Incredible Cultural Heritage of Chenchu Tribe: A Case study on Amrabad mandal, Mahabubnagar District Syed Abdul Shameer 1 1 Department of Urban and Regional Planning, JNA & FA University, Opposite Mahavir Hospital, Mahavir Marg, Hyderabad – 500028, Email Id: [email protected]

ABSTRACT

Tribal Society is mysterious to the world of Culture and Heritage. Tribal heritage is the evidence of past, such as historical sites, Stone-age dwellings and un-spoilt natural environment- considered collectively as the inheritance of present day society. Culture is both tangible as well as intangible and it includes language, hospitality, rules of family or village, beliefs, dressing, food habits, smoking, drinking, hunting, art, decoration by women and men, sexual relations, religious offerings and temple prayers, dances, music, musical instruments, domestication of animals and plants, cultivation , tools usage, medicinal treatment and all these of their lives have been practiced since many centuries and this heritage has knowledge, institutions, harmony, balance and consistency etc. in them. Most of knowledge which is intangible, and is disappearing with time due to lack of recognition and promotion.

The tribal culture reflects their understanding or adaptation to their local climate has to be protected. To quote an example the last person of “bo”, a great Andamanese tribe which is thought to be inhabited in that area for 65000 years has died and we have lost speaker of “bo” language and also it’s associated indigenous knowledge, which indicates the imperative need to strengthen our understanding of the local systems and their protection.

The development schemes or programmes targeting the tribes should appreciate, promote and strengthen their methods to protect local systems. Introducing methods which are foreign to them pollutes their environment and also their culture - that is a habitable environment is converted into an uninhabitable one, by which we lose cultural as well as the natural heritage.

This paper attempts to analyze objectives of tribal development schemes or programmes and examine to what extent they have considered their cultural values and also whether they are promoting or disturbing their culture. It is believed that a general Programme plan for the whole state or region will not achieve prefixed objectives, rather a Programme should be local and to be designed based on the local cultural context. A pilot study has been done for the tribal village LakshmapurBk, Amrabad mandal, inMahabubnagar districtof Telangana state. Mahabubnagar District is covering major part of Nallamala forests is providing shelter for Tribes known as “Chenchus”.This paper concludes the necessary changes to be brought in legal and development programmes meant for tribes.

Keywords: Culture, Heritage, Chenchu tribe, Habitable Environment, Tradition, Natural heritage, Adaptation, tribal programmes, local systems.

Designation: Student, B.Tech Planning, SPA-JNAFAU, HYDERABAD

Introduction:

Culture is the lifestyle of the people learnt naturally by imitating animals or observing nature or one's adaptation to his physical and demands of the social environments. To define culture of an individual or a group, it includes his language, arts, food, dress, housing, religion beliefs, medicine and many more. All the advanced facilities which our modern world is enjoying now have its roots in the tribal or indigenous people, our forefathers. Tribes have rich and diverse cultures based on a profound spiritual relationship with their land and natural resources. Dichotomies such as nature vs. culture do not exist in indigenous societies. Indigenous peoples do not see themselves as outside the realm of nature, but as part of nature, and they have their own specific attachment to their land and territory and their own specific modes of production based on a unique knowledge of their environment. [1]

The Indigenous tribe Chenchu of Telangana state is selected for the study of social and economic aspects and compare its cultural aspects with development programmes. In Telangana State, the tribal population is the most disadvantaged section socially and economically with a negligible political voice. They live in remote areas and are subjected to land alienation on a large scale. According to the 2011 Census, the ST population constituted around 9.3% in Telangana as against 5.3% in the residual state of . Thus, as much as 60% of the ST population of undivided Andhra Pradesh is concentrated in Telangana.

STUDY AREA: Amrabad is a Mandal in Mahabubnagar district, Telangana. It is the largest Mandal in the district in terms of area, but population is much less. It is inhabited by tribal population and they are named as Chenchus from Historic period. The Total population of Amrabad Mandal is 50,133 in which 11525 are Chenchus and this Mandal is highest tribal populated in Mahabubnagar district. Total ST Population of the Amrabad Mandal is 11525 residing in 15 gram Panchayaths which include 30 tribal habitations in it. Density is 44 persons/sq. km.[7] Amrabad Mandal consists of 790.5 sq. kms of forest area and Dindi River which is a tributary of river Krishna passes by the border of Mandal and joins at Srisailam (refer with Map 1, 2 & 3).

