A Case Study of Shompens of Great Nicobar Island
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Indian Journal of Traditional Knowledge Vol. 9 (3), July 2010, pp. 551-561 Sustainable management of tropical forest through indigenous knowledge: A case study of Shompens of Great Nicobar Island Kavita Arora Rajiv Gandhi Institute for Contemporary Studies, Rajiv Gandhi Foundation, Jawahar Bhavan, Dr Rajendra Prasad Road, New Delhi 110 001 E-mail:[email protected] Received 6 May 2008; revised 17 November 2009 All over the world tropical forests are depleting at very fast pace. Today, rainforest cover which is less than about 6% of the earth’s land area still contain more than 50% of all species. It is important to preserve this biological diversity. The genetic resources contained in the forests are the common heritage of humankind, and may well prove to be vitally important to the progress and development of the human race. But it is virtually impossible to preserve these resources unless we take the help of indigenous people and their knowledge. In this context, the study aims to provide a glimpse of the vast repository of indigenous knowledge of an autochthons Andamane tribe namely Shompen under lifestyle, knowledge about forest/plants and biodiversity and indigenous methods of forest management. Keywords: Indigenous knowledge, Autochthons, Shompen , Nicobares , Great Nicobar Island, Tropical forest IPC Int. Cl. 8: A61K36/00, A61P1/02, A61P1/04, A61P1/14, A61P11/04, A61P17/00, A61P17/02, A61P19/00, A61P29/00, A61P31/00 The Andaman and Nicobar region has a rich diversity cane, like the Jungli bet (Calamus longisetus ) and Lal of flora, fauna, which have been used by the tribal bet (Kosthalsia laciniosa ) are found all over the region. people for generations. The shompen tribe belong to Luxuriant growth of fern is seen on the banks of mongolid race and inhabit in the Great Nicobar Island. streams. Lush mangrove swamps and sea grass The Great Nicobar Island is the southernmost of the meadows provide the necessary habitat for crocodiles Bay Islands situated between latitude 6˚45’ and 7˚15’ and turtles 2. North and longitudes 93˚38’ and 93˚55’ East, it is the The Nicobaris produce few trees of any commercial largest in area among the Nicobar group of islands. The value as timber, and those probably not in large Great Nicobar Island is blessed with unique flora, quantities: the best of these are Myristica irya and interesting fauna and a network of five rivers Terminalia bialata, and of secondary value in this (Alexandra, Jubilee, Galathea, Amrit Kaur and respect are Minusops littoralis, Hopea odorata, Dogmar). The Great Nicobar Island is considered as a Artocarpus chaplasha, lakoocha (Calophyllum unique zone of biodiversity housing many rare, spectable ), Terminalia procera and species of Garcinia. endangered and endemic plant species 1. The island is Evergreen forest predominates, and mixed forest appears covered with dense forest, full of tropical trees like the only occasionally, but pure leaf-shedding forest is not white chuglam ( Terminalia bialata ); black chuglam met with; and as regards species, there is a marked (Terminalia manii ), mango ( Mangifera silvatica ), absence of Dipterocarpus trees 3. Richly endowed with white Dhup (Canarium euphyllum ), Poon flora, these islands are poor in fauna. For wild mammals, (Calophyllum spectabila ), Jamun (Schizigium sp), they have only the pig ( Sus nicobarensis ), and the black Rudraksh (Eliocarpus gangestus ), and Badam faced grey monkey ( Macacus umbrosus ).Domesticated (Terminalia procera ). Coconut , pandanus (Pandanus animals found on this island are the cat, the dog, the tanctoria ) and Jungli supari (Areca triandra ) are found buffalo, the cow and the goat. The birds found in this in plenty, especially along the coastal belt in the west. area are pigeon ( Muscadivora aenea insularis ), the Besides, there are certain wild edible fruits like the Great Nicobar serpent eagle ( Haematronis cheela Jungli aam ( Mangifera andamanica ), Mohwa or hill Klossi) and Oberholsar’s Nicobar Megapode Mohwa (Bassia butyracea ), Gular (Ficus sp) , cane and (Megapodius Nicobariensis Abbotti ). Besides the above bamboo that also grow profusely. Different varieties of mentioned birds, there are also hens and cocos on the 552 INDIAN J TRADITIONAL KNOWLEDGE, VOL. 9, No. 3, JULY 2010 island. There are a number of lizards, pythons and shompens , which are being lost at a very fast pace. snakes (mostly non-poisonous), and salt water The study is based on secondary sources. The study crocodiles ( Crocodilus palustris ) widely distributed in undertakes a discussion on indigenous knowledge of almost all the creeks and backwaters. The water around tribe under life style, knowledge of forest/biodiversity the island is full of sharks, tuna, mackerel, sardines, ray and methods of forest management. fish, octopi and different varieties of crustacean . This unique zone of biodiversity is also the