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The Chenchus are an aboriginal tribe of the central hill regions of Andhra Pradesh, India.The Chenchus speak the Chenchu language, a member of the Telegu branch of the Dravidian language family.

The economic system of the Chenchus is primarily one of hunting and gathering. The Chenchus depend on nature for nine-tenths of their food supply. Traditionally Chenchus roamed the jungles, living under trees and in rock shelters. The common food was honey, the roots of trees, plants, and the flesh of animals caught in hunting. A typical day was spent in gathering the fruits and roots to be eaten that day. Gathering may be done in small groups but is still today a solitary activity without cooperation from others. Hunting is also a solitary rather than cooperative effort that rarely produces much game. Hunting is done with bow and arrow, occasionally with a gun. No trapping or snaring is done. Very few things are cultivated—mostly tobacco, corn, and some millet—and little provision is made for "a rainy day" (i.e., there is no storing of grain).

Housing, marriage ceremony und ritual dancings can be seen in the video clip. There is division of labor Between the sexes: men hunt, gather honey, and make baskets; women prepare most of the food. Gathering is done by both sexes although the men may go further afield, even spending two to three days away from the community. A few buffalo cows may be kept in a village for milk but are not eaten.

The principal units of social organization are the clan, the local group, and the family. Villages are usually mixed clans. Individuals may join at will any local group with which they have relations; however, they always remain "linked" to their home village where their parents lived and where they grew up. There they are coheirs to the land, whereas a man living in his wife's village is only a "guest." The family consists of the husband, wife, and unmarried children. The husband and wife are partners with equal rights and property jointly owned. There is a concurrence of patrilocal and matrilocal marriage. In the kin group there is a spirit of cooperation and mutual loyalty that is not seen at the tribe and clan levels.



Video clips of Chenchu People

Economic life

Social life


Map of Andhra Pradesh

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