More than 181 members of the Hakki Pikki tribal community from Karnataka are stuck in violence-hit Sudan.
About Hakki Pikki
- The Hakki Pikki is a tribe that lives in several states in west and south 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 majorly in Davangere, Mysuru, Kolar, Hassan and Shivmogga districts.
- In different regions, they are known by different names, such as Mel-Shikari in northern Karnataka and Maharashtra.
- They are divided into four clans, called Gujaratia, Panwar, Kaliwala and Mewaras. These clans can be equated with castes in the traditional Hindu society.
- The forest is the main natural resource of the Hakki Pikki.
- Hakki Pikkis in Karnataka follow Hindu traditions and celebrate all Hindu festivals. They are non-vegetarians.
- The tribe prefers cross-cousin marriages.
- The society is matriarchal, where the groom gives dowry to the bride’s family.
- The Hakki Pikki people are natural travellers and have for decades been travelling to other nations — earlier, to sell handicrafts, and now to produce and market traditional herbal oils and other plant-based medicines.
- Members of the tribe speak Vaghri (an unclassified tribal Indo-Aryan language of south India), Kannada and Hindi.
