The Matter of the Land explores the displacement of tribal communities in Kodagu and the transformations in their relationships to land, labor, and ritual life. Through fieldwork with Yerava, Jenu Kuruba, Soliga, and Kudiyas, the study examines transitions from forest-dwelling to estate labor and finally to state rehabilitation settlements. Anchored in Tim Ingold’s “dwelling perspective,” it contrasts lived, hopeful relations to land with imposed, objectifying systems of control. The project traces how shifts in housing rights, food systems, livelihoods, and beliefs are interlinked, reflecting both resilience and loss in the everyday lives of Adivasi communities in changing socioecological landscapes.