Like in Paniya Yeravas in Panjiri Yeravas also it is interesting to note change in the naming of the children of the present generation. |
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A family tree of Panjiri Yeravas is given above. |
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1.5 Organization of Yeravas |
The Yeravas have a well knit organization, which serves as a social, political and judicial body to look after the administration of the tribe. Such organizational structure is found in their own hamlets rather than in plantation settlements. |
The previous ethnographic literature has identified the head of Panjiri Yeravas as kanaladi and of Paniya Yerava as mupa. The exact names are kañala: i and mu:pa. The two important members of Paniya Yerava organization are mupa and cammi. The old person of the settlement is mu:pa, the elderly man. If one mu:pa dies or leaves the settlement, the next old man assumes the charge. Great values are attached to the instructions of mu:pa. Cammi is the head of the subgroup. The members of a subgroup may live in several hamlets. However. they are all governed by a single and same cammi. |
There are five members in the Panjiri Yerava organization. They are kañalai, kunjukare, commakare, karimi (1) and karimi (2). The kañalai is the general head of hamlet. His word prevails among the people of that hamlet. He is the person who knows all the rituals connected with their life cycle. When a kañalai dies or goes out of the settlement, the next kañalai is selected on the basis of his knowledge of kaña.la 'marriage' ca:vu 'death' titi 'death ceremony' be a u 'calling the god' and pe:yau 'driving away the devil'. He should be able to recite the songs connected with the ceremonies. The second in the order is kunjukare, that is the person who came and settled in the present settlement before the arrival of others, the first one to arrive. Like cammi of Paniya Yeravas. the cammakare of Panjiri Yerayas is head of a subgroup. The karimi (1) who is connected with the ceremonies of death belongs to the ka.appe god's descent and is of na:lapa:di group. The karimi (2) connected with all the priestly rituals can belong to any subgroup except anjila. |
