Traditional Food Festival at Nilambur – 15th August 2018

On 15^th august 2018, tribal community members from various Oorukootams (village Grama Sabhas) in Nilambur area organized a traditional food festival at Nedunkayam hamlet, Karulai Grama Panchayat, of Malappuram District of Kerala. Villagers form the Kattunaicken, Muthuvan, Paniya and Cholanaicken communities representing 13 different villages  attended and participated in this food festival.

The main objectives of this food festival were as follows;

1. Share knowledge and information of food diversity and importance of the Indigenous knowledge on food system
2. Nutritional aspects of food
3. Share the impacts of the climate change and possible adaptation strategies

Sunilkumar N, UD fellow, Keystone Foundation, welcomed the guests and participants for the Program. The program was inaugurated by President of Karulai Gramapanchayat and heads of different villages by lighting the traditional lamp. Mr. Vishnu, Sub inspector of Police, Pookottum Padam Police station, wished all the success for the program. Mr. Manoj, standing committee chairperson, welfare, Karulai Gramapanchyat, Mrs. Lissy, Ward member of Karulai Gramapanchyat, presided over the meeting. Mrs. Ajitha Mani,Mahila Samakhya Society, Mrs. Sukumari, Jan Siskshan Sansthan were present on the stage in the meeting organized in connection with traditional food festival. More than 500 people belonging to different tribal villages, Non tribal communities, representatives from different NGOs, Academic institutions and various Government offices attended the festival.

In his inaugural speech, Mr. V. Assainar, the president of Karulai Panchayat, emphasized about the importance of traditional knowledge. He shared the memories of food festival organized in the previous year and in his speech, he said that he could not forget the taste of indigenous food items he had last year. He has also promised that he would suggest including a provision of budget for traditional food festival in Panchayat budget from next year onwards.

K.G. Ramachandran, Additional program coordinator of Keystone Foundation, spoke about the rationale of organizing traditional food festival in the time of fast food. Traditionally, the tribal societies have consumed more diverse food than any other societies in the world. The erosion of their knowledge is taking place at an alarming speed and it has high time now to preserve this valuable knowledge that is retained in memory of older generation of tribal communities. He also mentioned, in his speech, about the change in climatic conditions in Kerala in recent times and how well community could adapt the situations using their traditional knowledge and understanding of ecology.

The cultural significance of language, art and other knowledge systems apart from food has also been highlighted in this festival. Community youth from different villages performed traditional arts as part of the food festival. As special invitees, a traditional performance group of Erula community members from Arakkode area, in the district of the Nilgiris, Tamil Nadu, performed their traditional songs and dance before a five hundred member viewers. It was a different visual feast for the people in Nilambur area.

Traditional dishes exhibited and served

The participants from Vaniyampuzha, Tharippapotty and Appankappu villages exhibited multiple dishes of traditional food in the festival. There were close to 40 different varieties of food items on display. The lunch comprised local varieties of tubers with kanthari chammanthi (a preparation of crushed Bird eye chilly with shallot, coconut oil, Salt and tamarind). Thoran (leaves fried in coconut oil along with salt and dried chilly) from uncultivated greens was one of the major attractions in the food fest and so were the preparations done with fresh water fishes. Boiled tubers were as delicious as ever. The items exhibited in the festival are given below. Several posters and photographs of uncultivated food were also on the display for spreading awareness on traditional food and their significance to the people.

The festival closed with an end note to see all in the next year…