Many Adivasi people live in Wayanad. They are Paniyas, Kurumas, Adiyars, Kurichyas, Ooralis, Kadans, and Kattunaikkans. These are the areas aboriginal tribes, meaning they lived there before other people came to Wayanad. Most of the Kurichyar own small pieces of land, but most of the members of other tribes are labourers and work for other people. Wayanad has the highest Adivasi population of any district in the state, at about 36%. Over the past thirty or forty years, these people have become marginialized, meaning life has become harder for them as other groups of people take more control of the area.