{"id":212,"date":"2016-08-23T10:08:27","date_gmt":"2016-08-23T10:08:27","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/kikkerinarayana.in\/?p=212"},"modified":"2016-08-23T10:08:27","modified_gmt":"2016-08-23T10:08:27","slug":"","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/kikkerinarayana.in\/?p=212","title":{"rendered":"Jenu Kuruba Tribes – Report- Jan 7, 2012"},"content":{"rendered":"
03.02.2010<\/span><\/b><\/div>\n
We reached Mysore by 7.15 am on the\u00a0<\/span>3rd of February 2010, a bit earlier than we expected. We were received by\u00a0<\/span>Prof.Kikkeri<\/span>\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>Narayan<\/span>\u00a0and Rajiv.\u00a0 At By 11.00<\/span>\u00a0am we reached\u00a0<\/span>MYRADA Guest house in\u00a0<\/span>Hand Post,\u00a0<\/span>H.D.\u00a0<\/span>Kote<\/span>\u00a0in\u00a0<\/span>Prof.Narayan\u2018s<\/span>\u00a0car after having warm\u00a0<\/span>idlies<\/span>\u00a0and a hot cup of coffee at\u00a0<\/span>Chamundipuram<\/span>\u00a0.\u00a0<\/span>We freshened up at the guest house\u00a0<\/span>and\u00a0 met<\/span>\u00a0Mr.Ksheerasagar<\/span>\u00a0who guided us to the digital archive office which was located 3km away.<\/span><\/div>\n
The office was constructed of three buildings, two guest rooms and the archive. We had a meeting with all the people<\/span>, who<\/span>\u00a0gathered to receive us.\u00a0<\/span>Mr.Somana<\/span>, who is one of the leaders of the\u00a0<\/span>Jenu<\/span>\u00a0Kuruba<\/span>\u00a0tribe<\/span>,\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>Shailendra<\/span>, field staff,\u00a0<\/span>Basava<\/span>\u00a0Raj,<\/span><\/div>\n
We introduced ourselves and explained the aim of our visit. Plans for the following days were also made. Mr.\u00a0<\/span>Ksheerasagar<\/span>\u00a0made us aware about the various tribal movements which have been working with the tribes in and around the nearby\u00a0<\/span>Haadis<\/span>\u00a0and also gave a brief\u00a0<\/span>demonstration about<\/span>\u00a0the different types of toys used by the village children<\/span>.\u00a0<\/span>Prof.Narayan<\/span>\u00a0enlightened us with his knowledge on Shamanism.<\/span>\u00a0That evening we returned to our guest house pretty early.<\/span><\/div>\n
04.02.2010<\/span><\/b><\/div>\n
The next day we\u00a0<\/span>had early breakfast and rushed to the archive with Mr.\u00a0<\/span>Ksheerasagar<\/span>.\u00a0<\/span>Shailendra<\/span>\u00a0was waiting in the office with a\u00a0<\/span>Jenu<\/span>\u00a0Kuruba<\/span>\u00a0medicinal expert;\u00a0<\/span>Mr.<\/span>Dassaiah<\/span>, an elderly man.\u00a0<\/span>As\u00a0<\/span>the\u00a0<\/span>agenda was set<\/span>\u00a0on the previous day, we got\u00a0<\/span>ready\u00a0 to<\/span>\u00a0identify the medicinal plants around the archive. We started with little shrubs, creepers and saplings.\u00a0<\/span>Dassaiah<\/span>\u00a0introduced the plants in Kannada and explained\u00a0<\/span>its medicinal importance\u00a0<\/span>and\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>Ksheerasager<\/span>\u00a0translated it to us<\/span>\u00a0in English<\/span>.<\/span><\/div>\n
We saw huge trees in the archive like Sandalwood, Tamarind<\/span>,<\/span>\u00a0silk cotton and black plum\u00a0<\/span>trees. These<\/span>\u00a0trees were planted during the 80s by\u00a0<\/span>Ksheerasagar<\/span>.<\/span>\u00a0The 2.5 acre land was not organized in such a way that makes it look like\u00a0<\/span>an<\/span>\u00a0herbal garden.\u00a0<\/span>When we questioned about it, we got two main reasons. One was that the land was not properly fenced which lead to cattle grazing and the other was that\u00a0<\/span>we\u00a0<\/span>had come during the dry season (an unsuitable time to document the medicinal shrubs).<\/span>\u00a0At around 12.30\u00a0<\/span>an interesting person joined us to share his knowledge on medicinal plants. It was<\/span>\u00a0Mr.<\/span>\u00a0Chikayia<\/span>,\u00a0<\/span>another\u00a0<\/span>Jenu<\/span>\u00a0Kuruba<\/span>\u00a0medicinal expert.\u00a0<\/span>Mr.Chikayia<\/span>\u00a0was able to speak Tamil and Malayalam apart from Kannada.\u00a0<\/span>It reduced<\/span>\u00a0our\u00a0<\/span>work load. That day we were able to identify 35 different types of\u00a0<\/span>shrubs, saplings and also trees.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n
