LAUSR

MulluKuruma tribe being the predominant tribal community of Wayanad in Kerala is known for their unique culture and the ability to intermingle with the outside world. Culture can manifest itself in different forms, which can be identified physically and visually, at different levels (Hofstede, 1991). For this study, the researcher adopted Geert Hofstede's manifestation of culture into three levels, namely rituals, symbols and myths to generate the values (the building blocks of a culture). Culture performs a requisite role in fortifying gender, and the way gender is constructed through everyday activities, defines gender roles, relations and identities (Schalkwyk, 2000). Adopting a triangulation methodology, the research tries to apprehend data through the lenses of Ethnography and Edmund Husserl’s Phenomenology, followed by correlation design. The study concludes that the indigenous culture of the tribe has influenced the gender identity of the elderly people in the tribe. Even though there have been cultural changes, the elderly generation of the tribe tries to stay close to their authentic culture.