Badaga language
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| Badaga | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spoken in: | India | |
| Region: | Tamil Nadu, Chennai-The Nilgiris | |
| Total speakers: | 250,000 | |
| Language family: | Dravidian Southern Tamil-Kannada Kannada Badaga |
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| Writing system: | Tamil script | |
| Language codes | ||
| ISO 639-1: | none | |
| ISO 639-2: | dra | |
| ISO 639-3: | bfq
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The Badaga language is a southern Dravidian language (Tamil-Kannada branch) spoken by approximately 250,000 people (the Badagas) in the Nilgiri Hills in Southern India. It is known for its retroflex vowels.
The word Badaga refers to the Badaga language as well as the Badaga community/tribe. The Badaga language is also called Badugu by native speakers. The people in the community/tribe are called Badugu or Baduguru by native speakers.
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[edit] Ethnography
The Badagas are an indigenous people inhabiting the Nilgiri Hills of Tamil Nadu, southern India. They form the largest indigenous community in the Nilgiri region, with a population of approximately 150,000 encompassing some 370-odd villages and smaller settlements[1]. Under the Indian government's Scheduled Castes and Tribes system, they are not as yet formally recognised as a Scheduled Tribe (Adivasi), although the people themselves have agitated for this recognition. They are registered as a Backward Caste, (now referred to as other backward caste(OBC) caste).
Their aspirations to be recognised as a tribe, rather than a caste, is complicated by their historical and contemporary social relations with other Nilgiri peoples, from whom they have asserted some differences and even a social precedence. For example, the Badagas have traditionally hired musicians from other Nilgiri groups (such as the Kota and Irula) to play at their social functions, which is symbolic of submission and control in that region[2]. However, they are also known to have paid tribute in grain to other groups, such as the Todas. In general, neither stereotype of caste or tribe can be readily applied.
They are most likely Adi Dravida by descent, though they are by religion Hindus of the Saiva sect. Research has indicated they migrated to the Nilgiris from the Mysore region, sometime around 1600 after the break-up of the kingdom of Vijayanagara[3].
They are an agricultural people and far the most numerous and wealthy of the hill tribes. Many have relocated to towns and cities of the region, and earn income from urban-style employment.
Their language is Badaga, a dialect of Kannada.
The Badagas have been considered to be of Dravidian origin since the language spoken is Dravidian but it is also disputed that their customs, cultural aspects are distinct and not closely related to other ethnic groups hence their origins are in debate.
[edit] Origin of the Badagas
The badagas have been considered to be of dravidian origin due to the fact that the language spoken is Dravidian but it is also disputed that their customs, cultural aspects are distinct and not closely related to other Ethnic Groups hence their origins are in debate.
[edit] Natives of the Nilgiris
Of late the theory put forth by leading scholars have strongly criticised the migration theory and have said that the badagas are natives of the Nilgiris. Philology states that in the beginning languages existed without scripts and only later scripts were developed. Hence this seems to be a justification that the badagas were completely an indegenous people due to the absence in their script, but an ancient indegenous group would have a higher population or would have been completely extinct which questions the validity of this theory.With regard to religion, prior to converting to Hinduism the badagas were nature worshippers, even today worship stones with nature being a central theme can be found in the Nilgiris, Nature worship suggests that the badagas like the ancient Greeks and the Egyptians were an ancient ethnic group.
[edit] The European Connection
Others state that the badagas have migrated from Central/East Europe. It is justified that the Badaga ethnic group from Central/East Europe for survival had to accept the local language after migration to southern India and then to the Nilgiri Hills (the nilgiris then belonged to the Vijayanagara Empire), hence the dialect of Kannada. The badagas hence adopted the language for verbal communication and did not accept the Script as it was Foreign to them. The date of the second migration from present Karnataka is probably said to be around 1500 AD - 1600 AD. The population vs time graph indicates that the original badagas were just a handful of about 15 - 30 persons. However the European migration theory has no credible evidence but still under debate.
Genomic Studies i.e a Y-chromosome DNA marker test on the badagas have resulted in the badagas belonging to the broader R1a and specifically R1a1 Haplogroup. A good percentage of people in Central Europe,East Europe,Scandinavia and the people of Punjab also belong to this R1a1 Haplogroup. Hence this has been suggestive of the fact that the badagas are of an Eurasian origin.
The other Ethnic group from southern India which belongs to the R1a1 haplogroup are the Kodava whose customs and cultural aspects for centuries have been said to be related to the Badagas.
