The Korku tribe lives in small groups of huts made of grass and wood. Every household has an elevated stage-like structure at the front side of the house. This elevated stage is used as a storage space for farm produce such as cattle feed. They consume liquor made from the flowers of the
Mahua tree which is prepared in almost all the houses. Predominantly, a rural-based community with 97% living in rural areas, Whilst they share the love of the forests with the
Gonds, they are also excellent agriculturists and Korkus in Bhainsdehi tahsil of the
Betul district of
Madhya Pradesh have pioneered the cultivation of
potato and
coffee. The Korkus practice seasonal farming: they cultivate gram,
jowar, pulses, millet, and wheat during the dry season, and then switch to rice, maize, and soybeans during the monsoon season. In their traditional festivals of Hari and Jitori, they celebrate a month long planting campaign. In this way they combat malnutrition and
environmental degradation. The community is home to a unique and distinct culture, and possesses a rich heritage of age old traditional systems of knowledge, belief, customs and social system. The traditional representative body of the society, known as ‘Korku Panchayat’, is found in many villages. Headed by a chief known as
Patel, other members of the Panchayat include
Padihar (priest),
Kotwar (Chaukidar) and ten to twelve older male members of the community known as
Panch. It plays a decisive role during traditional occasions such as festivals, marriages and intra- and inter-village conflict resolution. Known for poverty, hunger, malnutrition, mass-scale exploitation by moneylenders and traders, the community confronts numerous socio-economic challenges in its day-to-day life partly due to the poor natural resource bases. Although agriculture is the primary source of livelihoods for most community members, many of them earn their livelihoods seasonally employed as agricultural labourers. == Social organization ==