Badaga Henno, Sathiyada Manno
The Badagas are a unique community living mainly in the Nilgiris
District in Tamil nadu in South India. They are also the single largest
community of the Nilgiris. Though classified backward, a significant factor is
the high status of their women.
The title is only a rough translation of Badaga woman-hood,
for there is no exact English translation for Sathiya – the nearest words are
blessed or divine. (‘Mannu’ means soil). The Badaga woman is the epitome of
‘Shakthi’, and many of their festivals, legends, ballads and folk – tales are
centred around women. In fact, the chief festival of the Badagas, Hethai Habba,
is centred around ‘Hethai’, a woman imbued with divine powers, and who was
subsequently deified. It is significant that though the Badagas are a
patriarchal society, their women are held in high esteem.
The high status of
Badaga women perhaps derives from three main factors – the absence of a dowry –
system, divorce by mutual consent, and widow-re-marriage. There is no stigma
attached to widows; in fact they are part of the mainstream community, and in the
fore – front of auspicious functions like engagement and wedding coremonies.
Also, there is the practice of ‘hengava nadathodu” - a tradition of giving a
daughter / sister material, emotional and moral support throughout her life.
Traditional Badaga women are very hardworking, and are the
mainstay of the family and the community. They till the soil, harvest the
produce, collect fire – wood and water, and tend the cows, in addition to
looking after their families. Since the Badagas have been mainly agriculturists,
the Badaga women’s ethos is closely connected to the soil. In fact, even the
proverbs of the Badagas evoke this ethos – for e.g : “Hennogiri, mannogiri” (A
daughter’s / sister’s curse will turn the soil barren).
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