Tribes and Their Indigenous Knowledge: Implications for Development

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Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Manav Sangrahalaya (IGRMS) has been documenting the multiple facets of traditional knowledge systems in different parts of the country. As an institution, on the one hand IGRMS celebrates cultural diversity and national integration; on the other hand, it treats culture as an important input in sustainable development. Thus, in this perspective, the role of culture is not confined to the domain of art and aesthetic.

Keeping this perspective in view, a two-day national seminar was organized by IGRMS and the Rajiv Gandhi Chair, Barkatullah University, Bhopal on 21-23 November 2006 to emphasis the traditional knowledge systems of various tribal groups and the importance of such knowledge systems in chalking out developmental strategies for them. Since most of the papers presented are basically based on field work, they highlight the dynamics of the micro situation explicitly. In a way, use of traditional knowledge system in the fields of water management, health care and agricultural practices in determining strategies for tribal development is an example of 'development from below', rather than a developmental module imposed from above.

I congratulate Prof. S.N. Chaudhary for editing the volume as no. 8 of our series on 'Intangible Cultural Heritage of India'. Our co-publisher Pratibha Prakashan deserves sincere thanks for the purpose. It is hoped that this monograph would be useful for anthropologists, sociologists, administrators and NGOs etc.

This chapter deals with two issues. Opening part deals with the concept of scheduled tribe and indigenous knowledge and interface between the two from the point of view of both basic need and human rights perspective of the former. It also deals with interface between the two from the point of view of the empowerment of tribals during the era of globalization and WTO regime. The second part presents a brief overview of papers included in this volume.

Scheduled Tribes popularly known as Adivasi or Vanvasi is an independent administrative and political category created under article 342 of constitution of India. However, the constitution has not laid down any sociological criteria for specification of communities as Scheduled Tribes. While for Singh (1993), Burman (1979) and many others it is an administrative category created during the colonial period, for many others (Beteille: 1986; Xaxa: 1999) it is a sociological category defined on the basic of its structural, attributional and functional features. Scheduled Tribes constitute about 8 per cent population having largest concentration (23.22 per cent) in undivided Madhya Pradesh. They are spread over all the states except Panjab and Haryana and over all the Union territories except Chandigarh, Delhi and Pondicherry. They live in all the climate zones and are divided into four racial categories. Total number of tribal communities in the country including the segments are 461. In spite of the fact that about 94 per cent tribals live in villages, majority of them are closer to Hindu religion, most of them are non-vegetarian and live in nuclear families, they are heterogeneous in terms of their occupation and economic status, language, food habits and dress styles, leadership pattern, ways of worship and other forms of socio-cultural practices.

Since, historically they lived in close contact with forest, mountain, river and other types and forms of natural resources and since by and large they remained physically isolated form non-tribal communities and societies, upto the inception of the British rule in this country they gradually developed their own mechanisms, institutions and practices to manage the conditions and life chances. Such mechanisms and practices are known as indigenous knowledge (IK). Marrewijk (1998) rightly said:

"Indigenous Knowledge is the sum total of the knowledge and skills which people in a particular geographic area possess, and which enable them to get the most out of their natural environment. Most of this knowledge and these skills have been passed down from earlier generations, but individual men and women in each new generation adapt and add to this body of knowledge in a constant adjustment to changing circumstances and environment conditions. They in turn pass on the body of knowledge intact to the next generation in an effort to provide them with survival strategies".

Hence, IK is not a system which has constructed at the modern knowledge producing centers like Universities, laboratories and research institutes rather it was informally constructed, deconstructed and modified in the field situation on the basis of day-to-day experiences, needs and requirement of its users. Most of these needs and requirements are basic and therefore, local and mass based. It exists in oral traditions, spreads and sustains informally. Since such knowledge is practical, local, informal and mass based therefore, in comparison to modern knowledge system it is constructed and sustained by the masses. As a result, it becomes user friendly in every walk of life; whether it is agriculture management or the management of forest, forest produce, fishing, health and disease, social-cultural life, and so on.

There are number of micro level empirical studies to establish historical links between tribes and their Ik. Whether it was the problem of food insecurity, house construction, collection and processing of NTFPs, socialization of children, seed preservation and storage of food grains, diseases, conflict resolution and management of socio-cultural life, everywhere IK played crucial role in the life of tribals irrespective of their socio-economic background and habitation.

Today in spite of relatively high amount of interaction with outside world and number of development projects going on in tribal areas and their growing dependence on farming and other non-farm and non-forest activities, the knowledge relating to their tradition and culture, local ecology and environment etc; play crucial role in crisis management. And the degree of dependence of relatively simple, isolated, poor and less mobilised tribal groups on their indigenous knowledge is much higher in comparison to the developed and heterogeneous tribals. They use IK not only for their survival, protection form adverse situation but also it helps them to reach and manage life chances. Today number of modern institutions and schemes are available in many tribal areas. Such interventions have both merits and demerits. It is gainful because it is creating new opportunities and facilities. But it is painful because the poor, or "resource less" tribal population are incapable of availing these new facilities. The new facilities are not only strange to them and create the situation of culture conflict, but also such schemes and processes are costly and corruption ridden. A simple tribal, therefore, is not in a position to overcome day-to-day problems with the help of these newly introduced outside knowledge system. These outside forces are not uniform, homogenous or beneficial. Tribals and their encounter with Sahukar and Baniya is historically neither just nor friendly. The role of NGO is partly fruitful and partly not in the mitigation of their problems. State intervention is highly formal and prioritised. In this situation the only viable channel to them is their culture, particularly indigenous knowledge in crisis management. Sujata with reference to the non-tribal context, (2002) rightly said.