Chukkalapadu (ASR district)
Kovvasi Chukkayya, 40, a Muria tribal farmer, in the Chukkalapadu settlement of Alluri Sitarama Raju district, Andhra Pradesh, holds two baskets in his hands: one each for his two children. The first was woven some years ago for his first son; the second, a few months ago, for his second. “It is portable and can be taken into the forest when we go to work,” Mr. Chukkayya said.
The Muria tribe custom mandates that a man weaves a bamboo cradle for his newborn baby as a lifetime memory for both the father and the child. The father must go into the forest, collect the bamboo, dry it, and weave the cradle with his own hands, with no help from anyone.
“In our Gond language, the cradle is called vookada. We put the baby in the cradle during the entire lactating period. Children develop a bond with their cradle as they grow older. We also tell them the cradle is a gift from their father,” said Ravva Masamma, a mother of two children. The child is allowed to use it for as many years as he wishes. It can also be hung on a tree branch, as it has long ropes attached to it. Within the hut it is most often tied to the roof struts built with precious wood, mostly teak. Once a child has outgrown it, the cradle is preserved and will not be used for any other purpose.
“Irrespective of gender, the vookada is gifted to every child in the family. The number of cradles in the house indicates the total number of children born to a family,” said Ravva Pojayya. His eight-year-old son Suresh is still playing with the cradle his father made for him.
In the region where the Muria formed their settlements in Andhra, the native Koyas and Konda Reddi tribes use the sari as a cradle for children.
Situated on the Andhra-Chhattisgarh State border, the Chukkalapadu settlement is nearly 30 kilometres from the administrative headquarters in Chintoor. Over a decade ago, the Muria settlements in Andhra were formed with families who fled the Dandakaranya region in Chhattisgarh during the conflict between the State-sponsored Salwa Judum force and Naxals. As many as 54 Muria settlements still exist in Andhra’s reserve forests.
