கொ. மா. கோதண்டம் படைப்புகளில் பளியர் இனவரைவியல் / Paliyar Ethnography in the Works of Ko. Ma. Gothandam
It is possible to know through literature that people have lived in ethnic groups since ancient times. One such ethnic group is the Paliyar group. There are ample references on them found in one of the Sangam Literature “Agananooru”. The Paliyars live a life of harmony with nature in the hilly and s...
| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Article in Journal/Newspaper |
| Language: | Tamil |
| Published: |
2023
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://zenodo.org/record/7591259 https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.7591259 |
| Summary: | It is possible to know through literature that people have lived in ethnic groups since ancient times. One such ethnic group is the Paliyar group. There are ample references on them found in one of the Sangam Literature “Agananooru”. The Paliyars live a life of harmony with nature in the hilly and sub-hilly regions. Their dwellings are called Kuchils. The huts built temporarily in the forest are called 'Saale'. They consume naturally available foods, hunting meat, and leftovers from hunting animals. These people dress to cover the body and not for luxury. Honey extraction is their main occupation. They work as hirelings for hill leasers and plantation owners. Even though they speak Tamil, they end their words with 'ng' in Eanasuram. When the girls reach puberty, the elders get them married if the girl's heart longs to marry the one who has the rights to marry (Muraipayan) her in her family. If Muraipayan is not there, they get married to a person of other village (Ayalurkaran). These people also worship Palichi and Ezhukannimars as deities. Kurinji flowers bloom once in seven years in the foothills of the Western Ghats in Rajapalayam, a region inhabited by Paliyar. These people call the Kurinji flower 'Kurinjna'. The Samikumbudu festival is celebrated to welcome the moment when the Kurinji flower blooms. At the time of delivery, women are tied to a banyan tree and made to eat green leaves. The Paliyars live off the money they collect from the forest by giving the mountain stone products to the townspeople, the owners and the district officials. Their living economy is a backward society. These people are well-versed in the traditional knowledge of forests. If someone in their tribe dies, they blow the pipe and announce the news to the people of their tribe in other directions. After performing the rituals, everyone gathers and eats the food offered to God (Sami). This article studies about the life style of the Paliyar people. |
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