Later that evening<\/span>,<\/span>\u00a0we came back to the archive and viewed some of the extraordinary videos of\u00a0<\/span>Jenu<\/span>\u00a0Kuruba<\/span>\u00a0children and their\u00a0<\/span>jungle pal, the\u00a0<\/span>giant squirrel.\u00a0<\/span>We asked for books regarding herbs from\u00a0<\/span>Ksheerasagar<\/span>. He delivered the book through\u00a0<\/span>Shailendra<\/span>\u00a0that night.<\/span><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
05.02.2010<\/span><\/b><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
We were eagerly waiting for\u00a0<\/span>Ksheersagar<\/span>\u00a0to take us to the\u00a0<\/span>Balle<\/span>\u00a0Haadi<\/span>\u00a0nearby. We finished our breakfast soon and left to the archive. We had to wait for sometime in the archive as there was a meeting in the FEDINA office which\u00a0<\/span>Dassaiah<\/span>\u00a0and\u00a0<\/span>Chikkaiah<\/span>\u00a0was<\/span>\u00a0attending. At<\/span>\u00a0the mean time, we also transferred our pictures which we took on the previous day to the\u00a0<\/span>computer. Then\u00a0<\/span>we joined<\/span>\u00a0Shailendra<\/span>,\u00a0<\/span>Chikkaiah<\/span>\u00a0and\u00a0<\/span>Somanna<\/span>\u00a0and headed to the\u00a0<\/span>Balle<\/span>\u00a0haadi<\/span>, a settlement inside the Rajiv Gandhi National Park.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n
Our journey\u00a0<\/span>towards the\u00a0<\/span>haadi<\/span>\u00a0was really exciting. We had to pass maze fields,\u00a0<\/span>a lotus pond, many villages and few tribal settlements to reach our destination.\u00a0<\/span>Somanna<\/span>\u00a0who was seated in the front seat of the jeep waved at many people and gave them a pleasant\u00a0<\/span>warm smile.\u00a0<\/span>Somanna<\/span>\u00a0was so influential and popular not only among his own community but\u00a0<\/span>also with the forest authority. He convinced the forest authority to permit us into the forest to explore<\/span>\u00a0the thicket near the\u00a0<\/span>Balle<\/span>\u00a0Haadi<\/span>.<\/span><\/div>\n
Balle<\/span>\u00a0haadi<\/span>\u00a0contained approximately\u00a0<\/span>200 families. There we<\/span>re no concrete or brick houses. All the houses were\u00a0<\/span>built with Palmyra<\/span>\u00a0leaves and bamboo sticks.\u00a0<\/span>There were few houses with bathrooms. The women were receptive<\/span>\u00a0and<\/span>\u00a0they greeted us with a warm smile.<\/span><\/div>\n
Somanna<\/span>\u00a0introduced us to another medicinal expert in\u00a0<\/span>Balle<\/span>\u00a0haadi<\/span>. His name was\u00a0<\/span>Kenchaiah<\/span>. He was the president of that\u00a0<\/span>haadi<\/span>. He took us deep into the forest to show us the herbs. Many people joined us to explore their natural herbal garden. We saw tall elegant trees, shrubs, bushes and creepers.\u00a0<\/span>The soil was black in\u00a0<\/span>colour<\/span>, which symbolized its fertile nature.<\/span>\u00a0Now we had many people<\/span>\u00a0to help.\u00a0<\/span>Kenchaiah<\/span>\u00a0was not multi lingual like\u00a0<\/span>Chikkaiah<\/span>. So whatever\u00a0<\/span>Kenchaiah<\/span>\u00a0said in Kannada was translated to Tamil by\u00a0<\/span>Chikkaiah<\/span>.\u00a0<\/span>That day we found more plants than the<\/span>\u00a0previous day.\u00a0<\/span>Mathi<\/span>\u00a0maram<\/span>,\u00a0<\/span>Kan<\/span>ja<\/span>,\u00a0<\/span>Kakke<\/span>\u00a0maram<\/span>,\u00a0<\/span>noor<\/span>\u00a0thaiy<\/span>\u00a0beru<\/span>\u00a0are some plants we were able to find that day.<\/span><\/div>\n
