Hakki-Pikki Tribe

About Hakki-Pikki Tribe: 

• They are a semi-nomadic tribal group belonging to the state of Karnataka.
• In Kannada, the word ‘Hakki’ stands for ‘bird’ and ‘Pikki’ stands for the verb ‘to catch’.
• The community is known as the ‘bird catcher,’ which is their traditional occupation.
• The population is predominantly found in the Shivamogga, Davanagere and Mysuru districts of Karnataka.
• Their mother tongue was designated as ‘Vaagri’ by scholars.
• UNESCO has listed ‘Vaagri’ as one of the endangered languages.
• They have traditional medical knowledge that is in demand in several African countries.
• The community resided in the dense jungles for a long time and created its own plant and herb-based medicine systems.

Q1) What are endangered languages?

Endangered languages are languages that are at risk of disappearing in the near future. These languages are typically spoken by small communities or groups of people, and their speakers are often elderly.

Source: Who are the Hakki-Pikki tribes from Karnataka, stranded in violence-hit Sudan?

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