Indigenous Language and Cultural Sustainability: A Study of Identity among the Irula Tribe of Tamil Nadu

Abstract

Language is used as one of the most important identity indicators and serves as a central medium, on which cultural continuities are maintained and passed on especially in indigenous and tribal settings. Language in such contexts has been seen as at once a memory of the group, ecological know-how, belief system and systems of social organization, which have supported the stability of such
communities. In these societies, language is not only a repository of accumulated knowledge but it is also a constructive and a reinforcing factor of community identity. It codifies localised world views and practices as well as the relationship interactions without which the cultural norm and unity would break down. The current research question concerns the interrelationships among language, identity and cultural sustainability of the Irula tribe of Tamil Nadu. The Irulas have a unique localized form of language that is closely related to the Dravidian linguistic family and this linguistic resource has been at the center of the continued cultural practices and unity of this group. However, the modern processes, such as modernization, prevailing of mainstream languages in formal education, migration pattern, and increasing rate of the environment has greatly affected the succession of language and consequently culture in the tribe. An inquiry of the impact of language in the Irula identity, how culture contributes to linguistic survival, and how current problems endanger the sustainability of the culture at large are informed by a qualitative literature review of secondary sources, ethnographic, and linguistic research. The paper also talks of current preservation efforts and points to the need to incorporate community-based approaches to effective preservation of the native languages. Finally, the preservation of the Irula language is  tated as a necessary element of not only the cultural identity preservation but sustainable and equitable development in the community.