When we asked whether these medicinal experts go to allopathic doctors<\/span>,<\/span>\u00a0the<\/span>\u00a0answer was a big \u2018NO\u2019. They prepare their medicines by themselves if they are ill.<\/span><\/div>\n
Here we have to mention about the interesting\u00a0<\/span>Maththi<\/span>\u00a0Maram<\/span>, a gigantic tree, with<\/span>\u00a0a huge trun<\/span>k. The tru<\/span>n<\/span>k had a\u00a0<\/span>bulge in its upper part of the truck.\u00a0<\/span>Chikkaiah<\/span>\u00a0commanded two tribal boys to climb the tree and cut the bark where the bulge<\/span>\u00a0was situated. The boy climbed on top of the tree with a knife and a plastic bottle. The boy started to cut the bark. And to our surprise a liquid oozed from the bulge. It was like flowing in a parabolic pattern. The boy collected the transparent liquid in the plastic bottle and offered it to us. In the beginning we hesitated but later we thought of drinking it. It tasted exactly like water.<\/span><\/div>\n
We were told that the\u00a0<\/span>Jenu<\/span>\u00a0Kurubas<\/span>\u00a0used to cut the bulge\u00a0<\/span>of Maththi<\/span>\u00a0maram<\/span>\u00a0and drink\u00a0<\/span>its\u00a0<\/span>water<\/span>\u00a0when they go hunting in the forests.\u00a0<\/span>It quenches their thirst.<\/span><\/div>\n
We got to know curing methods for snake bites, skin diseases, yellow fever, diarrhea and also certain illnesses for women during their menstruation period.<\/span><\/div>\n
It was indeed pitiable to know that these experts in medicinal plants are not practicing it nowadays because of certain financial difficulties and have now switched their occupation to field\u00a0<\/span>labourers and<\/span>\u00a0masons.<\/span><\/div>\n
After collecting\u00a0<\/span>the common names of\u00a0<\/span>around 45 plants we decided to visit the temple in the settlement. A female deity was placed inside with worshipping tools like the holy bell,\u00a0<\/span>aarathi<\/span>\u00a0and joss sticks.\u00a0 Nearby the temple we saw a Tusker. Its tail was cut. A prominent feature, which can be noticed. It was a wild elephant but tamed by the\u00a0<\/span>Jenu<\/span>\u00a0Kurubas<\/span>\u00a0of the\u00a0<\/span>Balle<\/span>\u00a0haadi<\/span>.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n
That\u00a0<\/span>day\u00a0<\/span>we had late lunch at<\/span>\u00a0a small shop nearby the\u00a0<\/span>Haadi<\/span>. On our way back we stopped to capture the beautiful landscape of the\u00a0<\/span>Kabini<\/span>\u00a0back waters and<\/span>\u00a0returned back to the guest house.<\/span><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
06.02.2010<\/span><\/b><\/div>\n
The next day we left in our hired jeep to the\u00a0<\/span>Kabini<\/span>\u00a0dam, where\u00a0<\/span>Mr.Ksheerasagar<\/span>\u00a0was supposed to be picked up. We went to his residence and saw his collection of various types of butterflies and feathers of different types of birds. He\u00a0<\/span>took us to the\u00a0<\/span>Kabini<\/span>\u00a0dam where we captured many photographs of migrant birds from Tibet.<\/span><\/div>\n
Then we\u00a0<\/span>headed<\/span>\u00a0to\u00a0<\/span>another<\/span>\u00a0haadi<\/span>\u00a0named\u00a0<\/span>Mettikuppe<\/span>.\u00a0<\/span>We had to enter\u00a0<\/span>through\u00a0<\/span>a<\/span>nother entrance of the Rajiv Gandhi National park.\u00a0<\/span>Somanna<\/span>\u00a0and\u00a0<\/span>Chikkaiah<\/span>\u00a0accompanied us to\u00a0<\/span>Mettikuppe<\/span>\u00a0Haadi<\/span>. On this day we did not\u00a0<\/span>go<\/span>\u00a0inside any\u00a0<\/span>haadi<\/span>\u00a0and meet people but we went directly to the thicket to explore more plants.<\/span><\/div>\n
