Who are Karnataka’s Hakki Pikki tribe stuck in violence-hit Sudan?

Thousands of Indians are stranded in Sudan, which has been witnessing violence since last weekend. Out of these nationals, more than 100 belong to the Hakki Pikki tribe from Karnataka. The community members stuck in the African nation have spoken out about their plight and sought the Indian government’s help. The Indian Embassy in Sudan has advised its nationals to stay indoors, ration their food and seek help from their Sudanese neighbours. As per reports, India is also coordinating closely with “the Quartet” countries – the United States, the United Kingdom, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) – to ensure the safety of its citizens.

Advisory

We have come across many instances of looting. All Indian nationals are advised please not to venture out. Please ration your supplies. The situation may continue for a few more days. Please try to take help from your neighbours. Please stay at home and remain safe

— India in Sudan (@EoI_Khartoum) April 18, 2023

As many as 413 people have been killed and 3,551 injured due to the infighting in Sudan, the World Health Organization said on Friday (21 April). One Kerala native has also lost his life. As Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired a high-level meeting today to discuss the situation of the stranded Indians in violence-hit Sudan, let’s take a look at who are the Hakki Pikki and what they are doing in the African country.

#BreakingNews | PM Modi holds a high-level meeting to review the situation of Indians stuck in #Sudan@maryashakil with details#PMModi #SJaishankar #SudanCrisis | @Arunima24 pic.twitter.com/wTLfxXdnag

— News18 (@CNNnews18) April 21, 2023

Who are the Hakki Pikkis? They are a nomadic tribe living across western and southern India. Hakki means ‘bird’ in Kannada, and Pikki translates to ‘catchers’. Traditionally, a tribe of bird catchers and hunters, who mostly lived in forest areas, the members now dwell in Karnataka’s Mysuru, Davangere, Kolar, Hassan and Shivamogga districts.

According to the 2011 census, there are 11,892 people from the Hakki Pikki tribe in Karnataka.

Besides Kannada and Hindi, they speak ‘Vaagri’ an “unclassified tribal Indo-Aryan language of south India”, reported Indian Express. They are believed to hail originally from Gujarat and Rajasthan. As per an Indian Express report, the community is known as Mel-Shikari in northern Karnataka and Maharashtra. Hakki Pikkis are a matriarchal community where the groom gives dowry to the bride’s family, the report added. After hunting was banned in the country in the 1970s, the members started selling spices and herbal oils. MR Gangadhar, an anthropologist who has conducted a study on the tribe, told Indian Express, “After they were shifted from the forests to villages, the tribe took a long time to adjust to their new life. Initially, they hunted animals and used skins and bones to make products. They are highly skilled with their hands and soon switched to preparing oils of various kinds.” As the government established wildlife sanctuaries and national parks, Hakki Pikkis were displaced from forests and resettled around Bengaluru, Mysuru, Mandya and borders of Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh, according to Economic Times (ET). Hunsur-based NGO Deed’s director S Srikanth told ET: “While the community is capable and earns enough money to survive, they need stability in the form of land and government jobs. They need to be brought into the mainstream with education”. Education levels remain low among the Hakki Pikkis. ALSO READ: Indians stuck in violence-hit Sudan: How safe are they and how is the Centre helping them? Travelling to far countries The members of the Hakki Pikki tribe have been travelling to different countries to sell their herbal products made from medicinal plants for years now. Dr DC Nanjunda, an anthropologist and deputy director at the Centre for Study of Social Exclusion and Inclusive Policy, University of Mysore, told BBC that the members go to Sudan, Singapore and Malaysia, most of the time with families, to sell these products. “During our research, we found that all members of the community have a passport”, Dr Nanjunda added. In Mysuru district’s Pakshirajapura village, every other house has someone with a passport. “People from the Pakshirajapura, probably travelled to Dubai, Qatar and Kuwait around 10 years ago in a quest to sell body massage oils,” Puneeth Kumar, president of the Karnataka state Hakki-Pikki Sanghatane, was quoted as saying by Deccan Herald. The tribe members have been visiting African countries for around two decades now, PS Nanjunda Swamy, state president of the Karnataka Adivasi Budakattu Hakki Pikki Jananga, told Indian Express. Speaking to Deccan Herald, Mysuru-based researcher Shree Krishna Prasad said community members stay in foreign countries for over six to seven months to sell their herbal products. To bear the expenses of travelling abroad, they borrow money or mortgage their lands. ‘Running out of food, water’ Some Hakki Pikki tribe members stuck in Sudan’s capital city of Khartoum – which has reported intense clashes – have said they are running out of food and water. “Seven of my family members — my husband, mother, three brothers and two sisters-in-law — are stuck in Khartoum. When we spoke the last time, they said they did not have enough food or water. They said the bombing has not stopped,” 23-year-old Kranthi, who has been taking care of her brothers’ children in Pakshirajapura, told Indian Express.

VIDEO | "In Sudan, the UN is making all efforts to establish a ceasefire. Unless there is a ceasefire, it's not safe for people to come out. Our team is in continuous touch with Indians in Sudan," says EAM S Jaishankar after meeting with UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres. pic.twitter.com/qYJQb10K9p

— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) April 21, 2023

“We are living in a hotel where the employees went away five days ago, soon after the fighting started,” Sanju Pitaji, who is stuck in Khartoum, told BBC. “We are surviving on some leftover bread and drinking water from the tap in the washroom. Ten of us are living in this room,” he added. [caption id=“attachment_12488512” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Violence broke out in Sudan last Saturday. Reuters File Photo[/caption] Some members are also stuck in the western city of Al-Fashir, 1,000km away from Khartoum. Prabhu S, from Gopalgram in Davangere district’s Channagiri, said he and his wife Soniya (27), left India 10 months ago, while their four children stayed back. He said heavy firing and shelling began in Al-Fashir on Saturday. On Thursday, 36-year-old Prabhu told Indian Express: “A government official from Karnataka got in touch with me recently to enquire about our situation. I informed him that 31 of us from Karnataka are stuck in a housing complex since fighting is on 24/7. He promised to stay in touch with the Government in India and told us not to step out. On Wednesday, a local store opened for about 20 minutes. Some of us rushed there to buy food but we were asked to leave. We are losing hope fast.” With inputs from agencies Read all the  Latest News,  Trending News,  Cricket News,  Bollywood News, India News and  Entertainment News here. Follow us on  Facebook,  Twitter and  Instagram.