bees
Paliyans Gathering Honey
Two women fled the Indian mega-city of Bengaluru for the rural life in Kodaikanal four years ago because they had been impressed by the Paliyans and their ways of harvesting wild honey. The story of the two women and the forest-cherishing spirit of the Paliyans impressed a reporter from the South Indian paper the Deccan […]
Honey Time in the Kerala Forests
Last week The New Indian Express sent a reporter into a Kadar colony in Kerala to see how the tribal people there were reacting to the prospect of voting. The third phase of the Indian General Election was scheduled to include the state of Kerala on April 23. The Kadar whom the reporter interviewed expressed […]
The Loss of Traditional Knowledge
On Tuesday last week, a research institute in Kerala released the results of a study that demonstrated how much the Malapandaram, and other tribal societies, are losing their traditional knowledge. The results of the study were summarized by The Hindu and numerous other news sources in India. The study of eight different tribal societies living […]
The Birhor and the Bees
Officials in eastern India solicited the help of some Birhor youths in an attempt to get rid of some angry bees, which have killed one man and injured others. The Birhor have, so far, been unsuccessful in their attempts to remove the insects, but they plan to try again. On March 13, the bees attacked […]
Honeybees and the Paliyan
Crowds came to the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Chennai last week to visit Pollinator 1, a bee festival that celebrated the art and science of beekeeping plus the culture of honey gathering by groups such as the Paliyan. The much publicized event, the first beekeeping festival held in India, attracted many celebrities. Oscar-winning musician, composer, […]