abode of wood Life style age tribe known as shompen or the Forest Dwellers. It is Life style precisely points to the tribal people’s probable that shompens were the first aborigines to mode of living. The tribal communities are not only occupy Great Nicobar followed by the immigration of forest dwellers but they have also evolved for Nicobarese. At present, the shompens inhabit the interior centuries, a way of life which on the one hand is forest area of the Great Nicobar and maintain economic woven round the forest ecology and forest resources ties with the Nicobarese of coastal Great Nicobar and and on the other ensures that the forest is protected the neighbouring Kondul Island. Despite their recent and against depredation by human and nature. The growing dependence on imports, the shompens have glimpses of their life show that their life is sustained themselves through wise use of natural inextricably linked to forest besides their awareness of resources 4. the surroundings, which provide the basis for the They number just about 398 persons according to development of indigenous knowledge. The shompens the 2001 census. A recent UT Administration survey, live in nomadic bands of 25-30 people. According to however, seems to put their number at 297 including 9 the movements of bands and inter band interactions, persons missing after the December 2004 Tsunami. the Shompen area could be divided into 4 distinct Very little is known about them. Recent unpublished regions/zones, Northern covering Trinket Bay, Laful genetic studies have indicated that the shompen have Bay and Zhavu Nalla; Northwestern covering the different origins from the ordinary Nicobarese, Dogmar and Alexandra river basins; Southwestern although both groups have Mongolid ancestry. The covering the Kokeon, Koshintown and Pulobha ancestral shompen came to Great Nicobar from village regions and Central regions covering the upstream Galathia river basin and camps around the Sumatra, more (maybe much more) than 10,000 yrs 5 ago. The Nicobarese, on the other hand, came from the shompen hut Complex . A small patch of forest about East, from mainland Southeast Asia many thousands of 10-15 m long and 10-15 m wide is cleared by the years later. There is some genetic and linguistic shompens before raising their pile huts. Shompens evidence that the two groups mixed to a limited extent. accomplish the preparation of camp site in less time Earlier suspected links to Negrito populations, with fewer efforts which is required for their nomadic however, have not been found. A peculiarity of the way of life by cutting the tree at a certain height. The shompen discovered in 1967 was that all of 55 trunk of trees are cut from such side that they fall individuals then screened turned out to have blood centrifugal to the site for huts so that generally huge group O in the ABO system. While the Nicobarese trunks do not occupy the small patch of cleared were seafarers and traders and were in contact with the ground. Scaffolding is raised near the tree to stand outside world, the shompen, at least after the and cut the trunk at the required height. The clearance Nicobarese had arrived, were inland people, living of a patch by felling the trees is essential to raise huts hidden lives in the dense jungles of their island with a space is required, but the tropical forest is thick limited contact to the outside world. The Nicobarese therefore felling of trees is needed to get some spac; living on Great Nicobar call the shompen Shamhap . shompens themselves say that clearing of a patch is Indeed, shompen may be a British mispronunciation of essential to avoid possible fatal accidents due to trees that name. The shompen have no common name for falling on their huts as falling of the trees is common themselves; those living on the western side of the and frequent in the forests of Great Nicobar; and the island call themselves kalay, those in the eastern part clearance of patch results in opening of the keyet - with each group calling the other Buaviea . continuous trees canopy thereby allowing the sun to reach the otherwise inaccessible tropical forest ground Methodology and so the direct sun light is available at such camps The study is an attempt to provide a comprehensive where they could grow the tobacco, chilli, lemon and insight into the existing indigenous knowledge of often colocasia. ARORA: INDIGENOUS KNOWLEDGE OF SHOMPENS OF GREAT NICOBAR ISLAND 553 Settlements Bar carrier The huts in which the shompens dwell, although It is a simple wooden bar used for carrying two always built on piles, show considerable differences, and pandanus fruits at a time by the shompen on his vary from a well built floor with a carefully constructed shoulders. The bar-carried on his shoulders with loads roof of palm leaf atop, to a rough platform often placed in deep stuck while they are being carried. against the side of a tree and sheltered by 2 or 3 palm branches fastened to the corners.