ABSTRACT
This chapter explores the evolution of property rights in land and forests in highland Kerala, with special reference to the indigenous peoples' access to and control over resources. It explores the processes of transition of property rights in land and forests in Wayanad. The author's identify the external forces and institutions that intervened at each historical point and analyse how these impacted the further evolution of property rights of indigenous peoples. A deep understanding of transitions in property rights in the traditional habitations of indigenous communities is crucial in capturing these specificities and the socio-economic consequences of the changes. The community's ownership right was also symbolically exercised by the chief by giving permission to other communities, like the Paniyar or Kattunaicker, to cultivate certain fields or to establish their settlements in a designated location. The collective ownership rights in forests by the Kurumar remained unchanged, though the area accessible to them and other indigenous communities decreased considerably.
