THE ELEPHANT HAIR: TO TRAMPLE EVIL AND SERVE AS GOOD LUCK AMULET

Strange it may sound to most people, but believers in India are trumpeting the elephant hair as a good luck amulet which also tramples evil.

An outright obsession with superstition, rationalists could claim, but the wiry elephant hair plaited in gold ornaments is, believe it or not, in great demand.

"It is an old tradition that if a person wears gold bangle or ring woven with elephant hair, they will be protected from the evil eye and some believe it brings good omen,” Kerala Elephant Owners Association vice-president M. Madhu told Bernama in a recent interview.

Such ancient belief transcends continents -– from Africa, India and Vietnam -- where elephant hair, found at the tip of its tail, is a much-after item, as believers use them for various purposes.

In the African mythology, elephant hair is said to bring good luck and protect one from illness, while it is popular among young lovers in Vietnam, too.

Gold rings or bangles inlaid with jumbo hair were certainly costly items in the Indian market, as the hair itself was a scarce commodity, leading to black-marketers selling fake hair, said Madhu, who owns three elephants.

Mahouts (elephant keepers) tend to exploit on the demand, selling genuine hair, about four to five inches long, at between 500 and 1,000 Indian rupees (RM35 to RM70) per piece.

“In India, elephants are respected as sacred animals and its hair is believed to give confidence and protection from sickness, for children and adults, alike.

“In South India, many people still use it with gold or silver,” noted P. V. Jose, president of Jewellery Manufacturers Association of Kerala, home to over 600 domesticated jumbos.

Worshippers believe Lord Ganesha, the elephant-headed god is remover of all obstacles and protector from hardship. Hence, tuskers are widely revered among Buddhists and Hindus.

“This tradition is still strong in India, even now,” said Krishna Murthy, president of Coimbatore Jewellery Association in Tamil Nadu.

“Even our younger generation still purchase gold or silver necklace, ring or bracelets, braided with elephant hair because they believe it makes them strong like the elephant,” added Krishna.

Since plucking the pachyderm hair is considered cruelty to the largest herbivore mammal on earth, buying and selling is done discreetly, between the believer and the money-maker.