HAKKI-PIKKI

1. Context 

2. About Hakki Pikki

• The Hakki Pikki is a tribe that lives in several states in the west and south of 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 MelShikari in northern Karnataka and Maharashtra.
• The Hakki Pikki move in groups from place to place in search of livelihood.
  They are divided into four clans, called Gujaratia, Panwar, Kaliwala and Mewaras.
• These clans can be equated with castes in 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.
• Hakki Pikki people are believed to hail originally from the bordering districts of Gujarat and Rajasthan.
• They came to the South in search of a 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.

3. Traditional jobs 

• 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.
• Locals in  Pakshirajapura, a Hakki Pikki village in the Mysuru district. 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.
• So 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 marble, 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 travelling to African countries for the past 20 years now.
• Education levels among the Hakki Pikkis are still low. For example, in the 2, 000 strong population of Pakshirajapura, only eight people have completed graduate-level courses and one person works as a police constable.

4. Rituals and customs 

• 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.

5. Their earnings in African countries

• African countries offer them an opportunity to escape poverty faster. 
• There is a demand for their products in the African continent. If a person invests say Rs 5 lakh or 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 do sell online and promote products on social media, including Facebook and Youtube.