2. Traditional Honey Harvesting

Deori et al. / Our Nature (2016), 14 (1): 13-21 Our Nature │December 2016 │14 (1): 13 -21

ISSN: 1991-2951 (Print) Our Nature ISSN: 2091-2781 (Online)

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Traditional honey harvesting by the Pnar community of South Assam, India

Biswajyoti Bikomiya Deori 1, Panna Deb 1,2* , Hilloljyoti Singha 1,2 and Manabendra Ray Choudhury 1

1Department of Ecology and Environmental Science, Assam University, Silchar-788011, Assam, India 2Centre for Biodiversity and Natural Resource Conservation, Assam University, Sichar-788011, Assam, India *E-mail: [email protected]

Abstract Honey obtained from the bee hives is a sweet food and has a great medicinal value. Honey collected from nature by the ethnic communities is an important source of nutri- tion and also contribute to their income generation. Honey collection from the wild is especially done by the indigenous tribe and forest dwellers. The Pnar community liv- ing in Barak Valley, South Assam is also engaged in the collection of honey from the forest, especially during the spring season. The process starts with the gathering of information, followed by the preparation for the activity and subsequently extraction of honey from the bee hive. The technique used by the Pnar community is a challenging one as it involves harvesting of honey from lofty trees in forest with traditionally made gears like bamboo basket, smoke torch and a one bamboo ladder. The indigenous ways involves lining the bamboo basket with leaves for the collection of honey, using smoke to frighten the bee and storage of honey in the bamboo pipes. The present study exhib- its the rich traditional knowledge that has paved the way for a sustainable livelihood since long and at the same time provides income generation opportunity for the community.

Key words : Barak Valley, Bee, Ethnic community, Traditional knowledge

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/on.v14i1.16436

Manuscript details: Received: 27.05.2016 / Accepted: 19.08.2016

Citation: Deori, B.B., P. Deb, H. Singha and M.R. Choudhury 2016. Traditional honey harvesting by the Pnar community of South Assam, India. Our Nature 14(1) :13-21. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/on.v14i1.16436

Introduction another and it includes the sustainable use Traditional knowledge (TK) is the wisdom of natural resources from its surroundings that is passed on from one generation to (Raut et al., 2012). With changing socio- 13

Deori et al. / Our Nature (2016), 14 (1): 13-21 economic conditions, now these wisdoms char, Karimganj and Hailakandi district of are getting eroded day by day. All over the Assam (Tyagi, 2000; Dattagupta et al., world there has been an increasing 2010; Nath et al., 2011; Dattagupta and realization among the scientific community Gupta, 2014). They are mainly agriculturist about the human-nature interaction and known best for their betel leaf cultiva- (Upadhaya et al., 2016). World health or- tion or paan jhum cultivation in the area ganization estimated that almost 80% of (Tyagi, 2000; Dattagupta et al., 2010). world’s population are still dependent upon They possess high indigenous knowledge the traditional usage of natural resources for system in the utilization of the rich plant health care (Upadhaya et al. , 2016). An diversity around them for their daily needs estimated 50 million economically margin- (Samati and Begum, 2006). The Pnar peo- alized forest dwellers in India harvest large ple mainly engage themselves working in quantities of NTFPs for their subsistence as the Paan jhum fields throughout the year well as for trade. Non-timber forest prod- and also collect minor forest products and ucts (NTFPs) are the materials from both wild edible fruits like bamboo, mushroom, plant or animal origin, which is derived firewood and honey from the surrounding from the forest and allied land uses for forest. Though the collection of honey from daily use as well as for income generation the wild is a challenging task, the Pnar (Dattagupta et al., 2014). people with their indigenous ways collect Honey is a delicacy which also has honey efficiently. In this paper, we have substantial medicinal properties; thus, it has documented the traditional techniques a great demand throughout the year espe- opted by the Pnar communities for the col- cially for its Ayurvedic medical utilities lection of honey from the forest. (Demps et al., 2012). In India, honey is obtained mainly from Apis dorsata , A. florea , Methods A. cerana , and A. mellifera . Among these, Study area A. cerana and A. mellifera are cultivated by The present study has been carried out in the people for honey production, while A. the villages of Marwacherra Part I and II dorsata is a wild rock bee and has still not (N24°58'619" E92°56'837", 30 m asl); been domesticated. The collection of honey Bombaithol (25˚03'589"N 092°38'005"E, from the forested landscape is prevalent 49 m asl); Kayang (25°05'101"N mostly among the tribal communities and 92°47'47.6"E, 109 m asl); Nuncheeri forest dwellers viz. Jenu Kuruba of Karna- (25˚01'705"N 092˚42'395"E, 365 m asl); taka, Kurumbas and the Irulas of Nilgiris Durbintilla (24°01'47.4"N 92°46'32.9"E, and the Mowals, an indigenous community 309 m asl); Kochukhal (25˚02'551"N of Sundarban (Demps et al. , 2012). 092˚41'201"E, 332 m asl); Indranagar Pnar or Jaintia community are the (24˚59'12.9"N 092˚51'55.4"E, 49 m asl) subpopulations of Khasi tribes. They are of and Durgacherra (25°01'13.7"N mongoloid race and speak Mon-Khmer dia- 92°46'26.9"E, 109 m asl) located near the lect of an Austric language (Tyagi, 2000). Barail Wildlife Sanctuary (BWLS), Cachar Pnar are mostly concentrated in the Jaintia district in South Assam (Fig. 1). The Hills of Meghalaya with a scattered popula- BWLS is situated in the northern part of the tion in surrounding foothill regions of Ca- Cachar district of Assam and lies along the

