Cheramans Parayas

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People, Customs, Ceremonies & Rituals People | Customs People -Cheramans | Parayas | Panans | Velans | Nairs | Christians | Muslims | Jews Cheramans Cheramans are styled in the vernacular Cherumakkal. These  tribes belong to the agricultural community of whom Pulayas are more in number. They have dark complexion and strong physique. The Pulayas in the olden times were extremely loyal to their masters and worked as slaves in their fields. The word Pulayan is said to be derived  from 'Pula' which means pollution. Most of the members of the community do not like to be called Pulayas. They prefer to be called Cheramar. There are a lot of Christian converters among them who were attracted to the Christian faith at a time when the Hindu aristocracy regarded them as untouchables and denied them their legitimate place in the Hindu religious fold. They along with many other downtrodden communities including  the Ezhavas were not allowed on the main streets and to enter temples. The Pulayas had to suffer a lot due to constant conversions and re-conversions thrust on them by the religious leaders  of Hindu and Christian faith. They were so confused about their beliefs that they intermittently visited the Christian church and the Hindu temple and belonged to both the faiths or to neither. Parayas The Parayas are known as remarkable exponents of black magic. In the rural areas they used to be consulted on problems connected with theft and the Paraya magician was supposed to help recover the stolen articles. Some times they would conduct rituals of extremely demoniacal kind and even cause the death to the involved enemies. Their favourite deity which gives them the super natural powers is named 'Purakkutty' whom they propitiate with offerings. The occupation of Parayas was making baskets and mats with bamboo and grass, and umbrellas with leaves of the Palmyra tree. Skinning the animals and selling their hides too was a favourite occupation. The Pulayas and Parayas belong to the labour classes. They were once treated as the sole property of theirlandlords. They were attached to the soil for all their  work.  But the owner of the soil  had the right to sell them or transfer them to another land owner. A Cheruman was bound to stand at a distance of 30 feet from a man of the Superior caste. He was not allowed to cross the prohibited distance and approach a village temple or tank, if this rule was broken, 'punyaham' or purification rite would inevitably follow. The Cherumars had to howl to produce a sound when they passed through the village roads, as a warning so that the others could avoid polluting themselves by keeping away. Pulayas and Parayas enjoy certain strange privileges. One such privilege was known by the notorious name 'Parappeti'. Sanction was given to Paraya by his land lords to enjoy maximum freedom on a particular day in the year i.e. 28th day in the Malayalam month Makaram. On this day the untouchable Paraya was allowed to exercise maximum freedom on the village roads, where his action would never be questioned or retaliated by his master. No female members of the so-called respectable families was allowed by the elders to step out of the home. If any girl accidentally happen to be seen by the Paraya irupathettichar he had the license to carry her away and treat her as his property. Such girls were treated as lost forever by the parents. This practice was in vogue in places like Kuttanadu, where paddy cultivation was the main occupation of the people and the Pulayas and Parayas were to work hard throughout the year to feed the whole country. Now they enjoy a lot of privileges and reservation which they legitimately deserve and they are progressing rapidly. Certain communities have inherited the legacy of the land and its culture to a high degree, but still remain denominated as inferior because of the Brahmin sponsored caste-system. They are the Pulluvans, Panas and Kaniyans who belong to the community of village minstrels, they sing in the village houses as harbingers of a prosperous culture. Pulluvans sing serpent songs with ardent faith in the superior varieties of serpents which are believed to be protectors of the land as its guardians angles. The Pulluvan and his wife, Pulluvati visit village houses on auspicious days like the first of every Malayalam month or the Aslesha (star) day in the month, which is the birthday of the serpent. They sing a song called 'navarupattu' to cast off the evil eye on the children. While singing, the Pulluvan plays on a small violin like instrument called 'Veenakkunju' (small veena) and the Pulluvati sings along with him providing the rhythm by strumming the kutam (an instrument made by covering a pot with a skin of a calf and fixing a string to it). By pulling the string and plucking with a piece of wood or stone a rhythm with tonal variations is created. They also conduct the ceremony of 'Pampin tullal' to propitiate the serpent gods and get their blessings. The Pullavas are not in a position to eke out a living in the present society and so they now go in search of other jobs. Panans Panans are known for their melodious music. The Panan and his wife Patti, visit the village houses at dawn and sing 'tuyilunarttu pattu' (awakening song) to the accompaniment of a percussion instrument called maddalam. The Patti joins him in singing and keeps the beats with a bell metal vessel and with a knife. They were known for making umbrellas with the leaves of the Palmyra tree in the past. Their women used to serve as midwives. They are the descendants of Malayans, the hill tribe, and they go about at the time of harvest from house to house to exorcise evil spirits from the bodies of children. Shiva and Parvathi are their favourite gods who are said to have bestowed boons on their predecessors to earn their lively hood by adopting music as their profession. They used to receive gifts like paddy, coconut, salt, oil, cloth from the village houses. Velans The Velans as well as Vannans and Malayars of Cannanore district were the original dancers of 'Theyyam' or 'Kaliyattam', which is a highly ritualistic dance with its rare and grotesque make-up and costume, lively foot work, gymnastic fervour and ritualistic vitality. 