The Hindu : Kerala News : Tale of a vanishing tribe

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Friday, May 11, 2007
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Kerala

Tale of a vanishing tribe

K. Santhosh

Documentary on the Koraga tribe focusses on its culture A documentary focusses on the Koraga tribe on the Kerala-Karnataka border, which fears the extinction of its unique culture and identity.

Thrissur: In remote settlements on the Kerala-Karnataka border, the Koraga tribe is fighting for survival against disease and hunger.

Currently numbering just 1,349, the tribe fears the extinction of its unique identity, language and culture.

Death of Sound, a documentary directed by journalist U. Pradeep, records the plight of the tribe, cut off from the outside world without electricity, telephones, TV or radio.

The director and his crew travel to six colonies at Badiadka in Kasaragod, interview members of the tribe, record their harrowing experiences and criticise the alleged inefficacy of Government tribal welfare programmes.

The documentary was premiered here on Thursday. It will be screened at the VIBGYOR International Film Festival here on Friday.

The Koragas live in 52 settlements in Kasaragod and Manjeshwar blocks. Fifty settlements at Badiadka, Meencha, Vorkady, Paivalige, Puthige, Mangalpady, Bellur, Enmagage, Kumbala and Manjeswara panchayats and a settlement each at Vidhyanagar and Pulikur constitute the Koraga population in the State.

The Koragas speak a language that resembles Malayalam, Tulu and Kannada. In olden days, tribesmen ate carcasses of animals. They have shed the habit.

According to a 1971 census, the Koraga population was 3,460. Diseases, particularly tuberculosis, have taken a harsh toll.

Frequent deaths

"Tribal colonies face frequent deaths. The Government's TB control programmes are the least effective," alleges Pradeep. The documentary reveals the effect of health education programmes on the tribe by showing an interview with a young woman who attended one.

She keeps pamphlets in Malayalam given to her by health officials, but knows to read only Kannada.

"What did you learn from lectures given by officials?" the interviewer asks. "Nothing," she replies. "What did they give you?" he asks. "Pamphlets and money," she answers.

The director portrays the tribe's reported addiction to liquor brewed in Karnataka and the enmity between different factions of the tribe.

The documentary ends with the distressing tale of a 14-year-old tribal girl whose body was found near her house recently.

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