After taking down the names of the plants and its uses,\u00a0<\/span>Somanna<\/span>\u00a0washed a hand kerchief\u00a0<\/span>using a fruit which he plucked from a semi grown tree in the nearby stream.\u00a0<\/span>After washing it he told us to smell the hand kerchief. It had a wonderful aroma, way better than the aroma we get from detergents we use these days.<\/span><\/div>\n
Somanna<\/span>\u00a0also made us taste a leaf. It was extremely bitter that we spat it out as soon as we started to chew. He\u00a0<\/span>told us that it cures diabetes. Unfortunately no one knew its Kannada or\u00a0<\/span>Kuruba<\/span>\u00a0name. So he named it \u201cSugar plant\u201d.<\/span><\/div>\n
We returned from the\u00a0<\/span>haadi<\/span>\u00a0to the archive at around 4.00 pm with the sapling of the \u201cSugar\u00a0<\/span>plant\u201d<\/span>\u00a0and planted it outside the archive.\u00a0<\/span>Then we started to upload all the pictures we took that day in the<\/span>\u00a0computer and burnt it to a CD.<\/span><\/div>\n
07.02.2010<\/span><\/div>\n
That day we decided to monitor the\u00a0<\/span>archive. We<\/span>\u00a0decided to clarify the doubts we had regarding the functioning of the archive.<\/span><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Observations:<\/span><\/div>\n
\u00b7<\/span>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0When we asked about the maintenance of the register<\/span>, we got to know that they do maintain a register but we did not see anyone signing the register nor we saw the register.<\/span><\/div>\n
\u00b7<\/span>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Prof\u00a0<\/span>Kikkeri<\/span>\u00a0Narayan<\/span>\u00a0engages himself in the archive only for four days in a month.<\/span><\/div>\n
\u00b7<\/span>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0The field staff have gone to the\u00a0<\/span>haadis<\/span>\u00a0and trained the people in handling\u00a0<\/span>cameras. None<\/span>\u00a0of the training activities are done in the office.<\/span><\/div>\n
\u00b7<\/span>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0The total of Video documentation in two years comes only up to 86 hours.<\/span><\/div>\n
\u00b7<\/span>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0And most of the documentation were done when\u00a0<\/span>Rayson<\/span>\u00a0and\u00a0<\/span>Rajashekar<\/span>\u00a0at the archive in 2008.<\/span><\/div>\n
\u00b7<\/span>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0There are no racks in the archive to place and store the documented material.<\/span><\/div>\n
\u00b7<\/span>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0There is no Back up<\/span><\/div>\n
\u00b7<\/span>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0The documentaries were screened only in haadis and not in schools.<\/span><\/div>\n
\u00b7<\/span>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0The internet was not working<\/span><\/div>\n
\u00b7<\/span>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0The computer corrupted by\u00a0<\/span>virus. We<\/span>\u00a0tried to install a trial version but it was not possible.<\/span><\/div>\n
\u00b7<\/span>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0The I pod was also not functioning because it was corrupted by virus<\/span><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
With the help of\u00a0<\/span>MR.Ksheerasagar<\/span>\u00a0,<\/span>\u00a0we found the botanical names of the medicinal plants.<\/span><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
08.02.2010<\/span><\/b><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
