A mahout is a male individual who drives and handles an elephant, traditionally passed down from father to son. However, there are now programs and camps available to train anyone wishing to become a mahout. During training, you will learn how to properly care for and handle the elephant, as well as the traditional tools of the trade. The position may also be called oozie or kwan-chang, and a religious ceremony is often held to welcome new mahouts.
A mahout is an individual who drives and handles an elephant. It is normally a male profession and traditionally to become a mahout a person had to be born into the family business. There are now programs and camps available to train you in the role of a mahout, even if that’s not your heritage. If you want to become a mahout, you’ll likely need to travel to one of these camps to learn the craft properly.
The term mahout is Hindu in origin. A popular profession in India, Thailand and neighboring regions, a mahout was predominantly responsible for driving an Asian elephant to transport materials such as lumber for construction and other purposes. Generally, to become a mahout, a person had to be born into the position, which was passed down from father to son. One male child was given a particular elephant when he was young, which became his main elephant as a mahout for the rest of his life.
Due to the fact that Asian elephants are considered privately owned animals, there was not much regulation regarding the care and treatment of the animals. Consequently, elephants were often abused or mistreated. As a result of this, many projects and programs have emerged designed to protect elephants and train anyone wishing to become a mahout in the proper handling and care of elephants.
Usually, to become a mahout, you will have to undergo an apprenticeship with an experienced elephant driver. While learning, you will likely learn how to use verbal commands to control your elephant. You will also learn how to properly mount and dismount the elephant, as well as the technique of neck riding, a complicated process whereby you can control the elephant with the touch of your foot to the neck and ears.
During training as a mahout, you will be instructed in the proper way to feed, clean and care for your elephant. As part of this aspect of your training, you should familiarize yourself with the various characteristics of Asian elephants, such as signs of illness and their methods of social interaction. Knowing the different behaviors of elephants will inevitably help you master the trade. Most likely, you will also be educated about the plight of the Asian elephant and the abuse they have suffered at the hands of uncaring mahouts. In this way, the people who run the programs and training camps hope to prevent such atrocities from happening in the future.
The elephant has great spiritual importance in Indian and Thai cultures. Consequently, new mahouts are often welcomed with a religious ceremony. This ceremony, sometimes known as the Pa-kam ritual, is designed to evoke the blessings of protection, security and happiness from the mahout spiritual parents. Offerings and gifts are usually given to the godparents and the new mahout.
Depending on the country you train in, the mahout position may also be called oozie or kwan-chang. You should also familiarize yourself with the traditional tools of the trade, which include a large hook called ankus or thotti, as well as long and short poles called valiya kol and cheru kol respectively. Of course, you shouldn’t show fear of the elephant, because, like many other animals, elephants can be afraid. Finally, to become a successful mahout, you must be prepared to move to a region such as Thailand, Burma or India where the occupation is still popular.
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