Gutti Koya tribe

July 6, 2023

Tribesmen of Gutti Koya tribe erect stone memorials in the event of death of their three most important service providers—physician, priest and village leader
- The Gutti Koya tribe appoints only men to these positions.
Notably, only bodies of these three are buried by the tribe, which normally cremates its dead.
The Koya population is concentrated in Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Odisha.
They speak the Koya, which is a Dravidian language.
They earn a living through animal husbandry and minor forest produce.