‘Chapplamkatta,’ ‘pakida,’ or ‘nazhikamani,’ deeply connected to the yesteryear cultural and social life of Idukki, are just funny-sounding words to today’s youth.
But at the Heritage Museum set up by the Government College, Kattappana, they will get to see these, and many other, items, which were in close touch with the region’s heritage. The museum was set up around six months ago.
Idukki, which still has a huge tribal population, had always contributed much to the tribespeople’s folklore and cultural heritage. Some of the items on display at the museum include the burial urn, capstone of menhirs, and utensils used at households.
One can also see various types of traps set up by forest dwellers to catch wild animals — rabbit trap and bamboo basket for fishing — and bow and arrows of different shapes.
The traditional hut of the Muthuvan tribe, along with the articles in use inside, is kept intact. There are musical instruments made of bamboo which are used special occasions and for the annual festival of the Mannan tribe. Mannan is the only tribe with a king as its ruler in the district. There are around 41 settlements of the tribe in the district.
V.B. Rajan, who worked on a book on tribal life commissioned by the district panchayat, said that even before the arrival of the present settlers, the district had a river valley civilisation. The menhirs and the burial urns found during individual explorations pointed towards this. However, archaeological explorations in historical sites, especially at Anchunadu valley, needed to be undertaken.
