Paniya Tribe

Paniya Tribe Latest News

The Kerala State Human Rights Commission recently directed authorities to urgently rehabilitate Paniya tribal families living in makeshift tarpaulin shelters at Vaniyampuzha, across the Chaliyar River in Pothukal panchayat, Kerala.

About Paniya Tribe

• The Paniya (Paniyan) tribe is one of the major Scheduled Tribes of Kerala. 
• They are predominantly found in Wayanad and also in parts of the Kannur, Kozhikode, and Malappuram districts of Kerala. 
• Some are found in the Gudalur and Pandalur areas of the Nilgiris District of Tamil Nadu and in the southern part of the Kodagu District of Karnataka. 
• The Paniya community is the largest single scheduled tribe population in Kerala. 
• The word “Paniyan” is derived from “pani” which is a Malayalam word, meaning work. 
• The people of this tribal community are majorly labourers, and their past history also suggests the same.
• In fact, these Paniyan are amongst those tribal people who have worked as bonded laborers in the ancient period. 
• In the contemporary period, Paniyan tribes own their individual lands and also produce crops like rice and ragi.
• The Paniya speak the Paniya language, which belongs to the Dravidian family, closely related to Malayalam.  
• Thick lips, dark complexion, and curly hair are the physical appearance of the Paniyan people. 
• There is a resemblance between the Paniya people with the people of Africa, and as per some scholars, the Paniya people are of African origin. 
• According to some scholars, Kapiri (Africa or the Cape) is the land of origin of the Paniyan tribes. 
• They have developed a unique style of making their houses. 
  • A Paniyan village comprises rows of huts all constructed from bamboo with thatched roofs. 
  • These houses of Paniyan tribes are either single- or double-storied. 
• The Paniyas worship a deity called Kali and banyan tree. They hesitate to cut banyan trees and believe that if anyone attempts to cut the tree, they will fall sick.

News: TH

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