oas
ot the nilgiri hills WHERE
HONEY
ENTERS
€E
by Tarun Chhabra he Todas are the ancient most inhabitants of the upper Nilgiri plateau - having occupied the Nilgiri highlands for over five thousand years. The Todas as honey gatherers is a role
that has never earlier been
investigated. Something strange, if one realises that Toda life down the ages has had ‘honey’ as a focal point. Honey and its gathering can be found mentioned in all aspects of Toda life; in mythological stories, in ancient songs, in various life time rituals, in prayers, in personal and clan names, in names of plants, birds and even in the beautiful embroidery motits. The most sacred river (now sadly dammed} to the Todas is the Mukurti sacred tnat has river specific Pykara names at different sites, but is generally called ko. lyxi.n (pron:kawlykheen). The origin of this river has an ancient mythological account rendered most interesting from the honey aspect. There is another mythological story of the God who ordered that a nearby tree (Michelia nilagirica) that was over 80 feet high should attract the Posto.n (peshtein) bees (Apis dorsata) and in time, around 300 colonies were formed on this huge tree - making the tree bend down under the weight. One day, the Todas, Kurumbas and Irula tribals decided to jointly harvest this honey. While the Todas lit the fire to
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4 Bees for Development
ov
RY
FACET
OF
LIFE
