Description

Context:

The Telangana government recently approved 10,000 Indiramma dwellings for Chenchu tribal families.

Tribe Name	Chenchus
Primary Location	Nallamalai forests, Andhra Pradesh
Other States Found In	Telangana, Karnataka, Odisha
Tribal Classification	Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group (PVTG)
Language	Chenchu (Dravidian family), many also speak Telugu
Village Name	"Penta"
Village Structure	Few huts, spaced apart, grouped by kinship
Living Pattern	Close relatives live nearby; distant ones farther away
Homes	Sparse, with few belongings
Family Type	Small conjugal families
Gender Role	Women have equal rank; marriage upon maturity
Village Authority	"Peddamanishi" (village elder)
Religious & Political Life	Few and simple rituals; minimal religious and political specialization

The Chenchu live a life of exceptional simplicity. The majority of them continue to gather food from the forest and walk around it in search of necessities.
The Chenchus rely solely on a bow and arrow and a little knife to hunt and survive.
The Chenchus harvest forest goods like as roots, fruits, tubers, beedi leaf, mohua flower, honey, gum, tamarind, and green leaves and earn a meager living by selling them to traders and government cooperatives.
They occasionally work as forest laborers, but they prefer to hunt and gather food using their innate talents.

Source: TOI

Practice Question

Q. Consider the following statements about the Chenchu tribe:

The Chenchus are classified as a Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group (PVTG) in Andhra Pradesh.
They primarily practice shifting cultivation in the Himalayan region.
Their settlements, known as "Pentas," are organized based on kinship patterns.
The Chenchu language belongs to the Austroasiatic language family.

Which of the above statements are correct?

A) 1 and 3 only
B) 2 and 4 only
C) 1, 2, and 3 only
D) 1, 3, and 4 only

Correct Answer: A) 1 and 3 only

Explanation:

Statement 1 is correct: Chenchus are listed as a PVTG in Andhra Pradesh.
Statement 2 is incorrect: They reside in the Nallamalai forests, not the Himalayan region, and are primarily food-gatherers, not shifting cultivators.
Statement 3 is correct: Their villages ("Pentas") are organized based on kinship.
Statement 4 is incorrect: The Chenchu language belongs to the Dravidian language family, not Austroasiatic.