Hakki Pikkis — bird catchers to entrepreneurs of traditional medicine

products made by hakki pikki tribe are sold in various parts of the country and shipped abroad. Back from conflict-torn Sudan, people belonging to this tribe are not averse to going back abroad

Karanthai, 23, an anganwadi teacher in Pakshirajapura, a colony for the nomadic tribe Hakki Pikki, six kilometres away from Hunsur town in Mysuru district, was cleaning fish for lunch in her house on a hot afternoon as she waited anxiously for almost 15 days for her mother, two brothers, and their wives who were stuck in violence-hit Sudan. They had travelled to Sudan around eight months ago to sell traditional medicine there, which is in huge demand. The family was on tenterhooks, stuck in a rented house with little food and water.

Her brother Manu, who was stuck in the conflict in the African country, said, “We thought we would die. Fortunately, we returned. We thank our people for their support and the government’s help.”

A week ago, they returned home safely and even voted in the Karnataka State Assembly elections held on May 10, Wednesday. However, with huge sums taken as loans for travelling, and no avenue to earn to pay that back, many are willing to risk travelling to other African countries to try their luck.

Around 600 people from the Hakki Pikki tribe were stuck in Sudan, and almost everyone has returned home, according to Karnataka State Disaster Management Authority (KSDMA) officials. So far, several of them have arrived back in the State after the Ministry of External Affairs launched Operation Kaveri on April 24 to evacuate Indian citizens stranded in conflict zones in Sudan safely.

Vani, 45, who recently returned from Sudan along with a group of 31, had been in Sudan for the past 10 months to sell traditional medicine, while many other members of the community have been travelling to African countries for the last 15 years.

There are two colonies dedicated to the Hakki Pikki community in Hunsur, which was established by the Karnataka government in 1958. Around 1,500 people live in this colony, and their main business is the production of various traditional oils and medicines, which according to them are in huge demand across the country.

Hakki Pikkis (bird catchers) are a semi-nomadic tribe that travelled to Karnataka from parts of Gujarat and Rajasthan at least 100 years ago and were into bird catching and hunting. However, in the last 20 years, they have started to prepare traditional medicines, especially hair oils, which they sell to various parts of the country and also ship abroad. The community left bird catching and hunting after it was outlawed under the Wildlife Protection Act of 1972.