Location:

Chenchu Tribe: The Chenchu tribe was recognized as one of the primitive tribal groups in 1975 (GOI 1985- 90). The Chenchus are listed as Scheduled Tribe in Andhra Pradesh under Scheduled Castes Scheduled Tribes Lists Modifications Order, 1956. The Chenchus are one of the aboriginal tribes of Telangana (erstwhile Andhra Pradesh). The stone circles, dolmens found in Amrabad region indicate a megalithic culture. While Chenchu seem to be autochthonous, the archeological remains are largely not their work but rather that of invading plains people with their dominant Hindu culture and Telugu language. [2] The origin of the Chenchus is connected with the Lord Mallikarjuna of the Srisailam temple, Andhra Pradesh, who was the personification of the Lord Shiva. They are mostly confined to foothills and low lying areas of Amrabad Plateau and in Kurnool, Mahabubnagar, and Prakasam, Rangareddy, Nalgonda and Guntur districts respectively. The climate is typical of the central Deccan: a hot and dry summer (February- May), intermittent rain and storms (June- September) and a cool winter (October to February). Rainfall ranges about 500mm annually. Forests range from scrub to deciduous depending upon elevation. [3]

Culture: Chenchus live in the forest areas. Chenchus have short height with long head, well defined eyebrows with the flat nose. They have jet black curly hair and their complexion varies from wheat gray to brown. Chenchus have broad faces. Chenchus talk in Chenchu language with the Telugu accent. Their language is also known as Chenchucoolam. They move in groups in the forests searching for the fruits, roots, tubers and honey. Apart from root, tubers, and fruits, Chenchus love eating mohau (Bassia latifolia) fresh, a sweet fibrous aromatic flower. Honey is the favourite among them all, collected seasonally for sale and also for use. They also make use of the mohau flower in making the liquor, sell it in the market. They collect tubers, tamarind, gum, bamboo, soap nuts, cashew nuts, bidi leaves (make cups and plates out of it) and sell it in the local market. Chenchus love smoking and make tobacco cigarettes for their self-use. Chenchus are good hunters; they can be seen hunting for the animals like deer, wild boar, rabbit, wild cock, rat and birds. They use bow and arrow for hunting. [4]

The Chenchu Village is known as Penta and consists of a few conical huts grouped according to kinship patterns. Within a foraging group, access to resources and land in unserved and equal, with an emphasis on blood relations rather than gender. Foraging grounds are owned communally. [5] Family size ranges from three to ten members. Chenchu society is patriarchal, with patrilineal descent and largely, patrilocal residence. The monogamous nuclear family is the basic and most commonly occurring Chenchu social unit. [6] According to census 2011, Amrabad mandal has witnessed 2254 Chenchu households which gradually increased from 1794 Households in 2001. The houses of Chenchus are found in close-knit community set-up. These houses are usually not scattered over a large area, rather concentrated in single place inside or near to Forest.The huts are invariably mud-walled and are thatched with straw or wild leaves. Talking about housing typology of Chenchus in Amrabad mandal, 35% are residing in pucca houses and 15% in semi-pucca houses. While 50% are residing in Thatched Huts (Kutcha houses).70% of Households in Amrabad doesn’t have Sanitation. [12]

Appearance, Dress and Ornaments: The traditional dress of the Chenchu was very simple. They used to wear the stitched bark and skin garments. Some old persons try to cover their genital organs by bark-strips, hanging in front and back front a waist string. It is known as gachi-bata. In winter season, they wrap the upper portion of the body with a cotton-wrapper purchased from the local weavers. The women wear short, coarse saris to cover their upper and lower parts. Modern blouses and petticoats are in use among some of the acculturated groups. The school-going boys and girls use pants, shirts, blouses when they go to school. The Chenchu are not very much fond of wearing ornaments. Women use ear-rings, and foot-bangles, necklaces of metals. Tattooing is very common among the Chenchu females. [13]

