Zah
The Karen people arrived in the Andaman Islands from Burma (now Myanmar) in 1925, initially as forest clearers brought by the British ...
Zah
Net
Uncategorized
Valivu
Like the wind The ocean currents (valivu) move mainly eight different directions:
unnakke (towards the ocean)
karayittu (towards the ...
Valivu
Current
Thengu
Thengu or coconut trees are available in plenty and are the bounty of the Lakshadweep Islands. They are regarded as nature’s wealth for the ...
Thengu
Coconut Tree
Thanni
Thanni or drinking water is a central concern on the Lakshadweep islands. Fresh water sources on the island were derived from ponds and wells ...
Thanni
Drinking Water
Swahili Creole and the Siddis of Gujarat
Dhamaal in Bava Gor's shrine: a glimpse of baithaaki dhamaal in Jamnagar.Documented by: Hameeda Makwa Siddi, Farooq Maqwa Siddi, Soumali Roy, ...
Habshi
Siddis
Sraanku
On a Friday afternoon, Yusuf, my primary field collaborator at Perumathura, a coastal village in Thiruvananthapuram district of Kerala, took me ...
Sraanku
Boatswain
Shurav
a)Pheruthalayam- This is a dangerous one, it has seven fins. The arrival of this shark reminds one of a jet as it is believed that it ...
Shurav
Fish
Shaal
Shaal: ഷാൽ
Shaal in Lakshadweep, is a channel created naturally or by the islanders that embodies a fluid artery in the waterscape. It is a ...
Shaal
Channel
Rope
Thoni balli, a term used in the Beary language, refers to a specific type of rope. It played a vital role in connecting the wooden planks that ...
Thoni balli
Rope
Rethi
Coconut trees are salt resistant and maybe even salt-loving! In fact, when you plant a coconut tree away from the coast, you need to pour salt ...
Rethi
Sand
Phullu
Lakshadweep is known for its underwater seagrass meadows. Seagrass meadows are a theatre for dynamic ecosystem activities. Islanders called ...
Phullu
Seagrass
Pharam
A pharam is the coir-making vessel which is placed inside the sea during high tide. There are small pits inside the pharam. Each of these pits ...
Pharam
Vessel
Phakki Kadiya
Phakki Kadiya in Jesri refers to the Indian vagabond butterflyfish (Chaetodon decussatus). They are corallivore fish, primarily feeding on coral ...
Phakki Kadiya
Fish
Odam
Odams are sewn boats that were used for navigation in the Lakshadweep Islands. The islanders (except residents of Minicoy) used these sailing ...
Odam
Boat
Nouko
In the Sundarbans, the boat, or nouka or nouko is considered a person. One of the rules pertaining to collecting honey or firewood from the ...
Nouko / Nouka
Boat
Narkel Gach
Coconut trees are salt resistant and maybe even salt-loving! In fact, when you plant a coconut tree away from the coast, you need to pour salt ...
Narkel Gach
Coconut Tree
Mouza/Dheu/Rolling
Mouza/Dheu/Rolling: A sea wave or river wave is locally called a "mouza", "dheu", or "rolling". It sounds similar to "mouza", which refers to a ...
Mouza/Dheu/Rolling
Sea Wave
Mosa
Tide or mosa is an everyday term on the island. In some islands, it is called moja. A movie that was made about Lakshadweep was titled Mosayile ...
Mosa
Tide
Misr Kanga
This Swahili-Creole word refers to a funnel-shaped musical instrument that is believed to be played during the hymns of Siddi spiritual ...
Misr Kanga
Musical Instrument
Mann
The Lakshadweep Islands are made of ‘bilutha mann’ (white sand). The corals sediment to form the white sand of the islands which are often ...
Mann
Sand
Kuvagum Thala
It is a term that is connected to traditional Lakshwadeep belief systems about cyclones and the islanders share a lot of experiential stories in ...
