KANIKKAR TRIBALS

KANIKKAR TRIBALS Kanikkar is traditionally known as Kani, are bring into being in extreme south India , around the Agasthyakulam and Mahendragri peaks of the Western Ghats in the Thiruvanathapuram , Kollam district of Kerala, as well as in the adjesent areas of TamilNadu . In Kerala, their main concentrations are in the Nedumangadu Thaluk. Non-tribal population at different times has penetrated their region, and now, they are mostly confined to the reserve forest area and their margins. The reservoir off the Neyyar irrigation project cuts through their homeland; those on the eastern side are more isolated and alive in thicker forest than the others. Kanis are generally known for their straight forwardness, honestly and truthfulness. According to Bourdillon, “those who live in the interior are called Kanikkars while those who living in the outer portion are known as Velma’s (Malevolent). Legend was that they were called Kanikkar by the puranic sages Agastya, signifying “hereditary proprietor of the land” : They are some times called in Tamil as malaiasasar or Mali Aryan, though there is another distinct tribal community in Kerala known by that name. Sebastian (1990: 161) interrupts the word as Kani = land, and karan = owner. He adds a note according to which the name was believed by the Kani people to have been imposed upon them with the intention of down grading them. The word does not occur many of their traditional chants, except a hunting song in which cremation and sathi (the emotion of Windows on their husband’s funeral pyre) are described, showing that it is very recent. According to a story prevalent among them, they are believed to be the forth comers of the two hill kings, Veerapppan and Sithangan, who migrated from the pandya land beyond the Agasthykutam Mountains under pressure from a superior force. Sebastian provided a transcription of what he claims is a grant given by Marthandavarma of Travancore on the 3rd of margazhi 918 Malaya Era (Corresponding to 1743 AD) . It is in favor of meenathu kaniyil vela, parappan, mallan and other Kanikkar, and acknowledges that they had protected the king for four days when he was fleeing from his enemies. He granted large tracts of land, clearly demarcating the boundaries, free of all taxes and specifies that they shall enjoy the lands in matrilineal succession as long as the sun and the moon last (11) This Sunday was conducted among the Kanikkar tribals in Kuttichal Panchayat at Nedumangad Taluk in Trivandrum Dist. This forest area extended up to Tamilnadu border Known as Agastya forest range coming under two forests ranges. The name of Agasthya derived from the Sage Agastyar Guru. The study area is 15 KM away from Kottoor in kuttichal Panchayat and which can be reached only by walking. After reaching Kottoor by bus, then we have to walk from there and we reach the place Plamood. The next main center after Plamood is an office at Honiara there was a place known as Kotare Rutty. Here is a small and heap road .This is a dry area with out any tree and plants. From Plamood onwards both sides of roads are covered with cluster of trees and bamboo forest. From here there is only narrow footpath for walking. Next we reach Maruthanmood. From here the travel was very risky, because this area was located with elephants. In these places bamboo have shade the revelers. Settlements stay from here onwards. On the way to Pothod, we have to cross a lot of rivers .But the rivers like Muthummura is very dangers at the time of rainy season. There are no bridges across these rivers. From here paths are steep, reach Pothod we have to cover areas like Nelimood, Kakoodithode River, Alike, Thurichathkala, Mummukku etc. This path end at Kadamanpetha and the next place is Pothod were a primary school there was a Siva temple and Agasthayar Mountain can saw very near to that. In this settlement only 7 families are living. Population In 1971, the population of Kanikkar in Kerala is 11,879, declined slightly to 11,362 according to a survey (Bureau of Economic and Statistics, Thiruvanathapuram, 1978) and again rose to 12,549 in 1981. At this count, 5644 were male and 5905 female. There were 3698 Kanikkar in Tamilnadu. Language Their spoken language exhibits features both of Malayalam and of Tamil, and the Kanis call it malampasha or the; language of hills. They had a system of communication based on tying of knots in specific ways; example: they used a knot called pathayakettu for conveying happy news and mukkumparakettu, to signify hostility. Habitat The attitude varies from 90 meters to 700 meters and the origin was characterized by wounded hills and valleys radiating from the agastyakudam peak (above 2400 m) and the nearby mahendragiri (2200 m) above MSL. The pearlier, the kithara, the Meyer, the karamanayar, the vamanapuram and the kallar are the rivers flowing from east to southwest. The climate is hot and humid in the planes with low variation (20 degrees to 33degree Celsius) throughout the year. In the upper hills the temperature is much cooler, and may touch 16 degree Celsius in January. The areas annual rainfall is about 3000mm with the heaviest precipitation in the southwest monsoon( may – July) and the rest in the north east(October – November). Flora and fauna The forests fall in the wet semi evergreen and southern moist deciduous types. Important tree species are karimaruthu (terminalia tomentose), vellamarthu (tpaniculata), chadachi (grewiatilliciefolia), poovam (schleichera sop), anjili (Artocarpus hirsute), jack (A.integrifolia) etc. Elephants, wild pigs, porcupines, wild dogs, leopards, wild cats, the gaur or Indian bison , sambhar (rusaunicolar) , various other deers are all found. Among the rare and the endangered are the slender lores and the malabar gaint squirrel. More than 60 species of birds including black eagle, emerald dove, and blank winged kites are found. The Neyyar reservoir has been stocked with crocodiles, which have multiplied and now pose a treat to the kais and their live stock. The area has been proposed to be reserved to a biological park. Physical Features They are short in stature and brown to black in complexion. The hair is black and wavy. The head is long. The forehead is receding and the brow ridges prominient. They have prognathous jaws and receding chins. The nose is short and flat. Buchi considered them to be typical repetitive of maids closely similar to the Autacoids ; he found the frequency of gene A to be 11.7% , B; 6.8% , R1 : 69% and r : 19%, M : 79% and Se : 72% under various serogenetic groupings. He opined that the bold gene distribution put them closest to the caueasoids (cf: Singh. K.S: 1995: 111, 461.). Material culture: Settlement of house types Their settlements are called kanipat and are near the water sources. The number of households in each varies from 10 to 40.In some, the houses are in a row close to one another, but in others, they are scattered. Bamboo and reed are the chief building materials. The plinth is slightly raised, and the floor generally rectangular. A long open verandah in the front is a special feature. Mud half walls are topped by thatched recedes or bamboo splits to from the sides and partitions. The main room may be partitioned into two or three chambers. Two doors are provided in front and one behind. There are no windows. The doors are of flattered bamboo splits. The thatching is of thickly packed layers of the leaves of the reed, ochlandra spp. The fireplace is in the main room, and the smoke preserves the building materials for 3 or 4 years, besides keeping off the mosquitoes. Usually a small hut is put up as an out house, to serve as an isolation shed for women in their periods; this continues to be a feature even in this case of newly houses. In the past, they used to be nomadic and put up only temporary huts, but now a day, they have been forced to settle down and re-thatch or rebuild their huts once in 3 or 4 years. They generally keep their huts neat and the surroundings tidy. Earlier, they used to build huts on the branches of tall trees with bamboo and reeds. These were called an anamadam-s or erumadams. A bamboo ladder was used to climb to them. Now days, a few in the interior forest continue to construct such tree houses during the agricultural season, to drive away wild animals from their crops. Household articles They used mud pots for cooking. Handles were made by inserting handle into coconut shells. The shell of Chalangakaya (a fruit) was pierced through with a reed; and used as a spoon (chalangathavi) Bamboo tubes and baskets of varying size and shape were used as storages. Poonipeth is a basket, which they suspend on their backs when they go to the forest to carry the produce collected. They would carry stones in a wicker box (kallupetti) for use as pellets, and would keep their betel leaves , tobacco , areca nuts etc ., in a small round basket called veetathatte. Sieves and winnowing fans are commonly used. Now a day, utensils made of brass and aluminum, stainless steel, glass etc., are replacing the indigenous articles. Mats are used for sitting and sleeping. Even in the interior settlements, Kanis have transistor radios, wristwatches and wall clock. Government and other agencies have supplied television sets working on solar energy. Tools and implements For clearing the jungle, they use a bill book (vakkathi), a sickle for weeding and harvesting, and an axe for felling trees. The main implement used for shifting cultivation (podu or punam) is a L-shaped wooden spade called thottakambu, the handle of wood and the tip, iron. They use bow and arrow to catch fish. Musical Instruments The kokra is their musical instrument. It is a tube of about 23 cm length made of sheet of iron. Political organization The Kanipat (Settlement) is the basic unit of social, economic, political and religious organization. A Muttukani who enjoyed great powers heads each. The post is hereditary. Family and kinship The norm is the nuclear family consisting of husband, wife and their unmarried children. Divorce is allowed in this community. The major reason is incompatibility between the partners. The matter is taken before the headman who discusses the matter with them and their parents. Conclusion These are a magnitude of the broad-spectrum minutiae of tribes in India and Kanikkars in Kerala. Tribal in India subsist in forest, hills and other naturally isolated regions. There are more than 400 tribal communities in India, out of which the Government of India has branded 74 primitive tribal communities by 1984 in 15 states and union territories. Also tribal population in India is on the mount now. The government organizes an assortment of programmes for tribal upliftment but many of the programmes are not reaching to them. Kanikkars are considered as the rulers of the forest. They are also known as Kanis. They are mainly found in Thiruvanathapuram, Kollam and some part of TamilNadu. Reserved by C.K.Rakhesh. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form or by any means without prior permission of C.K.Rakhesh.