'Teyyam' represents a glorious period of folk life in Kerala and the souls of the dead heroes of the land and the gods and goddesses are supposed to come in our midst through the medium of the possessed dancers and converse with us on matters of even, contemporary significance. The Malayans or the people of Mala (mountain) were the early Teyyam dancers. The tribal communities that were the custodians of the art of dancing were known by different names like Mavelon, Velan, Koppalan. Some of them belong to the Tulu country of the present South Karnataka which once formed the contiguous area belonging to the same cultural heritage. Ezhavas form a major community known as Chovas. In the northern districts Tiyyas also come under this community. They are found all over Kerala basically as a cultivating class. Traditionally they are connected with growing and tapping of coconut trees. The term Chovan is believed generally as a corruption of Sevaka or servant. Ezhavas belong to the working class and they were treated as untouchables. Ezhavas are now a fast improving, gaining strength economically, culturally and politically. Nayars or Nairs Nayars are said to be a Dravidian community who were the military gentry of the land. The most influential territorial unit in the Dravidian set up of administration was a tara which means a ground, a village or a quarter. Nayars include many caste division such as barbers (Velakkittala), washer men (Veluttetattu), oil mongers (Chakkala) templedependants (Marars), Kiriyam is said to be the highest class. Next is Illakkar who served the Illam or the homes of the Nambootiri Brahmins and then Swapuram who served the Kshatriyas. Nayars were treated as the gentry whose main work was to protect the land both in offence and defence. So they were treated as Kshatriyas. They provide a well-knit national militia for the whole land. This was the famous Kalari system. Kalari was the institution which had kept up the martial spirit of the Nayars. Every organisation and the system of inheritance of Nayars were based on 'Marumakkattayam', a system of matrilineal descent. Ezhavas too followed this system. Women enjoyed social freedom and they were married outside their own community, mostly among Brahmin Nambootiris. On a broad basis, the accepted caste division of the Hindu community was into four groups the Brahmins, Kshatriyas, Vaishyas and Sudras and then the lowest, the out castes. The Malayali Brahmins or Nambootiris and the Tamil Brahmins occupied a very influential position in the caste order, but the Nambootiris always held their supremacy as the purest stock of Hindu hierarchy. Their contributions to Malayalam poetry, drama, astrology, astronomy, medicine and arts are indisputable. There are many Brahmin sub-castes like Ilayatu, Muttatu, Unni, Pisharoti, Nambiti Gurukkal many of whom belong to the Ambalavasi class. A Pisharoti does not wear the sacred thread and so also Warrier. Elayatu is the traditional purohit (priest) of Nayars who conduct the after-death rites for them. They wear the sacred thread and do the puja in the temples, but they are not aristocratic as the Nambootiris. Pushpakas and Warriers are temple employees mainly engaged in making flower garlands for offering to the deity. The Warrier community is famous for their learning in Sanskrit literature. Marans who belong to the community of Nayars, are temple musicians who are main custodians of the Sopana system of music or the music of the sanctum sanctorum of the temple. They are experts in percussion  instruments like Maddalam, Chenda, Edakka. Poduval is another caste of temple musicians. Christians Christianity is said to have found its way, to Kerala by the visit of St.Thomas in the first century AD. The first place where Christians landed was Muzuris which was the most flourishing centre of trade and commerce during that time. Christian missionary activities in the Malabar coast started from the early days of the first century AD and the relation of the present Christians to the soil is as deep rooted as that of any other community. The Syrian Christian church is the oldest church in the whole of  India. There are several denominations of Christians based on doctrinal disputes. All the different sects like Jacobite Syrians, Orthodox Syrians, Marthoma Syrians, Latin Catholic, Syrian Catholics differ on many minor points of their faith and practice, but hold their allegiance to Jesus Christ with utmost enthusiasm and devotion. Muslims Mohammedans form a flourishing community. They came to the ports of Kerala from Arabia and gained influence mainly in Calicut in the beginning. They grew strong in population and mingled with other communities not only in matters of trade but also in the local customs and usages. They now wield very high political power in spite of their position as a minority and this status quo is maintained in at least a dozen political constituencies enjoying the privileges of a minority. The community is making rapid social and cultural progress. Jews The contact of the Jews with Kerala coast has a long history beginning as early as the time of Moses, the great Jewish-law giver. Their maritime and commercial contacts steadily continued and developed. Jewishsettlements came up in many coastal centres, one in Baypur. They paid tribute to the local rajas, who conferred on them certain privileges and ranks. Their earliest settlement was at Cranganore. Later they came to Cochin where they built the famous Jew town and the Synagogue in 1567. Though they form only a negligible minority their contact with the land is long and marked. link