Tribals in Kerala (known in Malayalam as the Adivasis) are the tribal population found in the Indian state of

Kerala Kerala ( ; ) is a state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile regions of Cochin, Malabar, South ...

. Most of the tribals of Kerala live in the forests and mountains of Western Ghats, bordering

Karnataka Karnataka (; ISO: , , also known as Karunāḍu) is a state in the southwestern region of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act. Originally known as Mysore State , it was renamed ''Karnat ...

and

Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is a States and union territories of India, state in southern India. It is the List of states and union territories of India by area, tenth largest Indian state by area and the List of states and union territories of India ...

. Tribals in Kerala are officially designated as "Scheduled Tribes" for affirmative action purposes. Kerala Public Service Commission, Government of Kerala, lists thirty-six of Scheduled Tribes in Kerala. Tribals in Kerala are classified by Scheduled Tribes Development Department, Government of Kerala into three sub-sets (Particularly Vulnerable, Marginalised and Minorities). According to the 2011

Census of India The decennial Census of India has been conducted 16 times, as of 2021. While it has been undertaken every 10 years, beginning in 1872 under British Viceroy Lord Mayo, the first complete census was taken in 1881. Post 1949, it has been conducted by ...

, the Scheduled Tribe population in

is 4,84,839 (1.5 % of the total population).

Wayanad district Wayanad () is a district in the north-east of Indian state Kerala with administrative headquarters at the municipality of Kalpetta. It is the only plateau in Kerala. The Wayanad Plateau forms a continuation of the Mysore Plateau, the southern ...

has the highest number of tribals (1,51,443) in Kerala, followed by Idukki (55,815),

Palakkad Palakkad (), formerly known as Palghat, historically known as Palakkattussery is a city and municipality in the Indian state of Kerala. It is the administrative headquarters of the Palakkad District. Palakkad is most densely populated municipal ...

(48,972) and

Kasaragod Kasaragod () is a municipal town and administrative headquarters of Kasaragod district in the state of Kerala, India. Established in 1966, Kasaragod was the first municipal town in the district. It is the northernmost district of Kerala and ...

(48,857) and Kannur districts (41,371). Paniyan, Irula, Kattunaikan, and Adiyan are some of the major "communities" among Kerala tribals. A. K. Balan, Member of the Legislative Assembly from Tarur, is the current Kerala Minister for Welfare of Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Backward Classes.

Tribals in Kerala - sub-sets

Kerala tribals - distribution

List of Scheduled Tribes in Kerala

* As amended by the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes Order (Amendment Act) 1976. * As amended by the Indian Constitution (Scheduled Castes) Orders (Second Amendment) Act, 2002 (Act 61 of 2002) vide Part VIII - Kerala - Schedule I notified in the Gazette of India, dated 18 December, 2002. * As amended by the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes Orders (Amendment) Act, 2002 (Act 10 of 2003) vide Part VII - Kerala - Schedule II notified in the Gazette of India, dated 08 January, 2003.

Scheduled Tribes list for educational concession

Source: http://www.stdd.kerala.gov.in/scheduled-tribes-kerala # Allar (Aalan) # Layan (Konga Malayan, Malayan, Panimalayan) # ... (in the areas of Malabar only) # Malavettuvan # Malamuthuvan # Kunduvadiyan # Pathiyan # Thachanadan Mooppan # Wayanad Kadar # Lalanadi # Chingathan # Malayar # Malapanicker # Irivandavan

References

External links

Scheduled Tribe Development Department (Government of Kerala)
{{Scheduled tribes of India Social groups of India Ethnic groups in India Kerala society Tribes of India Scheduled Tribes of India