A recent study showed that fortress conservation approach has led to uprooting, ongoing distress and despondency worldwide, and offers the Soligas in the Biligiri Rangaswamy Temple Wildlife Sanctuary (BRTWS) as a prime conservation exemplar.
About Soliga Tribe:
The term “Soliga” literally translates to “children of bamboo”, which reflects the tribe’s relationship with nature and their belief that they too have emerged from it.
Distribution: They are a group of indigenous, forest-dwelling people found mostly in Tamil Nadu and Karnataka.
They reside in the peripheral forest areas near Biligiri Rangana Hills and Male Mahadeshwara Hills.
Soligas was the first tribal community living inside a tiger reserve and getting their forest rights recognised by a court in a judgment in 2011.
Language: The Dravidian language sholaga is spoken by the Soliga. They also speak Kannada and Tamil.
The Soligas live in single-room huts, built of bamboo and mud.
They believe in coexisting with the environment and have indigenous ways of using nature to make unique utility products, such as the ‘jottai’, which is a cup made out of leaves.
Religion of Soliga Tribes : Along with adhering to Hindu customs, the Soliga people practice naturism and animism.
Economy: The traditional economy of the Soliga is mostly based on shifting cultivation and collection of minor forest produce.
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