Livelihood of Toda Tribe

The Todas are one of the six Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs) in Tamil Nadu, mainly living in the Nilgiris district. They live in The Todas live in areas referred to as 'Munds': Toda Nadu, Kundha Nadu, Peranga Nadu, and Merku Nadu. Todas are categorised into two sub-groups: the “Thortharsh OI” and the “Theyvildh OI”.

As per the Census of India 2011, the Toda population is about 1,608, composed of 788 males and 820 females. The Toda Language, which belongs to the South Dravidian sub-group of the Dravidian language family, is linguistically distinct but lacks a formal written script, being traditionally preserved through oral transmission. The Todas still inhabit 14 of the original 125 villages but living in 67 munds and occupy the blocks of Udhagamandalam, Kundha and Kotagiri. Their livelihoods primarily are agriculture and rearing buffaloes, wood work like walking stick, bamboo vessels and Toda Model Hut. Women are important contributors to family and community life, often aiding in embroidery and finances.