Mythologies of the Kattunaickan Tribe
Kattunayakan (also Kattunayakar ) or Jenu Kuruba is a designated scheduled tribe in the Indian states of Tamil Nadu , Karnataka , Kerala , and Andhra Pradesh . [ 3 ] The word means 'king of the jungle' in Tamil and Malayalam . They are one of the earliest known inhabitants of the Western Ghats , who are engaged in the collection and gathering of forest produce, mainly wild honey and wax. The men wear short dhotis and half-sleeved shirts. The women attach a long single piece of cloth round their body just below the neck, leaving the shoulders and arms bare. Child marriages were common before the 1990s, but now the girls marry after attaining puberty. Monogamy is the general rule among the community. On 12 March 2023, an Indian production documentary that follows the people of this tribe as they look after and nurture abandoned elephants, The Elephant Whisperers , won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Short Film . Kattunayakan believe in Hind...