Mythologies of the Kattunayakan 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 Hinduism and speak a language which is a mixture of all Dravidian languages. They also worship animals, birds, trees, rock hillocks, and snakes, along with the other Hindu deities. The main deity of the tribe is Lord Shiva and Nayakkar under the name of Bhairava. Kattunayakars are fond of music, songs, and dancing. They are also called Cholanaickar and Pathinaickars. Kattunayakan are one of the five ancient tribal groups in Kerala. They live very much in tune with nature. Hunting and collecting forest produce are the two main means of living for the Kattunayakan tribe. However, 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 are 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 then they 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.

The Kattunayakan, also known as Kattunayakar or Jenu Kuruba, is a Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group (PVTG) and designated scheduled tribe indigenous to the forested hill regions of southern India, primarily in Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh.[1][2] Their name derives from Tamil words meaning "lord" or "chief of the forest," reflecting their historical role as skilled hunter-gatherers deeply attuned to woodland ecosystems. Traditionally semi-nomadic foragers, the Kattunayakan subsist by collecting wild honey, medicinal herbs, tubers, and other non-timber forest products, often traversing dense reserves like the Nilgiris Biosphere without formal agriculture or pastoralism.[2][5] This pre-agricultural lifestyle, coupled with low literacy rates and limited integration into market economies, marks them as one of India's 75 PVTGs, qualifying for targeted government interventions to preserve cultural practices and mitigate population decline. Patrilineal and monogamous, they maintain animistic beliefs centered on forest spirits, with social structures emphasizing kinship ties and oral traditions rather than written records. Their resilience amid habitat pressures from deforestation and modernization underscores ongoing debates on sustainable resource rights for such groups. The ethnonym Kattunayakan (also spelled Kattunayakar) originates from the Dravidian languages Tamil and Malayalam, where kadu (or kattu) denotes "forest" or "jungle," and nayakan signifies "king," "leader," or "chief," collectively rendering the term as "kings of the forest" or "chiefs of the jungle."[1][7][4] This nomenclature underscores the community's historical dominion over forested terrains in the Western Ghats, where they have subsisted as hunter-gatherers for millennia. Community members self-identify primarily as Kattunayakan, emphasizing their role as original stewards of woodland ecosystems and rejecting external impositions of caste-based labels like "untouchable" or scavenger, which some historical accounts have applied but which the group contests as distortions of their forest-centric identity.[9][8] In oral traditions and contemporary assertions, they invoke the term to affirm autonomy and ancestral precedence in regions spanning Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh, often aligning it with Scheduled Tribe status under Indian law to preserve cultural distinctiveness. This self-appellation contrasts with exonyms or subgroup identifiers, such as associations with Jenu Kuruba in Kannada-speaking areas, but remains the core marker of ethnic pride tied to ecological mastery.

Kattunayakan Tribe of India | The 2022 Indian documentary film “The Elephant Whisperers,” which won the Academy Award in the best documentary short film category a year later, tells the story of a real-life couple named Bellie and Bomman who care for an orphaned baby elephant named Raghu. Directed by Kartiki Gonsalves, the depiction of the strong bond that develops between the couple and the elephant was a moving portrayal of human-animal co-existence on-screen. But, Bellie and Bomman’s connection to wildlife is nothing new; they hail from an indigenous community that has long worshipped animals, birds, trees, hills and snakes, along with the other Hindu deities. The Kattunayakan are a designated scheduled tribe that lives in Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala and Andhra Pradesh. As one of the original inhabitants of the Western Ghats, they get their name from the Malayalam words kadu (forests) and nayakan (leader/chief), which connotes their position as “lords of the forest.” They speak a mixture of all Dravidian languages, and are fond of music, songs and dancing. Numbering about 72,000 today, the Kattunayakan are spread over the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve—the trijunction of the Mudumalai Tiger Reserve, the Bandipur and Nagerhole tiger reserves of Karnataka, and the Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary in Kerala. They eke out a living by collecting and selling honey, wax and other minor forest products (MFPs), and are known for their physical strength, scaling steep cliffs and tall trees to collect honey. While they are called Kattunayakan in Wayanad, those living in the interiors of Kerala’s Nilambur area are called Cholanaickan, while those who live in the plains of Malappuram district are called Pathinaickans.

Kattunayakan is one of the tribes who had been the true inhabitants of forest. As the name indicates they were once the kings of jungles. They rarely mix with other tribes and still follow black magic and sorcery. They are completely dependent on forest and forest products and subsist on honey, roots and barks of plants and what small animals that they trap or fell with their bows and arrows. They are also known as Then Kurumas as they collect honey from the forest. They follow a religion which is strongly rooted in their culture and worship animals, birds, trees, rocks and snakes and almost everything natural. They also worship their ancestors. The physical features of hill-tribes are very obvious in them and their language is a mixture of all Dravidian languages. The Kattunayakan community is found nowadays 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.

