Mahout
| Mahout | |
|---|---|
| Mahout | |
| Country | Delhi Sultanate Deccan Sultanates Mughal Empire |
| Branch | Cavalry(melee) |
Amahoutis anelephantrider, trainer, or keeper.[1]Mahouts were used since antiquity for both civilian and military use. Traditionally, mahouts came from ethnic groups with generations of elephant keeping experience, with a mahout retaining his elephant throughout its working life or service years.[2]
Etymology[edit]
The wordmahoutderives from theHindiwordsmahaut(महौत) andmahavat(महावत), and originally from theSanskritmahamatra(महामात्र).
Another term iscornacorkornak,which entered many European languages viaPortuguese.This word derives ultimately from the Sanskrit termkarināyaka,acompoundofkarin(elephant) andnayaka(leader). InKannada,a person who takes care of elephants is called amaavuta,and inTeluguthe word used ismavati;this word is also derived from Sanskrit. InTamil,the word used ispahan,which means "elephant keeper", and inSinhalakurawanayaka( "stable master" ). InMalayalamthe word used ispaappaan.
InBurma,the profession is calledu-si;inThailandkwan-chang(ควาญช้าง); and inVietnamquản tượng.
Equipment[edit]
The most common tools used by mahouts are chains and theaṅkuśa(goad, alsoankus[3]oranlius) – a sharp metal hook used as guide in the training and handling of the elephant.[4]
InIndia,especiallyKerala,mahouts use three types of device to control elephants. Thethotti(hook), which is 3.5 feet in length and about 1 inch thick; thevaliya kol(long pole), which is 10.5 feet in length and about 1 inch in thickness; and thecheru kol(short pole).[5]
Society[edit]
Elephants, and therefore also mahouts, have long been integral to politics and the economy throughout Southern and South-eastern Asia. The animals are given away per request of government ministers and sometimes as gifts. In addition to more traditional occupations, today mahouts are employed in many countries by forestry services and the logging industry, as well as in tourism.
Culture[edit]
TheSingapore Zoofeatured a show called "elephants at work and play" until 2018, where the elephants' caretakers were referred to as "mahouts", and demonstrated how elephants are used as beasts of burden in south-east Asia. The verbal commands given to the elephants by the mahouts are all in Sinhala, one of the two official languages ofSri Lanka.
A shop display advertising "Mahout" cigarettes features prominently in the background of the "rain dance" sequence of the 1952Gene KellyfilmSingin' in the Rain.The word "mahout" also features in the lyrics of the song "Drop the Pilot",byJoan Armatrading.
George Orwell's essay "Shooting an Elephant"discusses the relationship of an elephant to its mahout:" It was not, of course, a wild elephant, but a tame one which had gone 'must.' It had been chained up, as tame elephants always are when their attack of 'must' is due, but on the previous night it had broken its chain and escaped. Its mahout, the only person who could manage it when it was in that state, had set out in pursuit, but had taken the wrong direction and was now twelve hours' journey away... "[6]
References[edit]
- ^"Mahout".Absolute Elephant Information Encyclopedia.Archived fromthe originalon 1 February 2016.Retrieved27 January2016.
- ^Laws, Eric; Scott, Noel; Font, Xavier; Koldowski, John (2020-11-23).The Elephant Tourism Business.CABI.ISBN978-1-78924-586-8.
- ^Chisholm, Hugh,ed. (1911)..Encyclopædia Britannica.Vol. 17 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 424.
- ^Fowler, Mikota, eds.Biology, Medicine and Surgery of Elephants.John Wiley & Sons, 2008, p. 54.
- ^Ajitkumar, Anil, Alex, eds.,Healthcare Management of Captive Asian ElephantsArchived2015-06-30 at theWayback MachineKerala Agricultural University, 2009, p. 165
- ^Orwell, George (7 January 2021). Collini, Stefan (ed.).Selected Essays.Oxford University Press.ISBN978-0-19-880417-8.
External links[edit]
