“Indian wildlife conservation cannot be based on perpetuating this legacy of cultural (if not physical) genocide of our indigenous communities who have shaped and been shaped by, the ecological landscapes they have co-inhabited with wildlife. We need to move towards evolving site specific conservation strategies, based on the best available indigenous and scientific knowledge through transparent and consultative processes involving all concerned parties, particularly they local communities” (Darwin Initiatives p.187) In 1927, the India Forest Act was created for the purpose of supplying the British with timber and had nothing to do with conserving the forest or considering the rights of the people who lived there. This act led to numerous dire consequences, such as but not limited to: More than 90% of India’s grasslands had been lost to commercial plantations Around 5 lakh hectares of forest had been destroyed for mines, dams, and other such projects Monoculture plantations replaced forests Pressure was put on people to abandon their forest homes or live as “criminals” within the forests or near them In 2006, the Forest Rights Act was established, and was made on behalf protecting both forests and those who dwell in them. More specifically, the FRA granted legal recognition to… Read more…
“A tribe is a social group with territorial affiliation, endogamous, with no specialization of functions, ruled by tribal officers, hereditary or otherwise, united in language or dialect… following tribal traditions, beliefs and customs illiberal of naturalization of ideas from alien sources, above all conscious of a homogeneity of ethnic and territorial integration” (p.1, Paniyans of Nilgiri District Tamil Nadu)
In the NBR, and even as small as the Nilgiri district within, there are multiple tribes, each with their own unique culture, language, history, and more. Below is a snypopsis of each tribe within the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve. It in no way gives a complete description of each of these indigenous groups but is merely an introduction and hopefully encourages the reader to do further investigation for fuller details.
There are various tribal groups spread throughout this area of Orissa as well as other places. Some of these groups include the Kolha, Bataudi, Santal, Saunti, and Bhuiyan. There are also groups that are considered PTVG (Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups), specifically the: Khadia, Mankaria, and Lodha. These groups are also renowned for wild honey collection, although for the Mankaria it is not a consistent practice. Instead the Mankaria people are more known for their craftsmanship with rope making. The Khadia, Mankaria, and Lodha have a common practice of NTFP (non timber forest products) . Ten years prior, their main source of livelihood was simply NTFP collection, however now they have had to start participating in wage labor and agriculture. The other tribal groups also practice agriculture and NTFP collection but this does not include gathering wild honey.
