Hakki Pikki tribe

• Members of the Hakki Pikki tribal community from Karnataka are stuck in violence-hit Sudan and the government is making efforts to bring them back.

About Hakki Pikki Tribe

• Hakki in Kannada means ‘bird’ and Pikki means ‘catchers’, they are a semi-nomadic tribe, traditionally of bird catchers and hunters.
• They live in several states in west and south India, especially near forest areas.
• According to the 2011 census, the Hakki Pikki population in Karnataka is 11,892.
• They are believed to hail originally from the bordering districts of Gujarat and Rajasthan.
• In different regions, they are known by different names, such as Mel-Shikari in northern Karnataka and Maharashtra.