Pulayar
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The Pulayar also Pulayar, Pulaya,or Pulayas or Holeya are one of the main social groups found in Kerala, Karnataka and in historical Tamil Nadu or Tamilakam. Currently they belong to the Dalits of India. A Dalit is not a caste, it is the name taken by the oppressed groups who belong to historically marginalized castes of India.[1]
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[edit] History
The origins of Pulayar or the word Pulai in Archaic Tamil in itself may indicate the origins of Caste or Jāti system in South India. Although currently in Tamil, Pulai stands for meat[citation needed] but in Kannada Hole the root for a similar caste title Holeya stands for menstrual blood thus indicating a ritual position that was degraded due to function. With the advent of agriculture and North Indian religious norms in South India in general and Tamilakam particularly such as Jainism, Buddhism and early Vedic Brahmanism similar functional groups and lineages or tribes came to be identified as untouchables viz a vie the dominant land holding elites of the rural landscape.[2][3][4][5]
The name of this caste is mentioned in the Sangam anthologies which were composed during a period of 500 years (est.) during the early Christian era. Pulaian (male) and Pulaitchi (female) are mentioned as a group of people who are attached to the households of village chiefs and were performing tasks that were menial or degraded.
However, Pulayas in the Trivandrum district claim that they ruled that area before. There is a hill in Trivandrum called Pulayanarkotta where it is said that a Pulayar king had his castle in very ancient times. Some ethnographers, like Edgar Thurston, support the idea that the Pulayar are a remainder of the original aboriginal inhabitants of Southern India and that they were displaced and enslaved by invaders. This could be one of the reasons of their degraded status in history. After being defeated and conquered, they were dispossessed and enslaved.
[edit] Traditions
The Pulayar people have their separate and exclusive traditions and beliefs, partly due to their segregation from the mainstream community at the bottom end of the caste system in Kerala and Tamil Nadu. Thus they have maintained their local Folklore or pre-Hindu belief systems that were unique to that age and area.
Their marriage rituals were described by Edgar Thurston, who highlighted the fact that the bride's face was painted with a red and white pattern. Nowadays many of these customs have fallen into disuse.
The spiritual life of the Pulaya includes certain ancient magic rituals and practices that have a certain reputation. Members of the mainstream community may consult Pulaya sorcerers (Manthrikavadi) in Kerala, for advice.
Pulayas are noted for their music, craftsmanship, and for certain dances which include Kōlam-thullal, a mask dance which is part of their exorcism rituals, as well as the Mudi-āttam or hair-dance which has its origins in a fertility ritual.[6][7][8]
Other Pulayar traditions include the Theyyannam, a ritualistic dance performed by the Pulaya and Kurava communities. Theyyannam is found in Mavelikara, Pandalam and some places in Alappuzha District. When man turned to cultivation, his liking and respect for it began to increase. Though he cultivates different crops, he has a partiality for paddy cultivation. This is the theme of Theyyannam.
Bhadrakali thullal is a devotional offering of Pulayas for the deity Bhadrakali. Special pandals are constructed in the fields after the harvest and the dances are performed. They are quite drawn-out and have numerous phases.
[edit] Current condition
The status of the Pulayar as a group is the barometer of the success or failure of the caste reformation process that is going on in pre-independence India in general and Kerala in particular.
In the 19th century the Pulayar had a leader known as "Great Ayyankali" who contributed towards the upliftment of this downtrodden group. The followers of Ayyankali have an organization called Kerala Pulaya Maha Sabha (KPMS).
Pulayar people are gentle and accommodating. Despite their difficulties in society, they have never resorted to violence or intimidation.
In general the Pulayar still suffer discrimination and their life expectancy, nutrition levels, education levels and child mortality rates are below the average Kerala standards. These dispossessed people groups have been much abused and manipulated by politicians who are just interested in the Pulayar as a vote bank. Populist politicians make big promises during election campaigns, but always fail to deliver.
In neighbouring Tamil Nadu state, the word Pulayar was replaced by Paraiyar and Pallar during the medieval period and their status is even starker than in Kerala.
In Karnataka the etymologically related Holeya caste's social status is still at the bottom with little or merely marginal improvements since Indian independence.
Due to affirmative actions including Land Reforms and better educational avenues in Kerala, Pulayas are making some progress. Although one can find members of this caste in many walks of life today, the majority of them are still engaged in menial jobs such as day laborers.[9][10][11]
[edit] See also
Arts of Pulayar caste:
[edit] References
- ^ Marginalisation of Pulayas and Parayas in Kerala's history.
- ^ Spectres of Agrarian Territory.
- ^ Prof Hart's theory on origin of caste in South India.
- ^ Pulaitti in Sangam anthologies.
- ^ Dictionary Meaning of Archaic Tamil word Pulaitti.
- ^ PRIMAL ELEMENTS:THE ORAL TRADITION.
- ^ Edgar Thurston, The Tribes and Castes of Southern India (7 vols).
- ^ "Early Evidence for Caste in South India, p. 467-492 in Dimensions of Social Life: Essays in honor of David G. Mandelbaum, Edited by Paul Hockings and Mouton de Gruyter, Berlin, New York, Amsterdam, 1987" .
- ^ Conversion of Pulayas to Christianity.
- ^ Subaltern Christian Groups and the Crisis of Cultural.
- ^ CASTE-BASED DISCRIMINATION: Kodungallur Bharani and Human Rights.