The state of Karnataka houses quite a handful of tribal communities in some parts of this region. Apart from the state, this Kuttunayakan tribal community also is found in other states of the Indian subcontinent like, for example, in Kerala. Some are scattered in and around Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka. With all the other tribal communities of India, namely Paniyas, Kurumas, Adiyars, Kurichyas, Ooralis, the Kuttunayakan tribal community shares a very good relation. Through out the years, the Kuttunayakan tribal community has contributed for making the culture of Karnataka enriched and colourful with the distinctness of the tint of their community. The people of the Kuttunayakan tribal community are the descendents of the ancient Pallavas and were the early dwellers of the Western Ghats. The people of this community are known by their black complexion with short height and protruding foreheads. The costumes of the Kuttunayakan tribal men include short dhotis and half sleeved shirts whereas the costumes of the women include long piece of cloth that they tuck around their waist allowing the arms and shoulders bare. The people of this community allow child marriages but with the time customs changed and recently the girls are allowed for marriage after their teenage. Monogamy is practiced among the Kattunayakan community. House settlements of these Kuttunayakan tribal communities are made in marshy valleys and plateaus and are made up of things like mud, bamboo and brick. Roofs are thatched, as like many other tribal houses. The literal meaning of the name of the community `Kattunayakan` is `the king of the jungle`. That the culture of this Kuttunayakan tribal community is duly ennobled is quite explicit from several of its features. A special mentioning can be made of various holistic herbal medicines. These are all locally prepared by the Kuttunayakan tribal community and have got great demand not only in native market places but also that of the national market as well. Also most of these Kuttunayakan tribes have mentioned the heritage of producing exquisite art and craft products. Also the musical melodies, dance forms, jewelries of the Kuttunayakan tribal community are also considered to be masterpieces.

Kattunayakan or Jennu Kurumbas an indigenous community, is a designated scheduled tribe in the Indian states of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala, and Andhra Pradesh. The word Kattunayakar காட்டு நாயகர் / ಕಾಡು ನಾಯಕರು means the king of the jungle in Tamil and Kannada. The Kattunayakar 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 Kattunayakar 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. Kattunayakars believe in Hinduism and speak a language which is a mixture of all Dravidian languages. The main deity of the tribe is Lord Shiva and Nayakkar under the name of Bhairava. They also worship animals, birds, trees, rock hillocks, and snakes, along with the other Hindu deities.Kattunayakars are fond of music, songs, and dancing. They are also called Cholanaickar and Pathinaickars.

Kattunayakan is one of the tribes who had been the true inhabitants of forest. As the name indicates they were once the kings of jungles. They rarely mix with other tribes and still follow black magic and sorcery. They are completely dependent on forest and forest products and subsist on honey, roots and barks of plants and what small animals that they trap or fell with their bows and arrows. They are also known as Then Kurumas as they collect honey from the forest.
They follow a religion which is strongly rooted in their culture and worship animals, birds, trees, rocks and snakes and almost everything natural. They also worship their ancestors. The physical features of hill-tribes are very obvious in them and their language is a mixture of all Dravidian languages. The Kattunayakan community is found nowadays 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.

Nestled within the pristine Nilgiris Biosphere Reserve in South India, the Kattunayakan tribe stands as a resilient community, renowned for their time-honored tradition of honey collection. The lush greenery of their surroundings echoes with the legacy of a skill passed down through generations — the uncanny ability to detect the presence of honey in hives perched 60-80 feet above the forest floor. This unique competence has become synonymous with their identity, intertwining with the very essence of the tribe’s existence. What sets the Kattunayakan tribe apart is not just their mastery of honey gathering but the active involvement of their youth in this intricate process. Children as young as eight embark on this challenging journey, learning the ropes from their elders. By the age of 12, these budding enthusiasts transform into integral members of the tribe, embodying the seamless transfer of knowledge across generations. This intergenerational continuity not only cements their expertise but also underscores the cultural significance of their practices. However, this ancient way of life faces an imminent threat from the encroaching settlements that steadily advance from the congested plains. The Kattunayakan people find themselves grappling not only with the risk of losing their ancestral lands but also with the potential erosion of their cultural heritage. The clash between tradition and modernity poses a significant challenge to their existence, as they navigate the delicate balance between preserving their unique way of life and adapting to the changing world around them. In the face of such challenges, the Kattunayakan tribe emerges as guardians of a honeyed legacy, fiercely determined to preserve their cultural roots while confronting the pressing realities of the 21st century. Their story unfolds as a poignant narrative of resilience, highlighting the delicate dance between tradition and progress in the heart of the Nilgiris.

