Traditional Practices of Tribes for the Conservation of Natural Resources

N.Malathi, Lecturer (ss), Department of Home Science, Quaid E-Millet Government College for women, Chennai -2.

Tribes occupy a significant position in the Indian population. The tribes generally live in the hills and dense forests which are inaccessible .Tribal population by and large is socially and economically vulnerable and their health and nutritional status is very poor because of the interactions between practices and the environmental conditions . They depend on agricultural and forest resources for their livelihood, and they sustain with their rich and varied traditional ecological knowledge. The impact of modernization through industrialization has resulted in environmental and ecological degradation. But the traditional practices have always been the principle sources of sustainable development of natural resources. The tribes of India preserved a large bulk traditional knowledge of various agricultural methods, uses of medicinal herbs, health care practices and income generating activities. Hence their Knowledge, Attitude and practice (KAP) of them were compulsorily handed over to their generations to maintain the importance of their culture. Research studies are very scanty in this area. Hence the study was focused on finding out the traditional practices of tribes at Krishnagiri district.

Methodology:
Selection of the sample: By the use of simple random sampling the total sample of 1000 women were selected for the study. Selection of the area: Bargur and Kaveripattinum town panchayat of Krishnagiri district were selected for the study. Data collection: Both primary and secondary source of information were collected.

The interview schedule bearing question to elicit information on the following details such as general background of the respondents ,knowledge ,attitude and practices and their health status were collected.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

I .Size of the Family: The size of the family of the selected subjects is given in the Table I. TABLE I SIZE OF THE FAMILY Members Less than 4 4-6 More than 6 Number 228 571 201 Percentage 22.8 57.1 20.1

From the above table it is evident that most of the women had 4-6 members as their family size.20.1 percent of the families had members more than 6. II Monthly Income of the Family: The detail regarding the income of the families is given in Table II. TABLE II MONTHLY INCOME OF THE FAMILY

Groups (in Rupees) 500-1000 1000-1500 1500-2000 2000-2500

Number

Percentage

281 368 311 40

28.1 36.8 31.1 4

The above table picturises that the income level of 28 percent of the families studied were within Rs. 500 to Rs.1000 per month. The percentage of families with their

monthly income of Rs.1000 to Rs. 1500 was comparatively higher than the families who were earning 1500-2000 and 2000-2500 respectively.

III Literacy level of the women: Details on the literacy level of the women is given in the Table III TABLE III LITERACY LEVEL OF THE WOMEN Groups Illiterate Primary school Middle school High School Number 346 383 197 74 Percentage 34.6 38.3 19.7 7.4

It is evident from the above table that the literacy level was very much lower in almost all the women studied. Most of the members were illiterates, whose percentage was 34.6. About 7.4 percent of the families had a literacy level till higher secondary school. IV) Usage of traditional herbs among tribes: The various uses of traditional herbs were depicted in table IV.

Table IV Usage of traditional herbs

Variety Vettiveria zizaniodes Phyllanthus amarus Madhuca longifolia Justicia Adatoda Piper Cubeba Terminalia chebula Azedirachta & Lilioceris lilli Disorders/Disease Boils,snakebite, fever, epilepsy,rheumatism, sprain Antipoisoning, snake bite Longevity Bleeding piles, bronchitis Excess thirst Colicky pain,intestine cramping Thread worms Number Percentage 893 89.3 320 786 637 420 740 645 32.0 78.6 63.7 42.0 74.0 64.5

Indian tribes use 9000 types of plants for varied reasons .Amongst 7500 plants are used as medicine.Table -IV picturises the usage of different herbs by the selected tribes. About 89.3 percent women used Vetiveria. zizanioides (Vetiver) for boils,

snakebite, fever, epilepsy, rheumatism and sprain. 32 percent opined that Phyllanthus amarus (Kellanelli ) for antipoisoning the snakebite. 78.6 percent mentioned, Madhuca longifolia (Illupai) oil will promote the longevity of people . 63.7 percent mentioned Justicia Adatoda(Adathodai) will cure bleeding piles and bronchitis. To reduce excess thirst while hunting, 42 percent opined that,Piper Cubeba(Valmilagu) can be chewed.For colicky pain and intestine cramping 74% explained that Terminalia chebula (kadukai) may reduce the pain. 64.5 percent mentioned that ,powdered form of Azedirachta (Neem leaves)andLilioceris lilli ( beetal leaves) will prevent the thread worms. Also their usage of biofertilizers and green manure making ecological development with the use of traditional seeds. V) Traditional practices related to health: Table V reveals the health attitude and the practices among the tribes.

