KATTUNAYAKAN TRIBE

BY
EBENEZAR PAUL RATNARAJ.S MSW 1ST
YEAR
 INTRODUCTION
 Kattunayakar is designated scheduled tribes in the Indian States which are
Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Tamilnadu.
 The word Kattunayakar refers to King of the Jungle in Tamil and Malayalam.
 The Kattunayakar are known as the earliest inhabitants of the Western Ghats
who are engaged in The collection and gathering of forest produce,
mainly wild honey and wax.
 It is also said that Kattunayakan is one of the most ancient tribes in
Kerala.
 They live very much close to Nature.
 The kattunayakan community is nowadays found in wayanad, kozhikode
and malappuram districts.
 While they are called kattunayakan in wayanad, those belonging to
interiors of nilambur of malappuram district are called cholanaickan
and those who live in the plains of malappuram district are called
pathinaickans.
LANGUAGE OF KATTUNAYAKAN
 Kattunayakar have a separate language in which it is a mixture of all
Dravidan Languages.
 The kattunayakan language which is referred to as nama basha (our
language) by them is basically of the south dravidian family, like most
other nilgiri languages. It contains elements of kannada, malayalam and
tamil.
DRESSING OF KATTUNAYAKAN
 In Kattunayakan tribal community Men wear Short Dhothi and shirts.
 Whereas Women wear a long single piece of cloth round their body just
below the neck, leaving the shoulders and arms bare.
 CULTURE AND LIVELIHOOD OF
KATTUNAYAKAN
 Kattunayakan community is very much found of nature in which Hunting
and collecting forest produce are the two main means of living for the
kattunayakar tribe.
 But, the restrictions to protect native forest and wildlife have forced them to
find work outside the forests.
  Although willing to work for very low wages, unemployment and poverty
is very severe among the kattunayakan. Another important factor for the
tribe is the medicinal system and its close association with the culture.
 They use traditional medicines for common ailments, but they use modern
medicines in an emergency. Even though they should only use modern
medicine after seeking consent from "god" by the chieftain or priest
(generally both roles are taken by the same person), through a well-defined
set of traditional rituals or poojas.
 Child marriages were common before the 1990s, but now the girls marry
after attaining puberty. Monogamy is the general rule among the
kattunayakar community.
 They rarely mix with other tribes and still follow black magic and sorcery.
 This community have a very different sleeping pattern in which due to the
fear of the Elephants they have to carry their carpets and sleep inside the
School Classrooms in which this has become a routine for them as they
have practiced this for many years.
 The Tribal People say that since they are helpless and due to their poor
Economical Background they have sleep in schools as they have no other
way.
 RELIGIOUS PRACTICE OF
KATTUNAYAKAN
 Kattunayakar believe in Hinduism in which their Main deity of the tribe is 
lord shiva and (jakkamma [nayakkar]) under the name of bhairava.
 They also worship animals, birds, trees, rock hillocks, and snakes, almost
everything which is natural along with the other hindu deities.
 REAL LIFE IMAGES OF
KATTUNAYAKAN TRIBES
THANK YOU