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Tribal literature has problematized the idea of 'Malayalam Literature' by introducing diverse experiences and languages of the tribal people of Kerala. Malayalam literature has selectively excluded other minor languages within Kerala's geographical limit. The tribal people, dalits and other marginalized communities of Kerala with different lived experiences and language from a mainstream 'Malayali' couldn't find a vocabulary to express themselves. Thus excluded from the Malayalam literary discourse. Finding one's identity within the 'rich' repository of Malayalam literature without being distorted by inconsistencies and othering within the text is nearly impossible for a tribal person. This prompted the reframing of 'Malayalam Literature' into 'Kerala Literature', which includes different language identities within the Kerala state. The new visibility of tribal poetry in the Kerala literary sphere is an ideologically driven, postmodern and post-colonial expression of the ostracized tribal community. The study intends to explore the counter-canonical movements of tribal poetry to subvert the hegemony of canonical Malayalam language and literature. The study also interprets the nuances and contradictions of representational politics and proliferating academic engagements on tribal poetry.