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Panans
Panans are known for their melodious music. The Panan
and his wife Patti, visit the village houses at dawn and sing 'tuyilunarttu
pattu' (awakening song) to the accompaniment of a percussion instrument
called maddalam. The Patti joins him in singing and keeps the beats with
a bell metal vessel and with a knife. They were known for making umbrellas
with the leaves of the Palmyra tree in the past. Their women used to serve
as midwives. They are the descendants of Malayans, the hill tribe, and
they go about at the time of harvest from house to house to exorcise evil
spirits from the bodies of children. Shiva and Parvathi are their favourite
gods who are said to have bestowed boons on their predecessors to earn
their lively hood by adopting music as their profession. They used to
receive gifts like paddy, coconut, salt, oil, cloth from the village houses.
Velans
The Velans as well as Vannans and Malayars of Cannanore
district were the original dancers of 'Theyyam' or 'Kaliyattam', which
is a highly ritualistic dance with its rare and grotesque make-up and
costume, lively foot work, gymnastic fervour and ritualistic vitality.
'Teyyam' represents a glorious period of folk life in Kerala and the souls
of the dead heroes of the land and the gods and goddesses are supposed
to come in our midst through the medium of the possessed dancers and converse
with us on matters of even, contemporary significance.
The Malayans or the people of Mala (mountain) were the
early Teyyam dancers. The tribal communities that were the custodians
of the art of dancing were known by different names like Mavelon, Velan,
Koppalan. Some of them belong to the Tulu country of the present South
Karnataka which once formed the contiguous area belonging to the same
cultural heritage.
Ezhavas form a major community known as Chovas. In the
northern districts Tiyyas also come under this community. They are found
all over Kerala basically as a cultivating class. Traditionally they are
connected with growing and tapping of coconut trees. The term Chovan is
believed generally as a corruption of Sevaka or servant. Ezhavas belong
to the working class and they were treated as untouchables. Ezhavas are
now a fast improving, gaining strength economically, culturally and politically.
Nayars or Nairs
Nayars are said to be a Dravidian community who were the
military gentry of the land. The most influential territorial unit in the
Dravidian set up of administration was a tara which means a ground, a village or
a quarter. Na yars include many caste division such as barbers (Velakkittala),
washer men (Veluttetattu), oil mongers (Chakkala) temple dependants (Marars),
Kiriyam is said to be the highest class. Next is Illakkar who served the Illam
or the homes of the Nambootiri Brahmins and then Swapuram who served the
Kshatriyas. Nayars were treated as the gentry whose main work was to protect the
land both in offence and defence. So they were treated as Kshatriyas. They
provide a well-knit national militia for the whole land. This was the famous
Kalari system. Kalari was the institution which had kept up the martial spirit
of the Nayars. Every organisation and the system of inheritance of Nayars were
based on 'Marumakkattayam', a system of matrilineal descent. Ezhavas too followed
this system. Women enjoyed social freedom and they were married outside their
own community, mostly among Brahmin Nambootiris.
 On
a broad basis, the accepted caste division of the Hindu community was
into four groups the Brahmins, Kshatriyas, Vaishyas and Sudras
and then the lowest, the out castes. The Malayali Brahmins or Nambootiris
and the Tamil Brahmins occupied a very influential position in the caste
order, but the Nambootiris always held their supremacy as the purest stock
of Hindu hierarchy. Their contributions to Malayalam poetry, drama, astrology,
astronomy, medicine and arts are indisputable. There are many Brahmin
sub-castes like Ilayatu, Muttatu, Unni, Pisharoti, Nambiti Gurukkal
many of whom belong to the Ambalavasi class. A Pisharoti does not wear
the sacred thread and so also Warrier. Elayatu is the traditional purohit
(priest) of Nayars who conduct the after-death rites for them. They wear
the sacred thread and do the puja in the temples, but they are not aristocratic
as the Nambootiris. Pushpakas and Warriers are temple employees mainly
engaged in making flower garlands for offering to the deity. The Warrier
community is famous for their learning in Sanskrit literature. Marans
who belong to the community of Nayars, are temple musicians who are main
custodians of the Sopana system of music or the music of the sanctum sanctorum
of the temple. They are experts in percussion instruments like Maddalam,
Chenda, Edakka. Poduval is another caste of temple musicians.
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