We went to a school in\u00a0<\/span>Basavanagiri<\/span>\u00a0resettlement for a theatre workshop and an interactive painting session.\u00a0<\/span>Mr.Sunder<\/span>\u00a0taught the children some<\/span>\u00a0interesting games. Meanwhile the teacher of the school showed us few fascinating toys which\u00a0<\/span>Jenu<\/span>\u00a0kuruba<\/span>\u00a0children use to play in the forests. All the toys were eco friendly. They had simple, inexpensive toys which produced a similar\u00a0<\/span>sound like<\/span>\u00a0the cracker<\/span>s used in\u00a0<\/span>Diwali<\/span>. They told us it i<\/span>s an<\/span>\u00a0alternative way to enjoy the festival eve without crackers.<\/span>\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>The usage of these toys was demonstrated to us by a teacher who belongs to the\u00a0<\/span>Jenu<\/span>\u00a0Kuruba<\/span>\u00a0tribe.<\/span><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Then we had a<\/span>n<\/span>\u00a0interactive painting workshop where we instructed the children to draw whatever they like and took their palm prints in a piece of cloth. Later we handed over the cloth to\u00a0<\/span>Mr.Ksheerasagar<\/span>\u00a0to use it as a curtain till they get a permanent screen for the racks in the archive. We also witnessed a cultural performance by the students of the school. Here we observed the cultural transformation and the influence of the media in their dance and other art forms. Later we got a chance to see a typical\u00a0<\/span>Jenu<\/span>\u00a0kuruba<\/span>\u00a0dance performed by few boys and girls.<\/span><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Then we left the\u00a0<\/span>school after having lunch and reached the archive. Later that evening we settled the bills at MYRADA and left to\u00a0<\/span>Mysore to catch the train to Chennai.<\/span><\/div>\n
\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n
http:\/\/www.wiki.indianfolklore.org\/index.php?title=Digital_Community_Archive_in_Karnataka<\/a><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Article Link:http:\/\/vibooshi.blogspot.in\/2012\/01\/jenu-kuruba-tribes-report.html<\/a><\/strong><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

03.02.2010 We reached Mysore by 7.15 am on the\u00a03rd of February 2010, a bit earlier than we expected. We were received by\u00a0Prof.Kikkeri\u00a0\u00a0Narayan\u00a0and Rajiv.\u00a0 At By 11.00\u00a0am we reached\u00a0MYRADA Guest house in\u00a0Hand Post,\u00a0H.D.\u00a0Kote\u00a0in\u00a0Prof.Narayan\u2018s\u00a0car after having warm\u00a0idlies\u00a0and a hot cup of coffee at\u00a0Chamundipuram\u00a0.\u00a0We freshened up at the guest house\u00a0and\u00a0 met\u00a0Mr.Ksheerasagar\u00a0who guided us to the digital archive office which was located 3km away. The office was constructed of three buildings, two guest rooms and the archive. We had a meeting with all the…<\/p>\n

Read More Read More<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-212","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-interviews"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/kikkerinarayana.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/212","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/kikkerinarayana.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/kikkerinarayana.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/kikkerinarayana.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/kikkerinarayana.in\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=212"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/kikkerinarayana.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/212\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":213,"href":"http:\/\/kikkerinarayana.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/212\/revisions\/213"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/kikkerinarayana.in\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=212"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/kikkerinarayana.in\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=212"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/kikkerinarayana.in\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=212"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}