Here is some background information before you read this blog post:
During the semester I will go on trips throughout India. My first trip was last weekend. I left last Wednesday evening and returned Tuesday morning. I visited Wayanad, Kerala. Wayanad is a district located in north-east Kerala, India. Kerala, which is in western India, is one of the country’s 28 states. Wayanad is a remote part of the Western Ghats and is home to many tribal groups.
My last Facebook status read “going to the woods for 5 days…no internet or phone connection.” When I wrote my status I honestly had no idea what I was getting myself into. All I knew was that I was going to Wayanad to visit aboriginal groups. I have never been camping nor do I consider myself an “outdoorsy” person. When I heard about this excursion to the woods, I pictured myself killing insects, running from wild animals, and trekking through poison ivy. I thought the indigenous people were going to look like they belonged from the cover of National Geographic. I imagined that they were going to have bows and arrows, little clothing, and face paint.
To an extent, my preconceptions about my trip were right. I did get attacked by mosquitoes and other creepy crawlers; and at the end of the excursion, my bus was invaded by wild trash monkeys (I will write about them later). However, there was no poison ivy and the indigenous people of Wayanad did not fit my stereotypical image of a tribal group.
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| Pepper |
I visited four tribal groups. And no, the tribes’ people were not naked and they did not have face paint. They did, however, have bows and arrows, but I only saw them during the archery competition at one of the festivals. The four tribal groups that I visited are the Mulla Kurumbas, Beta Kurumbas, Paniyas, and Kattu Nayakas.
Here are some interesting facts I learned from talking to them:
- When a girl gets her period she gets moved to a separate room and does not go out until money is raised for a celebration
- They believe in witchcraft. If someone falls ill the tribes’ people blame it on witchcraft.
- Once a child is born, the mother and child stay in the same room for seven days
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| Kattu Nayakas |
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| Paniyas |
- Many of the tribesmen are daily laborers who grow coffee and pepper. They can earn 200 to 300 rupees a day ($4-6). The Mulla Kurumbas may be more educated so they have greater access to better paying jobs.
- Dogs are used for hunting and protection. But the Kattu Nayakas, used to have 20-25 dogs in their house to keep them warm at night.
My last Facebook status read “going to the woods for 5 days…no internet or phone connection.” When I wrote my status I honestly had no idea what I was getting myself into. All I knew was that I was going to Wayanad to visit aboriginal groups. I have never been camping nor do I consider myself an “outdoorsy” person. When I heard about this excursion to the woods, I pictured myself killing insects, running from wild animals, and trekking through poison ivy. I thought the indigenous people were going to look like they belonged from the cover of National Geographic. I imagined that they were going to have bows and arrows, little clothing, and face paint. 
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