Kurumba people (India)

Kurumba or Kurumbar (IPA: [kuru(m)bɐ, kurumɐ], Tamil: Kurumban, Kurumbar, Malayalam: Kuruma(r), Kannada: Kuruba, Kurubaru) are a designated Scheduled Tribe or an indigenous community in the Indian states of Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu (Nilgiris). The Nilgiris district is home to six tribes. The Kurumbar are one of the earliest known inhabitants of the Western Ghats, who are engaged in the collection and gathering of forest produce, mainly wild honey, wax and elephant husbandry. Non-Nilgiri Kurumbar peoples are generally shepherds. They are historically same but culturally different from each other. Nilgiri Kurumbar peoples speak Kurumba language (Tamil-Kannada mixed language). New alphabets are released for Kurumba language by some Government Teachers.