kuvi

Kuvi, also spelled Kuvi or Kui, refers to both an indigenous community in India and the language they speak. The Kuvi people are an ethnic group primarily located in eastern India, with communities in Odisha and nearby areas of Andhra Pradesh. They are one of the many tribal groups officially recognized in India's system of Scheduled Tribes, and their traditional livelihoods typically include agriculture, forest-related activities, and handicrafts. As with other indigenous groups, the Kuvi have distinct cultural practices, music, dances, and social structures that reflect regional diversity.

The Kuvi language is a member of the Austroasiatic language family, within the Munda sub-branch. It is related to other Munda languages such as Santali and Mundari, but it is generally treated as a separate language with its own dialects and regional varieties. In Odisha and adjoining regions, Kuvi has historically been transmitted within communities, and there are efforts to document and preserve the language through linguistic surveys, education programs, and cultural initiatives. Like many minority languages in India, its use can be influenced by broader regional languages, schooling, and urbanization.

Script and orthography for Kuvi vary by locale. In some areas, the language is written using the Odia (Oriya) script, while other communities may rely on oral tradition or use localized writing systems for religious and cultural purposes. Scholarly work on Kuvi covers its grammar, vocabulary, and oral literature, contributing to broader studies of Munda languages and Indo-Aryan–Austroasiatic language contact.

See also: Kui language; Kuvi people; Munda languages.