Kattunayakan or Jennu Kurumbar is a designated scheduled tribe mainly found in parts of Tamil Nadu and Kerala. The word Kattunayakan means ‘king of the jungle’ in Tamil and Malayalam. The Kattunayakan tribe is one of the earliest known inhabitants of the Western Ghats. They are completely dependent on forests and forest products. Their main livelihood is collecting, and selling honey and are known for their expertise in honey collection. The tribe is one of the 75 PVTGs (Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups) of India. They speak a language which is a mixture of Dravidian languages. The tribe is one of the few tribes of India that still live as hunter-gatherers. They follow a religion which is strongly rooted in their culture and worship animals, birds, trees, rocks, snakes and almost everything natural.

Living in the Nilgiris, the Kattunayakans are one of the last few remaining honey gathering communities of the world. Over many generations they have mastered the skills required to tap honey and they take great pride in their knowledge and expertise. For the tribal community, honey gathering is of social, cultural, economic and spiritual relevance. In 2006, the Indian State passed the Forest Rights Act, which for the first time recognised the rights of forest dwelling people on their own land. The Act makes concrete provisions to allow adivasis to enter the forest and continue using forest produce, on which they have depended for generations. However despite this, even today, adivasis are terrorized and harassed by forest officials. Pictures from a shadow puppet show about the Forest Rights Act, performed in Gudalur by young adivasis. The Tribal communities have been warned of having a legal case slapped against them, apart from being beaten, if they try to venture into the forest in search of honey. Moreover, the authorities have installed wireless surveillance cameras in the forest (originally to track animal movement in the reserve area), which they are using to victimise tribals that wander into the forest in search of bamboo, fire wood, honey and other forest produce. The conflict is most clearly visible in the language used by officials. Officers and forest guards constantly make references to ‘our beat, our range, and our forest’. As one adivasi poignantly puts it, ‘You ask the Forest Ranger where his house is, he will answer “Palakkad or Madras”, you ask any of us where our home is and we will reply “the forest”’.

The Kattunayakan are tribal people who live deep in the forests of the Nilgiris Biosphere Reserve in South India. They collect and sell wild honey. Today, settlers from the crowded plains and eviction from the forest reserve threaten both their land and their traditions. Kattunayakan honey harvesters can tell from the ground whether a hive 60-80 feet up in the air has honey or not and whether it is worth the effort to climb there. Children as young as eight go along not just as spectators but to actively participate. By the time they are 12 they are full members of the team. ‘When the honey season starts we first do a puja (religious ceremony) before entering the forests. If there are many hives on a single tree or if the tree is in a sacred grove, we do another special puja. It’s conducted by one of the elders who has domain over that particular part of the forest. We recall the ancestors and spirits of the forest, the clan deities. We ask their protection and blessings. We ask pardon of the bees and the forest since we are going to take their honey. When we finish harvesting, we say to the bees: ‘Thank you for giving us so much honey, please don’t be angry. Please come back here again.’ Harvesting honey from domesticated bees is a skilled task. But harvesting wild honey from hives often 80 feet and more up in the air in deep jungles is another matter altogether. A variety of skills, not least very nimble tree climbing, is essential and is often learned from childhood. On a honey-harvesting trip the only things Kattunayakans carry with them is a knife, the various items needed for puja, rice to eat, an old tin to lower the honey from the tree and now more recently plastic jerry cans to bring back the honey. The rest they get from the forest. Tall bamboo for the ladders, sagay bark fibre for the strong rope, grasses to smoke out the bees and a bamboo blade to cut the honeycomb – metal is never used because they believe the bees won’t come back to the same tree.

The Kattunayakan are a tribal people who live in south India. Their name means "chiefs of the forest. They are believed to be among of the earliest inhabitants of south India. Their main livelihood is collecting and selling of honey. They also fish, hunt and collect forest products to eat and sell. The Kattunayakan are a scheduled caste meaning they are eligible for special consideration for public jobs and college admission. The Kattunayakan are one of the few tribal peoples of India who still live as hunter-gatherers. The literacy rate is very low for both men and women. They practice traditional medicine and live without modern conveniences like electricity and indoor plumbing. The Kattunayakan live mainly in south Indian states of Tamil Nadu and Kerala. They live in deep forests and try to stay away from modern Indian society. The Kattunayakan live much like their ancestors have for hundreds of years. The Kattunayakan like to live in separate family dwellings of about ten people. A council of elders makes decisions for the family groups. Honey plays a special role in their lives. They eat it, use it for medicine and trade it for things they need. The Kattunayakan can climb 20-30 meter trees in search of honey. One hive can yield over 25 pounds of honey. They get so many bee stings that their bodies develop immunity. Their main competition is bears, which they sometimes have to fight off to get the honey. The Kattunayakan are known for their dancing and singing. They pass on their history and customs through song and dance. The Kattunayakan are monogamous with girls marrying when they reach puberty. The main languages that the Kattunayakan speak are Tamil and Telugu.