SOMATOLOGY OF THE KOLAM

Abstract

The Kolam is a primitive endogamous Dravidian Tribe, inhabiting the wild and mountainous tracts of the Adilabad District of Andhra Pradesh, the agency areas of the Chanda, Yeetmal and Wardhs Districts in Maharashtra State, a territory known as Gondawana. Earlier studies on the physical characters of the Kolam, are very limited. Karve and Dandekar (1951) have studied the Anthropometric characters of 30 individuals, as part of a study of the people of Maharashtra. But they have not dealt with the males and females separately, nor statistically treated the community individually. The present Anthropometric and Somatoscopic investigation was carried out in the month of November-December 1974, from 10 villages of Adilabad district. anthropometric and somatoscopic data on 133 adult male and 35 adult female individuals were collected according to the method prescribed by Martin. The statistical constants of measurements for the males and females and indices for males and females with range of variation, mean with standard error, standard deviation with standard error, coefficient of variation with standard error are presented in the report. The study reveals that in all measurements the males show higher values than females. Different of sizable magnitude are observed in total facial length, Bigonial breadth, upper facial length, nasal length, bizygomatic breadth, nasal breadth, head length, minimum frontal breadth, in that order. The difference in head height and head breadth are relatively low. The mean stature of the male Kolam is 161.26 0.56 cms and female is 146.63 0.94 cms. It is observed that a majority of the Kolams are medium in stature. Their skin is dark brown to black in colour, hair is straight to low waved, medium to coarse in texture, medium in quantity, and black in colour, beard, body and chest hair is very scanty. The eyes are dark brown to light brown in colour, with homogenous iris. Their supra-orbital ridges are mostly imperceptible. They exhibit slight alveolar prognathism.