DISPLACED LEARNING: COLONIAL DISRUPTION AND EDUCATIONAL FUTURES OF TRIBAL COMMUNITIES IN MALABAR (KERALA)

The Kurichiya, Paniya, Adiyan, and Cholanaikan tribal groups in Malabar, Kerala, have a rich history of ecological cooperation, self-sufficient economies, and indigenous knowledge systems. They lived in densely forested areas and practiced shifting farming, forest-based livelihoods, and communal living methods. However, their autonomy was undermined by colonial actions in the 18th century, leading to uprooting, denied access to woods, and disruption of indigenous learning contexts due to British-imposed forest laws, plantation economies, and land tax systems. This study evaluates the long-term inequalities in access, literacy, and educational equality that resulted from colonial disruption, which caused indigenous groups in Malabar to lose their educational continuity. The study emphasizes the cultural alienation brought about by mainstream curriculum and the marginalization of indigenous groups in state education programs, drawing on oral histories, archival documents, and current statistics. Educational achievements are still disproportionately low despite post-independence governmental efforts like tribal welfare programs and the NEP 2020 framework. This is because of things like poverty, lack of culturally suitable teaching, language hurdles, and neglected infrastructure.The research promotes a rethought, culturally grounded approach to tribal education that reinforces identity, restores dignity, and guarantees participatory growth by charting the course of educational dislocation and recovery. By highlighting the pressing need to decolonize pedagogy and integrate indigenous knowledge into Kerala's mainstream educational system, this essay adds to the conversation on inclusive education.