their origins are very vague. They used to live in the Veligonga forest/hills range in Andhra Pradesh. The abundance of natural resources nurtured generations of Yanadis, providing them food, shelter and all other needs. After the invasion of the Dravidians, they lost their peaceful life and started moving to different areas, in habitations outside the main villages. They got mixed with people who subdued them, losing their identity, their language and forgetting their special traits.
GOVERNMENT INITIATIVES FOR YANADIS
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During the British period and after the Post Independence, there were some schemes for the rehabilitation of Yanadis. In 2002, the Integrated Tribal Development Agency (ITDA) was established. The State Government has introduced some development projects (housing, women and child development, medical, health and nutrition, etc).
In the 1970's, after a land redistribution programme, Yanadi tribes were given excess lands from reddy communities (upper caste/class and non-tribal). But in practice, the landholders never allowed this redistribution and Yanadis were not informed about having lands in their names. Until today, the territories are in control of big farmers, and Yanadis have to be laborers in their own land, without any benefit from agricultural development. Yanadis are taken to the banks and government officials to put thumb impressions as a receipt of a benefit that was never really given to them.
Corruption and mismanagement led to no visible improvements in Yanadis lives. They remain one of the least developed community in India, depending on others for their livelihood and having to live as beggers, rag-pickes, sewage cleaners, farms watchmen, wood collectors etc, living in tiny huts they have to share with other 10-12 people.
Despite all the programmes aimed to reach Yanadi tribes, the schemes cover only rich farmers and non-tribals. Yanadis remain living in vulnerable conditions even after 63 years of Independence.
In the 1970's, after a land redistribution programme, Yanadi tribes were given excess lands from reddy communities (upper caste/class and non-tribal). But in practice, the landholders never allowed this redistribution and Yanadis were not informed about having lands in their names. Until today, the territories are in control of big farmers, and Yanadis have to be laborers in their own land, without any benefit from agricultural development. Yanadis are taken to the banks and government officials to put thumb impressions as a receipt of a benefit that was never really given to them.
Corruption and mismanagement led to no visible improvements in Yanadis lives. They remain one of the least developed community in India, depending on others for their livelihood and having to live as beggers, rag-pickes, sewage cleaners, farms watchmen, wood collectors etc, living in tiny huts they have to share with other 10-12 people.
Despite all the programmes aimed to reach Yanadi tribes, the schemes cover only rich farmers and non-tribals. Yanadis remain living in vulnerable conditions even after 63 years of Independence.
HOUSING CONDITIONS
Earlier Yanadis were nomadics and did not live in regular villages. They used to build portable and conical huts close to strams and canals. With the deforestation, they had to move to the plain areas and started to settle in habitations.
Today, less than 10% of the Yanadis possess permanent houses of RCC roof. Most of them live in huts of less than 100 sqft, made of palm trees, with no proper shelter cum toilet. As they live outside the main villages, there is no city facilities like electricity, drinking water, etc. During the rainy season, there is also a problem of water leakage.
EDUCATIONAL STATUS
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| © Oggi Tomic / oggitomic.com |
There is a very low literacy among Yanadi tribe, despite their interest in acquiring education. Only 5% of the children are able to read and write and their presence in high school is minimal.
Since 2002, with the support of the Tribal Development Agency, children started going to school, but the education system is still very poor. Besides that, the Yanadi kids are discriminated by their teachers and other children resulting in school drop out.
WOMEN ABUSE AND THE CULTURE OF SILENCE
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| © Oggi Tomic / oggitomic.com |
In the process of moving down from the forests and mixing with non-tribal people, they lost their cultural identity and forgot their special traits. Moreover, they live under a culture of silence. No matter what atrocities were committed against them, they would keep quite. This characteristic was soon perceived by outsiders, who exploited them further.
The upper caste/classes subdued and abused them. Adolescent and women have been sexually harassed and they were made to believe it is 'normal' to be abused and raped by other upper caste/non-tribal communities. Yanadis are beaten, women are sexually exploited and they still keep their silence.
The upper caste/classes subdued and abused them. Adolescent and women have been sexually harassed and they were made to believe it is 'normal' to be abused and raped by other upper caste/non-tribal communities. Yanadis are beaten, women are sexually exploited and they still keep their silence.
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