Tribal tongues of Mavilars, Malavettuvans find a place in dictionaries

Taliparamba: For generations, the Mavilars and Malavettuvans of Kannur and Kasaragod have kept their stories, traditions and identity alive in words passed down from one generation to the next. Now, those words are being captured in dictionaries, giving their distinctive languages a permanent record.

The project is being led by Dr V T V Mohanan, head of the Hindi department at Sir Syed College, who had earlier compiled a dictionary of the regional dialect spoken in Kannur. Already at work on a dictionary of the Mavila language, Dr Mohanan has now joined hands with Kasaragod based writer O K Prabhakaran Vattamthatta to document the distinct language spoken by the Malavettuvans.

The Mavilars speak Mavlav, literally meaning the language of those who produce food, while the Malavettuvans speak Malavettuvan. Also known as Markoli Tulu, Mavlav has a vocabulary distinct to the community, as does Malavettuvan. In Mavlav, for instance, a husband is called ‘Mere’ and a wife ‘Merthi’.

The words and expressions are being collected from elderly members of the two communities living in their traditional settlements.

According to Dr Mohanan, the dictionaries are expected to be published within three months.The initiative is aimed at preserving the linguistic heritage of the two communities and helping bring their distinct cultural identities into the mainstream, he said.

The Mavilars and Malavettuvans together number around 60,000, with their rich cultural heritage reflected in traditional art forms such as Mangalam Kali, various forms of Theyyam and other indigenous rituals.

Prabhakaran Vattamthatta has also authored Iyyama Joww, a study that chronicles the struggles of indigenous communities for their rights.