Social Customs of Kattunaikkars in Tamil Nadu

Abstract

The presence of several tribes in the state enhances its anthropological importance. Kattunayakar is a primitive tribal group of the southern states of India. They are, settled mainly in the states of Kerala, Tamilnadu, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. This, community is believed to be the modern representatives of the ancient Pallavas. The population claims that they belong to kattunaiker. At local level the state community is referred by different name like Raja of Kammbla Naicker. Thosia Naicker, Kambalathu Naicker, Kollavai Naicker, Kuluva Naicker, Etc. the community, as data reveals, has migrated to its present habitat. The community perceives its distribution at local level in a few Taluks of Coimbatore district, but having kinship relations with their people living in Madurai, Dindigul districts. The community people were nomads gradually become semi nomads by settling in the villages, which are located on plateau and plains retain they speak Telugu languages within family and kinship group and speak Tamil language with others. A few of them know the languages of Kannada and Malayalam. They used, Tamil script know writing letters or other documents this community identification marks are male and female tattooing female ornaments and male head gear during nomadic profession, long size iron oil lamp and flat bronze plate, with wood stick, which prudence's bell sound are also become a part of community identification. It such relationships may be characterized both in terms of the individuals and groups from a network, which we can call the social structure of the organizations or configurationally aspects of society, institutions are take of both aspects; they are composed of individuals organized  by a social structure, while a set of attributes and behavior patterns, which the structure is exemplified and the institutional ends achieved thus the  study of social organization of the Kattunayakars was one of  the earliest emphasis of rarely tribal life styles. The Kattunaickar live mostly in nuclear families. An avoidance of relationship exists between mother in-law. A jacking relationship is allowed with ones sister in-law, with wife's younger brother, with elder brothers wife and between grandparents and grandchildren. They, follow rule of exogamy in regulating marriage alliance. They have, exogamous divisions called "inteperulu(family names) literally means the house names. The intrepid is attached as prefix of one personal name and a person's identity is often referred to by his family names. Since this community part lineal.