Kerala tribals launch YouTube channel to conserve indigenous knowledge

The Gothra Kalamandalam channel, launched on January 16, attempts to present the unsung stories of the tribal people and document their knowledge of art and medicine.Mudhaa Mooppan was a familiar figure in the tribal hamlets of Kerala’s Attappadi. He could be seen walking about wearing his trademark black coat and white turban. Mooppan, who died in 2013, was a treasure house of the traditional, indigenous knowledge of the tribals. A tribal chief, Mooppan was more than a 100 years old, had married 23 times and had 113 children and grandchildren, according to a video published on the newly launched YouTube channel Gothra Kalamandalam.There are scores like Mudhaa Mooppan who are no more, their knowledge about the traditional ways of life, indigenous medicines and art forms of the tribal communities undocumented. There are numerous stories the tribal people told and retold, but these are undocumented too. The Gothra Kalamandalam channel, launched on January 16, attempts to present the unsung stories of the tribal people and document their knowledge of art and medicine, so that it does not become extinct. The channel’s name comes from ‘Gothra’, meaning a tribal clan, and Kerala ‘Kalamandalam’, a learning centre for Indian performing arts based in…
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