The contemporary sheep herding occupation of the Mullai landscape community and the challenges faced in it

Abstract

A crucial stage in the intellectual evolution of humans, who once lived like animals, was the technique of domesticating animals. Humans domesticated animals for economic purposes, labor, meat, and hunting. A significant phase in this process was the rearing of cattle. The milk obtained from cows, and the curd, butter, and ghee derived from it, contributed to their economic development. The people who engaged in this occupation were the inhabitants of the Mullai region during the Sangam period. Cattle were considered the primary form of wealth for these people. That is, in the era of the barter system, cattle constituted wealth. Raiding and recovering cattle formed the basis of the first wars. It is also noteworthy that cattle were raised for meat. Studies suggest that the pastoral people who raised cattle during the Sangam period are the ancestors of the present-day shepherds, who continue to practice sheep herding as their caste-based occupation. Just as protecting cattle was a complex task during the Sangam period, shepherds today face various challenges in their sheep-herding profession.