Kuvagum Thala
Cyclone
Koka
Some of the Agatti fishers nodded towards the horizon, murmuring, “Look, it's the koka police gearing up for their sea patrol.” Puzzled, I ...
Koka
Sea Cucumber
Koda/Kondal/Kattu
The fishermen categorise major winds or wind systems into 8 wind directions:
Koda or kara kaatu (towards the ocean/easterly wind or wind comes ...
Kondal
Wind
Khoti
Khoti is part of everyday living in southern bengal. This is best exemplified through the following story about a family settled in Baliara ...
Khoti
Loss
Kaṭaleṟacci
The term is a combination of two words; ‘Kaṭal’ which means sea, and ‘Eṟacci’, the local word for meat. Thus, the literal meaning of the term ...
Kaṭaleṟacci
Dolphin
Kammath
‘Kammath’ is a term used to describe the water that accidentally enters inside the sea vessels. It was common in the olden days for ‘kammath’ ...
Kammath
Water
Kadal
The island is surrounded by the sea or kadal. The sea on the eastern side of the island is furious compared to the calmer western side. The sea ...
Kadal
Sea
Kadal
Mukkuva is a traditional fishing community located on the west coast of India, and mainly spread in Trivandrum, Kollam and Kanyakumari ...
Kadal
Sea Wave
Kaattu – Wind
For Ikkakka, a seventy-year-old man from Kavaratti, the wind always floats around the island. He believes that it is the duty of the guardian ...
Kaattu
Wind
Goma
The Goma is a small one-sided drum that was brought to Gujarat by the Siddis from Eastern Africa. It is believed that, while traveling across ...
Goma
Musical Instrument
Dhow
In general, the term ‘dhow’ is used to refer to the traditional sailing boats which were once used by the Arab sailors for travel, trade and ...
Dhow
Sail Boat
Choorafaski
Lakshadweep, with its rich coral ecosystem, renowned for its marine biodiversity, is also exceptional for the various species of migratory and ...
Choorafaski
Tern
Choora
Choora or tuna, is the staple food of Lakshadweep Islands. A visitor to the island will be served a tuna curry, fry or the mas pickle that are ...
Choora
Tuna
Chaakara
പുത്തൻ വലക്കാരേ പുന്നപ്പറക്കാറേ Puthan valakkaare, punnapparakkaareപുറക്കാട്ട് കടപ്പുറത്ത്. ...
Chaakara
Bounty
Borsha
Borsha
Monsoon
Bonya
Today, when one travels through the Sundrabans region by boat during high tide and looks towards the inhabited islands, one can only see the ...
Bonya
Flood
Billam
Billam refers to the lagoon, a lively interactive space for the people of Lakshadweep. It has gathered much importance in the wider world on ...
Billam
Lagoon
Beta/Katar
The fishing station or net-setting ground is commonly referred to as "beta" or "katar." "Beta" is pronounced like the first syllable in ...
Beta/Katar
Fishing Station
Barisham
Barisham is the Jeseri word for the south-western monsoon. The monsoon is considered a lifesaving boon for islanders of the Lakshadweep. The ...
Barisham
Monsoon
Bara
English: Acropora species of coral
As I settled into Ithatha's tranquil seaside home on Kadmat island, a typical Lakshadweep afternoon ...
Bara
Coral
Bandh
Nodi-bandh is a common term used for the earthen or cement and brick walls erected around islands called bunds or embankments in the southern ...
Bandh
Bund
Bala
Although fishing in Lakshadweep is predominantly carried out through the pole and line method, nets or bala are traditionally used for bait fish ...
Bala
Net
Appal
I was quite surprised to learn that octopus is caught and consumed in Lakshadweep. I then came to realize that Appal, as octopus is called in ...
Appal
Octopus
Alakam
Crabs are called alakam and hermit crabs are called komb in Jeseri spoken in many Lakshadweep islands. The crabs are referred to with a pronoun ...
Alakam
Crab