Mahout
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A mahout is a person who drives an elephant. The word mahout comes from the Hindi words mahaut and mahavat, derivatives of the Sanskrit word mahamatra, meaning "[one] having great measure."
Another term for mahout is cornac (as in French, from the Portuguese; kornak in Dutch and Polish, also a rather current last name)[citation needed]. In Tamil, the word used is "pahan", which means elephant keeper, and in Sinhalese kurawanayaka ('stable master').
In Burma (Myanmar) the profession is called oozie, and in Thailand (Siam) kao-chang.
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[edit] Description
Usually, a mahout starts as a boy in the 'family business' when he is assigned an elephant early in its life and they would be attached to each other throughout the elephant's life.
The most common tool used by mahouts is a goad called anlius, or ankusha - a sharp hook used to guide a tamed elephant by prodding on the back of its head.
Sanskrit language distinguishes three types: Reghawaan, who use love to control their elephants, Yuktimaan, who use ingenuity to outsmart them and Balwaan, those who control elephants with strength and cruelty.
The job is described in detail in the on-line Mahout manual.
[edit] Devices used to control elephants in Kerala
In India especially Kerala, mahout use three types of device to control elephants. Thotti (hook) which is 3.5 feet in length and 3 inches thick, Valiya kol (long pole) which is 10.5 feet in length and 5.5 inches in thickness and cheru kol (short pole).
 Mahout with his thotti (hook). |
 Elephants in Kerala are trained not to move when Valiya kol (long pole) is kept on him. |
[edit] See also
- Elephants in Kerala culture
- War elephant, for soldiers in the mahout role, often armed and combatant
- Howdah, a carriage mounted on the back of an elephant
[edit] Sources and references
- This article incorporates text from the Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition, a publication now in the public domain.
- Elephant glossary
