An Account of the Primitive Tribes and Monuments of the Nilagiris

Language: English. About The Book: James Wilkinson Breeks’s An Account of the Primitive Tribes and Monuments of the Nilagiris (1873) is a pioneering ethnographic study of the hill country’s indigenous communities. Breeks, a British administrator, documents the social structure, customs, religion, and material culture of the Todas, Kotas, Kurumbas, Irulas, and Paniyas. He details their unique herding practices, bamboo architecture, clan systems, and oral traditions. He also investigates the region’s prehistoric monuments—dolmens, cairns, and stone circles—interpreting their distribution and probable funerary functions. Combining careful observation with sketches and maps, Breeks’s work remains a foundational resource for South Indian anthropology, archaeology, and historical institutional studies. About The Author: James Wilkinson Breeks (1830–1872) was a British colonial administrator in India, serving as the first Commissioner of the Nilgiris. Tasked in 1871 by the Madras Presidency and the Trustees of the Indian Museum, he documented the region’s aboriginal tribes—Todas, Kotas, Kurumbas, and Irulas—assembling extensive collections of arms, ornaments, household utensils, and agricultural implements. He also excavated megalithic cairns, recovering prehistoric artefacts now housed in the British Museum. Breeks’s meticulous ethnographic and archaeological work provided foundational insights into Nilgiri society and antiquities. His premature death curtailed further research, but his collections and writings remain vital resources for South Indian anthropology and museum curation. The Title 'An Account of the Primitive Tribes and Monuments of the Nilagiris written/authored/edited by James Wilkinson Breeks', published in the year 2025. The ISBN 9789333041751 is assigned to the Paperback version of this title. This book has total of pp. 147 (Pages). The publisher of this title is Gyan Publishing House. This Book is in English. The subject of this book is Nilgiri Hills. Size of the book is 21.59 x 27.94 cms Vol: 147.…