Songs of the hills: Badaga folklores as a tool for knowledge transfer

“The words of the bards come down the centuries to us, warm with living breath.”

Padraic Peare

The Badagas are the largest tribal group in the Nilgiris. They speak a language called ‘Badugu’ and it has no script. The indigenous wisdom of their culture, tradition, values, medicines and education is embedded in their folklores. They have narrative songs or ballads that are different for different occasions. These long and short narratives are on the verge of being lost as a result of the progress and change in lifestyle. These folklores are not just songs to entertain the mob but play a very important role in knowledge transfer as well. This paper aims at discussing the process of knowledge transfer through these folklores. The importance of translating and recording these indigenous folklores is discussed.