HAKKI PIKKI’s

WHY IN THE NEWS?

• More than 181 members of the Hakki Pikki tribal community from Karnataka are stuck in violence-hit Sudan.

WHO ARE HAKKI PIKKI’s ?

• The Hakki Pikki is a tribe that lives in several states in western and southern India, especially near forest areas.
• Hakki Pikkis (Hakki in Kannada means ‘bird’ and Pikki means ‘catchers’) are a semi-nomadic tribe, traditionally of bird catchers and hunters.
• According to the 2011 census, the Hakki Pikki population in Karnataka is 11,892, and they live mainly in Davangere, Mysuru, Kolar, Hassan, and Shivamogga districts.
• In different regions, they are known by different names, such as Mel-Shikari in northern Karnataka and Maharashtra.

MORE ABOUT TRIBE HAKKI PIKKI

• The Hakki Pikki move in groups from place to place in search of a livelihood.
• They are divided into four clans, called Gujaratia, Panwar, Kaliwala, and Mewaras.
• These clans can be equated with castes in the traditional Hindu society.
• In the olden days, there was a hierarchy among the clans, with the Gujaratia at the top and the Mewaras at the bottom.
• The forest is the main natural resource of the Hakki Pikki.

LOCATION OF TRIBE:

• Hakki Pikki people are believed to hail originally from the bordering districts of Gujarat and Rajasthan.
• According to scholars, they came to the south in search of game.
• To Karnataka, they seem to have arrived via Andhra Pradesh, as they still remember a place called Jalapally near Hyderabad as their ancestral home, where their forefathers lived for a considerable period. They are now spread across South India.
• Till a few years ago, women used to wear the ghagra (skirt) common in Rajasthan, although now they wear saris and other garments.

RITUALS AND CUSTOMS OF HAKKI PIKKIS

• Hakki Pikkis in Karnataka follow Hindu traditions and celebrate all Hindu festivals.
• They are non-vegetarians.
• The eldest son in a family is not supposed to cut his hair so that he can be identified easily.
• The tribe prefers cross-cousin marriages.
• According to locals, the usual age of marriage is 18 for women and 22 for men.
• The society is matriarchal, where the groom gives a dowry to the bride’s family.
• Monogamy is the norm.

CURRENT OCCUPATION OF HAKKI PIKKIS

• Traditionally, Hakki Pikkis lived in forest areas, leading a nomadic life for nine months a year and coming back to their permanent camps for three.
• Men of the tribe would hunt while women begged in villages.
• But as the wildlife protection laws became stricter, the Hakki Pikkis in Karnataka started selling spices, herbal oils, and plastic flowers in local temple fairs.
• The community moved to villages from the forests in the 1950s. Earlier, they killed animals to make a living.
• But then some of the community members were booked and jailed under wildlife laws.
• Hence, they shifted to selling herbal oils and other materials in villages and towns.
• The herbal oil business took off, and now the tribe members go to many places across the globe to sell their products.
• The Hakki Pikkis in Tamil Nadu travelled to Singapore, Thailand, and other places about 20-25 years ago to sell some marbles, in the process discovering there was a huge demand for Ayurvedic products in the African continent.
• They started selling their products in Africa, and Karnataka Hakki Pikkis followed them.
• People from the state have been traveling to African countries for the past 20 years.
• Education levels among the Hakki Pikkis are still low.
• For example, in the 2,000-strong population of Pakshirajapura, only eight people have completed the graduation-level course, and one person works as a police constable.

WHAT ARE THEY DOING IN SUDAN AND OTHER AFRICAN COUNTRIES?

• African countries offer them an opportunity to escape poverty faster.
• There is demand for tribal products in the African continent.
• If a person invests, say Rs 5 lakh on raw materials (hibiscus powder, oil extraction, gooseberry, Ayurvedic plants, etc.), they have a chance to double or triple it in a matter of 3-6 months in African countries.
• But in India, you don’t have such a market and business.
• They sell online and promote products on social media, including Facebook and YouTube