Chapter I Introduction

Chapter I Introduction 1. Introduction The Poumai Naga is one of the oldest and largest Naga tribe in Manipur. The Poumai Naga country is geographically situated in Senapati District, Manipur and four villages from Phek District in Nagaland. The Poumai country in Senapati district is bordered by Phek district, Nagaland on the north, Ukhrul district on the east, Tadubi sub-division on the west and Saikul sub-division on the south. Manipur state is situated in North Eastern States of India and became a full-fledged state in 1972. It is bordered on the North by Nagaland state, on the East by Myanmar, on the South by Myanmar and Mizoram and on the West by Assam and partly by Mizoram. According to Hill house tax records, the total population of Poumai tribe in 2001 was 1, 51,005 (including the Poumai in Nagaland). About 95.5% of the total population of Poumai resides in the iSenapati district of Manipur, including the four villages in Phek district. The Poumai Naga tribe is one the most important tribes in Manipur and Nagaland since times immemorial. Their Poiili (Poumai Earthen) and Poutai (Pou salt) production were well known to the entire tribal areas in Manipur and Nagaland since ancient time. Even today, Pouli and Poutai are still produced in Poumai Naga villages. There are some Naga tribes like Mao, Angami and Chakhesang who used the Pouli in some religious rites and ritual and without the Pouli - their religious rites and rituals are incomplete. The Central Government of India had recognized Poumai Naga as a separate tribe in 2002, under the Constitution of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled tribe Order (Amendment) Act 2002, which was earlier under the Mao Tribes. In Poumai Naga villages - about 43% of the total villages have no bus service and about 10% of the total villages have no jeepable road linking to other villages. There are many villages, which cannot even ply a jeep in the rainy season. People located in the villages located in the dense forests in the central and eastern parts have still to travel on foot for about 5-6 hours to catch a bus from the nearest bus station located in the other villages. By the late 1990, there were some changes with respect to transportation and communications, which have brought little ease to some villages. 1.1 Justification for selection of the research topic Though abundant literature on the tribals of India is available, studies at the micro-level for specific tribes or for smaller tribal areas conspicuous by their absence. Such studies are vital, if meaningful schemes for the uplift of these marginalized and isolated groups are to be formulated to bring them into the mainstream of Indian society. No doubt the Central and State Governments and NGOs are working hard for the welfare of tribal groups, yet little progress is evident in their socio-cultural and economic life, even after 50 years of different development programs and welfare schemes implemented for the scheduled tribes. This is attributed to lack of understanding of the micro level differences, which exist in their socio-cultural and geographical setting and their mode of interacting with the environment they inhabit. Such constraints render the standardized development schemes less meaningful in bringing in the desired results for improving their lot. This study intends to address such issues. Having raised these questions, the objective of this research is to make grass roots level assessment of the status of development: both socially and in terms of the economic resources they own, and their ability to exploit them. The assumption being that these may differ greatly within the same area, between different tribes. However, there is no denying the fact that even the most primitive tribes, located in the remotest of places are changing in their life style and also undergoing modernization in many respects. In view of the above, it is necessary to study the socio cultural and economic changes that have taken place among different tribes individually and collectively, within distinct ecological (tribal) areas. This will lead to a better understanding of the underlying processes leading to differential development scenarios within the same milieu. All planning agencies need to be aware of these subtle inter and intra-area differences that exist within tribes in specific tribal areas for devising more pragmatic development programs. The various schemes launched by the central government for rural development in India being cast in a standardized format can hardly be effective at the grass roots level for tribal areas. This is because in the case of tribal groups, their attitude to development schemes is in conflict with their tradition bound beliefs which may not necessarily be rational since they are based on age old beliefs Thus for effective implementation of plans, the central government needs to reconsider some of these important aspects given below: Firstly, the geographical location of different tribes in different geographical locations needs to be thoroughly surveyed before any schemes or plans are designed by the government. This will help prepare environmentally sustainable schemes and prevent ftirther degradation of the environment, which is currently taking place at alarming rates with rising pressure of population. For example, the schemes and plans launched by the government for the tribal belts in the Western Ghats may not be suitable for the tribal behs in the northeastern tribal region and vice-versa. Secondly, the receptivity and mindset of the tribals need to be studied before the launch of any schemes. In different geographical locations, different tribes have built up their own unique societies, cultures and economies. Many of the tribal people are not very flexible and tend to be suspicious and unreceptive to governmental schemes and plans, which may not be totally unfounded, as they perceive such intervention an invasion into their sacred domain. If the tribes fail to accept the schemes, their cooperation and involvement, which is so crucial to the success of any scheme, will hardly be forthcoming. The program naturally does not bring in the desired results. In many an instance they themselves scuttle all efforts to bring in any change. For example, the tribals sorely need medical help and education, but since a large number still believe in age-old superstitions, they do not let such initiatives succeed to improve their lot. Thirdly, authentic database for smaller tribal areas or individual tribes is hardly collected and hence unavailable. This is very important for the success of any scheme or and plan. Many people have undertaken research on tribals at the macro level but few studies exist at the micro level. Fourthly, though the government had been launching different schemes and plans for over all rural development since independence, the results leave much to be desired are not up to expectation, due to lack of proper implementation and management of the schemes and plans. The state and central government need to actively involve the non governmental organizations (N.G.O's) that have better rapport with the beneficiaries due to the scale at which they operate. The central and state governments have a bigger role to play in drawing up the planning framework, while the Non-govemmental organizations can play a better role in the implementation of schemes launched by the government. In the northeastern region, (the study area) Christian church leaders can play an important role in implementation of the government schemes and plans. In the over all assessment it has been observed that area specific and trjfee specific models can be more effective in meeting development objectives in the context of tribal areas. Thus once again, reiterating the need to have the database for individual tribes at the micro level for speedy and proper implementation of schemes. In response to the above, the researcher decided to study the Poumai Naga tribe, which is one of the major tribes amongst the Naga tribes in Northeast India. The added advantage was the researcher himself hails from the Northeast and is familiar with the study region. Another important reason for choosing this particular tribe was that the researcher belongs to the Poumai Naga tribe, so communication with the locals will not pose a problem while collecting information during field surveys. The researcher also having grown up in the area has some notion of the problems, being somewhat acquainted with the different issues, which need to be addressed for the development of this particular tribe. 1.2 Research Methodology 1. Secondary data was collected (from published sources) to derive generalizations on the status of tribals in the study area. 2 Oral histories, like legends, folklore and folk songs were recorded by interviews with elders. 3 Micro-level data was collected for select sample villages, with household as the unit of investigation, to help develop generalizations on different sectors of the tribal economy. 4 Primary data (based on personal interviews and field work on various aspects of target groups) was used for drawing inferences presented in the findings from the study. 1.3 Aims and objectives 1. To study the socio-cultural and economic patterns of the past and the present 2. To study the contemporary changes in the socio-cultural and economic life of Poumai Nagas 3. To study when and how the socio-cultural and economic change took place and what were the drivers of change. 4. To study the impact of change and the directions of change in that case of Pumai Naga. 5. To build a suitable model for sustainable development of the Poumai Nagas after assessing the performance of various schemes 1.4 Hypothesis 1. The British intervention in head hunting is one of the main reasons for the initial changes that took place in the socio-cultural and economic life of the Poumai Naga 2.

Load more