Malabar History journal

Kurichyas: A Historical Overview

The kurichyas, a scheduled tribe found in Wyanad and neighbouring areas are considered to have been the first agricultural tribe to have settled down in these high lands of Wayanadu probably between the first and third centuries AD. According to Dr. Herman Gundert, the word Kurichyas is derived from the word Kurici meaning high land, village etc. The Kuriachyas are described in the Malabar Gazetteers as following; They are jungle tribe of slash and burn cultivation, found in Wyanad and the slopes of the Ghats, and north of Calicut. The word Kurichiyan, another definition suggests, is derived from two words kuri (target) and chiyan (people). So Kurichiyans are the people who can shoot at the target. This is an indication that they are experts in archery. The word “Kurichchi’ originated from ‘Kurinchi’ a Tamil Sangam word, which means hill country. The word Kurichchiyan was originated from Kurinchi. The people who inhabited on Kurinchi were known as Kurinchiyar. From Kurinchiyar the word Kurichiyar may be derived. Kurichyas represented the unsanskritised undifferentiated stock of proto-historic Dravidian speakers of Kerala. Occupationally the Kurichyas acted themselves as soldiers, administrators of forest villages; they are also functioned as carpenters and toddy tappers in contemporary times.

Kurichyas and Pazhassi revolt:

Kurichyas were the one of the prominent tribes who settled in the highlands of wayanadu. They played an historic role in the anti-colonial struggle in North Malabar. Kurichyas fought for their freedom and identity. Kurichyas also had a crucial role in the major resistant movement against the British colonial authorities led by pazhassi raja. The Pazhassi raja revolt gave them inspiration to take arms against the British. The Kurichias and other tribal people under the leadership of Thalakkal Chanthu had fought against the British during the Pazhassi revolt. Their support was a great source to Pazhassi and it was with their support that Pazhassi could take recourse to the remote areas of the jungles to hide. It was with their guerilla wars with traditional weapons that Pazhassi could gain decisive victories. The ruthless exploitation of the English East India Company in the Malabar region resulted a popular discontent in 1792. Formely Pazhassi Raja was a strong supporter of the company against Tipu Sultan, but later he stood against the British. The Malabar commission constituted by the company reached a temporary revenue arrangement with Kottayam Raja for a payment of Rs-20000. He denounced it, and this, along with peasant concerns, resulted in an open insurrection against the company. Anti-colonial feelings among the various strata of caste hierarchical society assisted Pazahassi Raja in mobilising people against the British. Different groups of people, notably the Kurichyas, were affected by the British’s new income strategy in Malabar. As a result, Pazhassi Raja could easily mobilise his army from various groups of people. The Kurichya tribes remained loyal companions of the Pazhassi Raja till the end. The British violently quashed the Pazhassi Raja’s rebellion .

Kurichya revolt

By the end of 18th c Malabar directly came under the rule of English East India Company. The company introduced new administrative and economic reforms. Different groups within the society reacted in different ways to these reforms. The tribes were the ones that suffered the most from this strategy. The colonial policies totally ruined their way of life and vibrant traditional culture. Thus, there was intense resentment and unhappiness among the tribal people, particularly the kurichias of wayanadu. The Kurichia Revolt of 1812 is one of the most significant and distinctive resistance efforts to British control in Malabar. For generations, they lived their lives without interference from anyone. The arrival of colonialists disrupted the flow of native life in the Wynadu highlands. This involvement caused the Kurichias to take up weapons against the oppressors and outsiders. Following the defeat of the Pazhassi revolts, the Company army maintained strong control over Wayanad and subjected them to utter miseries. The indigenous people were forcibly reduced to British slaves by the business official, who also denied them freedom.

Revenue cause: The Malabar Collector, Thomas Warden, instituted a revenue reform in Wynad, which was the primary cause of the uprising. The uprising was sparked by the British government’s strategy of obtaining money from them in cash rather than in kind, not because of the higher tax rate. They didn’t have the cash on hand to pay the tax as they were unaware of the money exchange mechanism, but the British Government firmly insisted that they do so, making them debtors of the company. When the tribal people’s taxes fell behind, the government started to seize their property. They attacked the homes of the tribe members, looted their possessions, and drove them off. Under the direction of their ruler, Rama Namby, the Kurichia Rebellion broke out on March 25, 1812. There was a strong resentment against the colonial authorities among the Kurichya tribe. According to T.H. Baber, the prime intention of the rebels to drive out the watta Thoppikkar, or Round Heads or Europeans.

They initiated the uprising after making extensive preparations for a decisive battle with the British. The Kurumbras joined their fellows in the struggle as well. Low-ranking Company officials, such as the Nairs and Thiyyas, were aware of the tribes’ plans for a rebellion against the British, but they chose not to tell the Company of this since, in essence, they shared the tribes’ opposition to British authority. They were utterly unhappy with the way the company treated them, and they worked in the revenue and police departments. There are rumours that these aboriginal leaders gave the Kurichias covert support later in the uprising to increase the popularity of their fight against the British. A few of the Kurichias were employed by the Company as Kolakkarans, and nearly all of them quit their jobs before the uprising and joined the rebels. Using their own guerrilla warfare, the Kurichias fought against the Company soldiers with bows and arrows, among other traditional weaponry. Every area of Wynad was affected by the uprising. By proclaiming it to be sanctified by the blessings of the tribal gods, their priests hastened the uprising. The insurrection took on the characteristics of a mass uprising during its duration. The actual insurrection started on March 25th when Company police attempted to disperse a meeting of the tribals at Mallur. In a brief span of time, the uprising expanded throughout Wynad. They gained control of the important passes.

The large number of English police officers and police stations were attacked by the rebels. They destroyed the British forces’ reinforcements in the valley. They besieged Mananthavady and Sulthan Bathery, two British military posts. The tribe was met with extremely harsh treatment by the British army. To put down the Kurichia uprising, they dispatched additional troops to Wynad from the coastal regions and Mysore, but their efforts proved fruitless. Next, Baber, the Sub-Collector of North Malabar, asked higher authorities for further military assistance. The Kurichias fought the newly arrived Company men at the Kuttiadi Pass as they advanced into Wynad, armed with modern weaponry. With so many of the Company’s troops injured, their only option was to leave. From Sultan’s Battery to Panamaram, several new military centres were constructed by the army from Mysore. Many Kurichias might have been killed when the British military, equipped with weaponry that were then considered sophisticated. By May 1812, British soldiers could put an end to the Kurichia uprising entirely.

In addition to fighting against contemporary imperialism in the political and economic spheres, the Kurichia Revolt was also the clash upon encounters between cultures so different, and where one was claiming to liberate the other by subjection and dominaton.

References

• Guha, Ranajith. (1983). Elementary Aspects of Peasant Insurgency in Colonial India. New Delhi: Oxford University Press.
• Menon, A. Sreedharan. (1972). Kerala District Gazetteer: Cannanore. Thiruvananthapuram: Cultural Publications.
• Panoor, K. (1963). Keralathile Africa. Kozhikode: Abhinav Publications.
• Vayaleri, Kumaran. (1996). Kurichyarude Jeevitavum Samskaravum. Kottayam: Department of Public Relations.