Mahout
This article is about the driver of a working elephant. For other meanings, see Mahut (disambiguation), and for the former French automobile manufacturer, see Mahout (automobile manufacturer).
A mahout is the leader and often owner of a working elephant. He is responsible for its nutrition and care and is connected to the animal for decades. A mahout rides on the neck of the elephant and directs it by means of verbal commands, his elephant staff and the pressure he exerts on the animal with his feet and legs.
The term Mahut comes from Hindi mahaut (महौत) or mahāvat (महावत), which goes back to Sanskrit mahāmātra (महामात्र) ("of great measure"). Other names include Sanskrit hastipaka (हस्तिपक), Burmese chaṅ-ūḥcīḥ or "oozie" (ဆင္ဦးစီး), Thai khwan chang (ควาญช้าง) or Kornak (borrowed from Sanskrit karināyaka, elephant-guide).
Mahouts, like the working elephants, are found in India and Hind India (such as Myanmar and Thailand). Elephants are often still used there for forest work because, unlike tractors and caterpillars, they are more mobile in the terrain and are not dependent on the construction of roads. Elephants thus cause much less environmental damage during forest work than machines. Furthermore, elephant keeping has ceremonial and touristic reasons.
Mahout and elephant work together for decades as far as possible. The necessary trusting relationship already develops during the joint work in the elephant school.
In 2003, there were still about 2,000 mahouts in Thailand working with their elephants in the impassable forest areas of northern Thailand.
Three elephants with mahout in Corbett National Park in India
Lakshmana temple in the temple district of Khajuraho - elephant frieze with erotic scene. The right elephant is so irritated by the hustle and bustle (brahmin and girl) at his side that he has thrown one of his attendants (mahut) to the ground with his trunk and threatens to crush him with his raised foot. Whether the scene is merely entertaining or was meant to instruct or warn must remain open.
See also
- Chandani and her elephant (documentary about Sri Lanka's first female mahout)
- Thai Elephant Orchestra
