Vol. 1 No. 3 (2003): Ecological References in the Folksongs of the Kurichiyan Tribe of Kerala - By Bindu Ramachandran

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 interest- ing ecological adaptations they have developed because of their con- stant interaction with nature. An attempt is made in this article to show how most of the Kurichiyan folksongs are, in one way or an- other, a narration of some environmental aspect of their life — whether about birds, animals, plants, wind, or rain. A few songs are analysed here to draw out the relationship between this tribal community and the ecosystem they inhabit and depend on.