“Mana Ulachal”: Ecological Change, Cultural Transition, and Generational Expressions of Distress among Indigenous Communities of the Nilgiris, India

Background: Indigenous wellbeing is deeply connected to land, livelihood, and cultural continuity, yet rapid ecological and social transformations are reshaping how distress is experienced and expressed. In the Nilgiri Hills of South India, Indigenous communities increasingly use the Tamil phrase mana ulachal to describe states of mental strain or inner disturbance. This study examines how mana ulachal functions as a culturally situated expression of distress emerging from changing relationships between environment, economy, and generational life. Methods: An exploratory qualitative study was conducted across six Indigenous settlements in the Nilgiri Hills. Forty-nine participants representing elder (≥ 50 years) and younger (18–50 years) generations were recruited using purposive and snowball sampling. Data were collected through conversational in-depth interviews and ethnographic observation between 2022 and 2023. Interviews were conducted in Tamil and local tribal languages with translation support. Transcripts and field notes were analyzed using inductive thematic analysis and constant comparison to identify recurring patterns in how mana ulachal was understood and experienced. Results: Nine interconnected pathways of evolving distress were identified: ecological displacement from forests; transition to cash economies; land leasing and monoculture landscapes; debt and microfinance pressures; gendered burdens of responsibility; the education and aspiration paradox; loss of cultivation and traditional foods; tourism-related commodification; and erosion of generational knowledge. Elders primarily linked mana ulachal to ecological loss and cultural discontinuity, while younger participants emphasized economic pressures, education-related dissonance, and changing aspirations. Across pathways, distress was framed as relational — arising when balance between land, livelihood, identity, and community was disrupted. Discussion: Findings position mana ulachal as a relational idiom of distress that connects emotional experience to ecological change, market integration, governance structures, and generational transition. Rather than reflecting an individual mental disorder, mana ulachal articulates the psychosocial consequences of living through rapid environmental and cultural transformation. The study underscores the importance of culturally grounded frameworks that recognize land-based relationships, social roles, and knowledge continuity as central to Indigenous wellbeing. Conclusion: Mana ulachal offers insight into how Indigenous communities in the Nilgiris experience and communicate distress amid ongoing ecological and social change. Addressing such distress requires approaches that extend beyond individual clinical models to include cultural continuity, livelihood security, respectful tourism, and support for intergenerational knowledge systems.