Ecological References in the Folksongs of the Kurichiyan Tribe of Kerala by Bindu Ramachandran
Abstract: This article is on the folksongs of the Kurichiyans, one of many settled agricultural tribes of the Wayanad district of Kerala. Their culture is enriched by a number of folksongs and myths, which depict their traditional pattern of life and occupation, including the interesting ecological adaptations they have developed because of their constant interaction with nature. An attempt is made in this article to show how most of the Kurichiyan folksongs are, in one way or another, a narration of some environmental aspect of their life — whether about birds, animals, plants, wind, or rain. A few songs are analyzed here to draw out the relationship between this tribal community and the ecosystem they inhabit and depend on.
[…] The tribes of Wayanad constitute Paniyan, Adiyan, Mullaluruman, Uralikuruman, Kattunaiken, etc. The Kurichiyans are mainly a settled agricultural community who practise co-operative farming and have joint ownership of property. It is said that the word ‘kurichiyan’ came from the two words, ‘kuri’ and ‘chiyan’, ‘kuri’ meaning target and ‘chiyan’ meaning people, and therefore, ‘Kurichiyans’ meaning those who hunt or shoot at the target. They are famous for hunting. They claim an equal status with Brahmins and even call themselves Malanamboothiries. They practice untouchablility towards all castes other than Brahmins. Kurichiyans have their own language with alphabet.
They follow the joint family system and are matrilineal in inheritance, with the Karanavar as the supreme authority. The Kurichiyans are highly religious and follow an animistic form of religion. They are an exceptionally interesting tribe possessing a complex culture with a variety of myths and folksongs. Their linkage with ecological factors connected with life and livelihood are clearly highlighted in their songs, which are transmitted through the oral tradition. Being a settled agriculture community, their folksongs also reflect the relationship between land, water, animals and climatic factors. […]
Origin Myth of Kurichiyans
In the distant past, before creation, the sky was on top and the earth far below, covered by sea. At that time, Vadakkari Bhagavathi, the Kurichiyan deity had a dream in which the Almighty ordered her to find a place to create 1001 castes. God also allowed her to move the sea sidewards and then she started the work. Young virgins were given as labourers. On completion of the work, the workers went out to meet God and ask for remuneration. But He said he would not give any remuneration till he had examined the quality of the work. God, therefore, created a bird called ‘Chenthamarapakshi’ (a bird from a red lotus) and asked the bird to fly around the earth and find out the quality of the work. After the examination, the bird found a fault – the work was incomplete in one place. There were two hills standing close together without touching and there was water between the hills. On both the hills God created and placed 18 human castes, and different types of animals and plants — the Kurichiyan caste was one among them. There are various songs such as Narippattu, Kaathippattu, Koomanpattu, Mampattu, Onthupattu, Pakshippaattu, Mayilppattu, Marappattu, Theeppattu, Pooppattu, etc. As the names indicate, these songs are mainly concerned with the description of birds, animals, plants and other ecological factors. When they perform these songs during special occasions, one of the members imitates the movements of that particular creature. Though Kurichiyans have their own language, their songs follow the ordinary folk language of North Malabar. […]
Songs and Ecological References
[…] The existing Banasura hill of Wayanad has two peaks – the bigger one is known as large hibiscus and the smaller one as small hibiscus. The hibiscus is a sacred flower used for religious purposes. These hibiscus flowers are used for poojas of Lord Malakkari to retain prosperity and good will. Kurichiyans also believe that there is a sacred pond in the Banasura hill called ‘Kanakachira’ (gold pond) and if anybody bathes in it and uses the ‘Padamanhal’ (dark yellow turmeric), they will be protected from all kinds of injuries, as they believe that the tuber itself contains blessings of Lord Malakkari. The Kurichiyans who are agriculturists believe that ecological factors like mountains, climate, and sea are the contributions of their beloved god and they worship paddy, hibiscus, turmeric and other plants as the sources of divine existence. The folksongs of Kurichiyans are embodied with ecological factors, which mould and shape their traditional beliefs with some contemporary aspects. […]
In the ‘Onthupattu’ (song of calotes which describes a simple food web in animal ecology), four calotes are mentioned: Aalonth, Pillonth, Charonth, and Vellonth. The habitats of these calotes are described differently, for example, Aalonth are found on the banyan tree, Charonth are seen on rocks, Vellonth in water and Pillonth in grass. This song also describes how these calotes are adapted to their respective ecosystems. […]
In addition, the Kaithappattu (song of pandanus), ‘Theeppattu’ (song of fire) and ‘Pooppattu’ (song of flowers) refer to ecological constituents such as animals, flowers, plants, fish, etc. […]
It is no doubt that the folksongs of Kurichiyans, whether in Wayanad or in Kannavam, are a lullaby of nature, moulded and shaped with ecological adaptations and traditional occupations. A study of the folksongs takes us back to their golden age when the Kurichiyans lived with no pollution in air, water or land, and depended purely on nature. Even their physique is blessed by nature.
“Tribal men and women mix freely, but with respect for each other [but] caste Hindu society in India is so convinced of its own superiority that it never stops to consider the nature of social organisation among tribal people. In fact it is one of the signs of the ‘educated’ barbarian of today that he cannot appreciate the qualities of people in any way different from himself – in looks or clothes, customs or rituals.” – Guest Column in India Today >>
Photo: Report on Women’s Rights, p. 15
Equality of Opportunity in matters of Public Employment Constitution Article 15
Prohibition of discrimination on grounds of religion, race, caste, sex or place of birth.—(1) The State shall not discriminate against any citizen on grounds only of religion, race, caste, sex, place of birth or any of them. (2) No citizen shall, on grounds only of religion, race, caste, sex, place of birth or any of them, be subject to any disability, liability, restriction or condition with regard to— (a) access to shops, public restaurants, hotels and places of public entertainment; or (b) the use of wells, tanks, bathing ghats, roads and places of public resort maintained wholly or partly out of State funds or dedicated to the use of the general public. (3) Nothing in this article shall prevent the State from making any special provision for women and children. 2 [(4) Nothing in this article or in clause (2) of article 29 shall prevent the State from making any special provision for the advancement of any socially and educationally backward classes of citizens or for the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes.]