Population and Distribution: The total St Population of Amrabad mandal according to 2011 census is 11525. Amrabad is highly tribal populated mandal located in Mahabubnagar district of Andhra Pradesh. As the St Population in 2001 was 8971. Amrabad mandal consists of 15 Tribal populated gram Panchayaths in which Vankeshwaram GP consists of Major St Population and Thirumalapur BK consists of Less St Population. Amrabad mandal is a hilly area with dense forest called as Nallamala which gave shelter for tribes like Chenchus and Lambadas from the history. The age composition of the sample household members indicates low life expectancy- only less than 10% of the household members were above 40 years. The males among Chenchus were addicted to alcohol which results in low life expectancy. (Table 1: Demography of Amrabad Mandal) 22. The overall sex ratio of the ST population is 980 females per 1000 males, which is marginally higher than 978 reported for the state population as a whole at 2011 Census. The sex ratio of the ST population has registered as 1020 reported at the 1991 Census which was decreased in 2011.The following figures below shows the sex ratio 2001-11 and Gram Panchayath wise sex-ratio of Amrabad Mandal (refer with Fig: 1&2).[15]

Chenchu, an expert animal psychologist and a social organizer:

An expert Chenchu hunter is very much shrewd in locating the animal, capable of beguiling it by stalking silently. He is also an expert animal psychologist and ethnologist and know the animal bionomics. He can identify the animal either from its foot prints or fecal matter. He knows the animal food habits, mating season’s aggression periods. This knowledge not only facilitates him in the successful hunt but also prevents him meeting dangerous animals like tiger, panther and bear. In contingent situations like a snake-bite, he knows what medicine is to be taken. All the more he knows the vulnerable parts of the animal body shooting at which he can paralyse the animal. [9]

Protected Tiger Reserve, Amrabad: This is the largest tiger reserve in extent in South Asia. Most of the lands allotted to Chenchus and reserves earmarked for them had become part of the protected area. Forest Department so far did not take up the settlement of rights following the directions of Supreme Court in 1997. Centre for Environmental Law (WWF-) Vs. Union of India, W.P. (C) No.337 of 1995). The wildlife protection Act 1972 prescribes that state should convene a wild life advisory board with not less than 3 tribal members along with others. An honorary wild life warden should be appointed for each district. No Chenchu was taken as a member of Wild Life advisory board nor as an honorary wild life warden. [9]

Cultural Disturbances of Chenchu People:

Culture should be integrated as a required and a basis for development project design in order to build ‘development with identity’, respecting people’s way of life and building sustainable human development. There are clashes between state and Chenchu peoples’ cultures and systems of livelihood (pastoralism, hunting and gathering, and shifting cultivation). It is a clash between the desire of many indigenous peoples to live on traditional lands, and the general thrust of government policies aimed at using indigenous peoples’ lands for other purposes. Whether this is the establishment of natural reserves or mega-projects such as hydro-electric dams or infrastructure development, indigenous peoples are frequently portrayed as an obstacle to national development plans. Some of the Cultural Disturbances of Chenchu Tribe based on Schemes/programmes presented by State and Central Govt are as follows:

INDIRA AVAS YOJANA/ INDIRAMMA ELLU (IAY): Living in circular Huts made of wood/Bamboo is Chenchus culture but IAY is providing them Pucca-houses irrespective of their culture which effects the culture of Chenchus.

MGNRES: Chenchus are great Hunters who depend on Forests and they don’t like to have eye-contact with outside people. Among such culture, MGNRES is providing employment opportunities which is highly disturbing their cultural economy.

Rajiv Vidya Mission/ Ashram Schools: The economical hierarchy of Chenchus is Hunters and they mostly depend on Forests for food. The children are interested to follow the father’s steps and are not showing interest to study in the Schools provided by Rajiv Vidya Mission. Education on Forest and activities would be best programme which don’t let their culture disturbed.

Mid-day meal Scheme: Their food consists of gruel made from jowar or maize, and boiled or cooked jungle tubers. Mid-day meal scheme is granting Daal rice, eggs which are not a daily food items used to eat by them.

National Rural Health Mission: Chenchus are experts in making medicines from plants available in forest. They have been exploited by the Government from past and are not allowed to pluck the medicinal plants in the Forest. Unavailability of PHC, ANM’s in their areas particularly when they are ill lead to death of Chenchus. Life expectancy rate of Chenchus is 40 years which is very less due to their Unhealthy and Unhygienic environments.

Women Welfare: Due to less facilities/services Chenchu women are not interested to join groups. Women stay in to perform all household works, it includes rearing of children, cooking, fetching of drinking water.

National Rural Drinking water Programme: Tributary of Krishna river i.e. Dindi river is passing along the boundary of Amrabad mandal but there is no supply of water to Chenchu settlements, the main source of water is hand pumps which have poor quality and the water is not treated or filtered. This effects the Life expectancy of Chenchus in Amrabad.

