6 days ago
- Politics
- New Indian Express
Muthuva Sanghamam marks largest gathering since revival of tribal collective
IDUKKI: For decades, the Muthuvan tribal community, spread across the forested high ranges of Idukki, Thrissur, Ernakulam, Palakkad, and the Kerala–Tamil Nadu border, had the will to demand their rights but allegedly lacked a collective voice.
That changed in 2024 with the revival of the Muthuvan Adivasi Samudaya Sangham, an organisation now uniting hundreds of settlements under one banner to protect their culture, secure their rights, and push for development.
The impact of that revival was on full display at Muthuva Sanghamam 2025, a three-day gathering at Chembakathozhukudi in Chinnakkanal that concluded on Sunday.
Around 3,000 Muthuvans from nearly 140 settlements came together in what leaders call the biggest event since the Sangham's rebirth, timed to mark the International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples.
'This event shows what unity can achieve,' said C. Rajendran, district panchayat member and state committee member of the Sangham. 'Our aim is to make our people aware of their rights and uphold our traditions. We have been treated as mere vote banks for too long. That will change,' he said.