Source: pp. 9 & 16, “Women’s Rights in India: An Analytical Study of The United Nations Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) and The Indian Constitution, Legislations, Schemes, Policies & Judgements 2021” by Research Division, National Human Rights Commission, India (www.nhrc.nic.in) | Learn more >> URL: https://www.jorhatjudiciary.gov.in Date Visited: 9 May 2023
“The contribution of [over 200,000] charities—which range from small concerns to vast India-wide networks—to development and the individual lives of millions of poor Indians is incalculable. Activist groups helped India gain independence in 1947 and have since helped restrain the state’s excesses and compensate for its weaknesses.” – Civil society in India >>
“Religion is a personal matter and should not be politicised.” – Invitation by the Bharat Jodo Abhiyan (BJA) – a civil society platform involving organisations from across 15 states – extended to all like-minded citizens “who take pride in our progressive, inclusive civilization and are committed to our constitutional values of fraternity, liberty, equality and justice” | TheWire (2 January 2024) >>
“Doctors in the region [Palakkad district] argue that while the proportion of people with mental illnesses is not unusually high, the problem is a crisis because of their socioeconomic vulnerability.” […] “The non-inclusivity of Adivasis is nothing but racial discrimination. Adivasis were always ruled.” | In-depth analysis (Scroll.in 5 April 2023) >>
“Casteism is the investment in keeping the hierarchy as it is in order to maintain your own ranking, advantage, privilege, or to elevate yourself above others or keep others beneath you. […] For this reason, many people—including those we might see as good and kind people—could be casteist, meaning invested in keeping the hierarchy as it is or content to do nothing to change it, but not racist in the classical sense, not active and openly hateful of this or that group.” | Learn more about the effects of “casteism” on tribal communities >>
Tribal languages are a treasure trove of knowledge about a region’s flora, fauna and medicinal plants
“Tribal languages are a treasure trove of knowledge about a region’s flora, fauna and medicinal plants. Usually, this information is passed from generation to generation. However, when a language declines, that knowledge system is completely gone.” – Ayesha Kidwai (Centre for Linguistics, School of Language, Literature and Culture Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi) quoted by Abhijit Mohanty in “Seven decades after independence, many tribal languages in India face extinction threat” | Learn more about the work done by the People’s Linguistic Survey of India and endangered languages worldwide >>
“India’s geographic location at the confluence of three major biogeographic zones – i.e. the Indo-Malayan, the Eurasian and the Afro-Tropical – makes it extremely biodiverse in its genes, species and ecosystems. It is one of the world’s 17 megadiverse countries (Mittermeier et al. 1997). India can boast of over 8.1% of the world’s biodiversity supported on 2.4% of the earth’s surface. An estimated 47,000 identified plant species represent 11% of the world’s flora.” | Learn more: eBook | Disseminating environment related information to improve peoples’ livelihoods >>
“The notion of ‘mainstreaming’ needs to be challenged not just because Adivasi culture is being crushed, but also because Adivasi values and ways of life offer insights that the ‘mainstream’ needs. If we are to halt the destruction of ecosystems, we need to understand how closely biodiversity and cultural diversity are intertwined. Perhaps it is time to reverse the gaze and begin to learn afresh from Adivasis.” – Felix Padel & Malvika Gupta (The Hindu) | Learn more about the role of tribal communities in fostering biodiversity, ethnobotany and cultural diversity | Success stories | Tribal identity >>
“I think that by retaining one’s childhood love of such things as trees, fishes, butterflies and … toads, one makes a peaceful and decent future a little more probable, and that by preaching the doctrine that nothing is to be admired except steel and concrete, one merely makes it a little surer that human beings will have no outlet for their surplus energy except in hatred and leader worship.” – George Orwell | Learn more: Childhood | Customs | Games and leisure time | Literature – fiction | Storytelling >>
Adivasi communities: stewards of India’s cultural heritage and biodiversity
[…] India’s tribal communities — over 104.5 million people, or 8.6 per cent of the population — remain among the most marginalised despite decades of welfare schemes and development promises. In states such as Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Bihar, Rajasthan and Odisha, tribal districts consistently record higher poverty levels than non-tribal areas, even as these regions supply land, forests and minerals for the country’s growth. These communities have often been compelled to relinquish their lands for large-scale infrastructure projects, resulting in the erosion of their identity, livelihoods, and future prospects.
It is crucial to recognise the value these communities bring, particularly their eco-friendly lifestyles, which offer important insights into addressing climate-related challenges. For instance, during the 2018 drought in Sundergarh, Odisha, a visit to a remote tribal village revealed thriving vegetation and effective water-harvesting systems. Kiri village in Lahunipara block of Sundergarh district, inhabited by the Paudi Bhuyan community — a Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group (PVTG) — has demonstrated remarkable resilience.
This observation underscores the importance of learning from traditional ecological knowledge, especially sustainable farming practices that rely on drought-resistant and indigenous seeds.
Adivasi communities, as stewards of India’s cultural heritage and biodiversity, must be central to the nation’s development narrative. Their lives are intricately linked to land, forests and water, yet they face growing threats from climate change, livelihood insecurity and displacement. Addressing these challenges requires more than welfare initiatives; it demands robust enforcement of constitutional rights, substantial public investment and the strengthening of Gram Sabha–based governance. […]
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