Paniya Tribe:
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.
- 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 Paniya speak the Paniya language, which belongs to the Dravidian family, closely related to Malayalam.
- 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.