National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture: The major occupation of Chenchus is hunting. In present generation some Chenchus are transformed & depending on Agriculture. They are experts in using old agricultural methods for cultivation. Neither Education is provided for Agriculturists nor does implementing scheme for Agricultural development by respected governments in the Settlement.

Pre-matric and Post matric scholarships: Tenth is the highest qualification among Tribes in Amrabad. Totally 19 tribal welfare schools which also provides Hostels and Ashram are in Amrabad mandal but the people living there don’t want to migrate to other places for study or Survive. Pre-matric scholarships have been granted to Students of Chenchu tribe in High schools where as Post-matric scholarship granting for students is very worse as there are only 2 colleges in Amrabad mandal.

JSY- Janani Suraksha Yojana: Pregnant women’s when particularly in the period of delivery are not aware of JSY scheme due to less hospitals and fewer facilities. Chenchu pregnant women are still following the natural birth process which may be 50-50 chances for death of pregnant women or new born child.

Deepam Scheme (Provision of LPG gas): Pucca-houses in Amrabad mandal are notified as 35% of total 2254 HH. The provision of LPG gas is only for the Chenchu people living in Pucca-houses where the remaining people are still depending on Wood, Kerosene etc. Conclusion:

Changes in the Chenchu culture are clearly visible in their language, dress pattern, use of ornaments, food, Health, education, religion, ritual and entertainment aspects. The new generation of Chenchus are forgetting their festivals and celebrating Telugu traditional festivals like Deepavali, Sankranthi and Vinayakachavithi. Many customary festivals and rituals in Chenchu society are decaying day by day.To conclude we can say that the whole Chenchu society at present moment is going through the critical stage of transformation. In past, Chenchus were surviving in the Nallamala forests, Amrabad plateau by Hunting and grabbing roots and leaves. The land on which they have been living for generations has been declared as Protected Tiger Reserve by the governmentand Chenchus has to follow the strict rules in the forest which is disturbing their culture and economy.In keeping with the declaration there are moves to displace them completely from the forest area and resettle them elsewhere. Housing is the basic need of Humans, the type of Housing Chenchus like to live in Kutcha (Huts). Chenchus have been sanctioned houses under IKP are not suitable for their Life style. Increase the participation of Chenchus in sports and culture at local, District, State and National levels by encouraging their inherent talent and ensure participation at national and international events by 2020 because Chenchus are good hunters and they are experts in using bow & arrow. Promotion and development of tribal handicrafts and organic and ethnic products through standardization, design support, branding and organized marketing and establishing niche markets for the products by 2020; Creation of awareness about and elimination of evil and anti-social practices such as addiction to alcohol and drugs, witchcraft, etc.

List of References:

[1] Naomi Kapuri, para 2, pg. 52, chapter 2, state of the world's Indigenous people, ST/ESA/328, department of economic and social affairs, united nation publications 2009.

[2] Mark Turin I.V.5 Chenchu, para1, pg. 253, The Cambridge Encyclopedia of Hunters and Gatherers

[3] Mark Turin I.V.5 Chenchu, para3, pg. 254, The Cambridge Encyclopedia of Hunters and Gatherers

[4] NADEEM HASNAIN, 2006, TRIBAL INDIA [5] MC MILLAN, 1940, THE CHENCHUS [6] P. SUBBA RAMA RAJU, 2009, CHENCHUS & SOCIAL TRANSFORMATION [7] M. Gopinath Reddy, 2010, Political Economy of Tribal Development- Andhra Pradesh [8] Naomi Kipuri, 2004, STATE OF THE WORLD’S INDIGENOUS PEOPLES

[9] Dr.P.Sivaramakrishna, 2001, CHENCHU – FOREST DWELLERS KNOWLEDGE SOCIETIES OF OUR BIO-DIVERSITY

[10] THE NATIONAL TRIBAL POLICY, Ministry of Tribal affairs

[11] STEPHEN CORRY, 21st Century, Tomorrows Tribes

[12] C.SUBBA REDDY, 2010, Life of Hunting and Gathering Tribe in Eastern Ghats.

[13] M.L.K.MURTHY, 2004, Comprehensive History and Culture of Andhra Pradesh.

[14] http://censusindia.gov.in/Census_And_You/scheduled_castes_and_sceduled_tribes.aspx [15] http://censusindia.gov.in/Tables_Published/SCST/dh_st_andhra.pdf [16] http://www.pinterest.com/satishnair/tribes-of-india/