BIO-CULTURAL COMMUNITY PROTOCOL
OF THE TRADITIONAL HEALERS OF THE
MALAYALI TRIBES1
Who we are
We are a group of Vaidyas (traditional healers) who live in the villages of Nellivasal,
Pudurnadu, Puliyur and Serkanur in Vellore District of Tamil Nadu, India. We belong to
the Malayali tribe (Malai translated as hills and ali translated as rulers) and which is a
settled agrarian community. We are members of the Tamil Nadu Paramparya Siddha
Vaidya Maha Sangam, which is an organization of traditional healers practicing the
Siddha system of medicine. We are not only practitioners of the Siddha tradition but are
also practitioners our own indigenous traditions of healing.
1
This protocol is in the process of being finalized, as at 22 October 2009.