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Irula is a scheduled tribe of India. Irulas are found in various parts of India, but their main habitat is in the Thiruvallur district of Tamil Nadu. Their population in this region is estimated to be between 15,000 and 25,000.[1][2].
Census of Kerala indentified 756 Irulan individuals from 189 families living in 9 settlements covering .23 km² in the state.[3]
Their main occupations are snake and rat catching. They also work as labourers (coolies) in the fields of the landlords during the sowing and harvesting seasons or in the rice mills. Fishing is also a major occupation.
Rats destroy a quarter of the grain grown on Tamil Nadu-area farms annually. To combat this pest, Irula men use a traditional earthen pot fumigation method. Smoke is blown through their mouths, which leads to severe respiratory and heart problems[1].
Anthropological literature says that the Irulas belong to the Negrito ethnic group.[2][4] Unlike the tribes in the Andaman Islands who have retained their language, Irulas in Thiruvallur have adopted the local regional languages such as Tamil and Telugu.[5]
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