Table V Traditional Health Practices. Health aspect To increase fertility To attain puberty for girls To heal vaginal inflammation during delivery To reduce rashes for children For long term diseases To make a women conceive To avoid major disease Variety Plumeria rubra Lawsonia Inermis Azedirachta &Alcohol Crataeva magina Urine of Equus asinus Pilla poochi insect Calotes versicolor Number 683 492 964 335 426 562 336 Percentage 68.3 49.2 96.4 33.5 42.6 56.2 33.6

From the above table it is clear that, tribes mainly depend on their traditional practices to avoid Infant mortality and Maternal mortality rate (IMR & MMR). To increase their fertility, 68.3 percent mentioned that they give old rice water mixed with green seeds or Plumeria rubra (sampanki flower seeds) for the adolescent girls.To attain puberty 49.2 percent mentioned they provide grounded Lawsonia Inermis ( meganthi leaves)mixed with old rice water.About 96.4 percent explained, to heal vaginal inflammation during delivery they splash alcohol and apply Azedirachta (neem oil) on the vaginal part. To reduce rashes for children, 33.5 percent mentioned, they spread Crataeva magina (mavalingam leaves) in white cloth and made the child to role on it for few seconds during sunrise and sunset .Rolling for more time may aggravate the condition. For long term diseases 42.6% mentioned that they provide urine of Equus asinus (donkey).To make a women conceive 56.2% mentioned, they give Pilla poochi (Pilla poochi insect)in alive form to women and made her to eat in empty stomach in early morning.For avoiding major diseases, about 33.6% mentioned, they cut the head of the Calotes versicolor (Garden lizard) , put the body in neem oil, heat it and give the extract tothechild

vi)Agricultural practices:
The following table depicts the various traditional practices connected and its significance. Table VII Methods Number Use of rotating crop system 715 Energy saving by animal powered ploughs 693 Cow dung fertilizer 852 Cow urine pesticide 747 Use of hedge row 464 Importance of No Till farming 312 with agriculture

Percentage 71.5 69.3 85.2 74.7 46.4 31.2

From the above table it is evident that 71.5% tribes mentioned, rotating crop system will increase the yield quantity based on season. Animal powered ploughs are

used to save the energy instead of using fuel for Tractors. About85.2 % and 74.7% of them opined cow dung is used as a fertilizer and cow urine is used as a pesticide. Uses of hedgerow (fence of shrubs) are crucial for protecting a number of threatened birds species. Hedgerows create good environment conditions for shelter and breeding of threatened birds.46.4% tribes expressed hedgerows are mainly used to reduce the food loss by birds and animals. About 31.2 percent explained the need of no till farming. No till farming is leaving plant residues over the soil for a number of years and planting seeds into the plant residues without tilling the soil. Scientifically ,this method will reduce the carbon emission in the atmosphere.

Conclusion:
Conservation and sustainable management of natural resources will definitely improve the alternative living condition of tribal community. Traditional knowledge of using natural resources by indigenous cultures are not only useful for conservation of cultural traditions and biodiversity but also for the welfare of community. Hence it was suggested that, more governmental and nongovernmental programmes should be implemented to promote the sustainable use of natural resources by balanced agricultural development , avoiding deforestation and by promoting their economic development. Reference :1. Dr. S.Kulasekaran, Tribes and their livelihood, Amirtham Publications, V.O.C Nagar, Vellore, 2003. 2. K.Gunasekaran, Irulas An Introduction, East Publications, Chennai 208.
3.

P.Chowdry, Problems of Tribes, Inter Indian Publications, Delhi,2008.

Keywords: Tribes, KAP, Random Sampling, Justicia Adathoda, Terminalia chebula, hedge row, No Till farming.