Deori et al. / Our Nature (2016), 14 (1): 13-21 foot hills of Barail Hill Range. The villages Results and discussion investigated are inhabited by the Pnar Honey bee types community. The field observations were Pnar people call the honey bee as Um- made from December 2013 to March 2015. ngap . We found four types of honey bees to The forest types of the study area can be be occurring in the study area. Depending broadly classified under 1BC3 Cachar upon the habitat and size of honey bee, the Tropical Wet Evergreen and 2BC2 Cachar Pnar people categorised them into four Tropical Semi-Evergreen forests (Cham- main types: pion and Seth, 1968). The area has a typical i. Ngap-Kwep (Small bee, Apis florae ): subtropical monsoon climate (Anonymous, These are wild in nature and choose 2011). shaded place among bushes and trees for making their hive. The quantity of honey yield is very little ranging about 200-250g per colony (Rahman and Deka, 2008). ii. Ngap-lawe (Large bee, Rock bee, Apis dorsata ): This species is larger in size than all other bee species. It builds a single comb fix to a tree branch or under the roof of rock. Bees cover the comb like a curtain and a colony can yield upto 50 kg of honey. The bee migrates long distances from plains to

Figure1. Map of the study area. hills to avoid dry dearth period and un- favourable weather condition (Rahman Data collection and Deka, 2008). Primary data were collected through the iii. Ngap-rapiang (Medium size, Indian household survey, focused group discus- bee, Apis cerana ): It is a domesticated sion, personal observation and participatory variety of honey bee and available rural appraisal (Cotton, 1996).We tried to throughout the continent. There are dif- document the technique and procedures ferent races of Apis cerana found in In- opted for the collection of honey from the dia. Apis ceranahimalaya , a medium forest. Field visits were made during honey sized honey bee is found in the collection with the local people. The plants Northeastern region of the country. It used in the collection of honey were col- makes hive under the tree hole, rock lected and later identified by consulting hole and even under the ground. The herbaria of Botanical Survey of India, East- honey yield varies from 12 to 15 ern Circle, Shillong, Meghalaya. The honey kg/hive/annum (Rahman and Deka, bees were identified by consulting with ex- 2008). perts from Assam Agriculture University, iv. Ngaosnon (Medium size, Western bee, Jorhat, Assam. The headman and the people Apis mellifera ): This species of bee is interviewed were appraised about the pur- most widely distributed and commer- pose of the study. cially reared honeybee species in the

Deori et al. / Our Nature (2016), 14 (1): 13-21

world. The average honey production hii G.Don ,Pterospermum acerifolium (L.) from this species is between 30-40 Willd etc. kg/hive/annum (Rahman and Deka, Fixing time to extract the honey : There is 2008). usually no fixed time for honey collection, but there is a general belief that during the Techniques of honey extraction full moon, it produces more honey as com- Honey collection is a challenging task as pared to the other time. Depending upon the there is a risk of attacks by the bee. Honey location, the size of the hive and height at collection technique has been passed down which the hive is present in the tree, they from one generation to another. They have fix a time to cut the comb. They mostly been following the age old tradition even in collect honey during the daytime, but the absence of written records and formal sometimes,collection is done during the instruction. The present paper describes the night also when the hive is located very technique of honey collection from the high in the tree or in some precarious posi- hives of Apis dorsata (Ngap-lawe ). The tions. Usually, honey is collected individu- Pnar community mainly collects the honey ally but in case of bigger hives, two to four during the month of March-May (spring persons are involved. season) each year. The process of the honey collection begins with the gathering of in- Tools required for honey collection : The formation followed by time fixation for Pnar people mainly use the knife ( Waip ) in extraction, making arrangements for the the honey collection. Though, there is no required tools and utensils and finally cut- special knife for cutting the comb, but when ting the bee hive and filtration. The process the hive is in the tree hole, they use a spe- is discussed in detail below: cial kind of knife called Waip-erdet (Waip means knife and er-det under the hole) (Fig. Gathering information : They usually gather 2A). For collecting honey from the tree information about the beehive during their they use a bamboo basket called khara work in the betel leaf cultivation field. (Figs. 2B-C). The size of the khara is Whenever they encounter bees flying around 1.5feet.They also use a special kind nearby they focus on a particular bee and of ladder Jinkein made of single bamboo follow its trail. Once the hive is located and (Fig. 2D) to climb tall trees without identified, they fix the plan for honey col- branches. The Jinkein is very characteristic lection based on size, position, and location to the collection of honey from very tall and of the hive. The honey bee usually selects robust trees with less branching. the big trees with profuse branching and spreading crown such as Mangifera sylvati- Procedure for cutting the comb : They use ca L., Artocarpus chaplasha Roxb , Spon- smoke and chase technique for cutting the dias pinnata (L.f.) Kurz , Chrysophyllum comb. The group members distribute the roxburg- work among themselves. They first prepare

Deori et al. / Our Nature (2016), 14 (1): 13-21

Figure 2. Honey collection procedure by Pnar community: A) Knife used during honey collection, B) Khara lined with Phrynium leaves, C) honey collected in a Khara, D) Jinkein used for climbing trees, E) Preparation of smoke torch, F) preparation of torch using Alpinia leaves, G) Man climbing tree with smoke torch, H) Filtration of honey.

Deori et al. / Our Nature (2016), 14 (1): 13-21 a bamboo torch with dry and fresh leaves of defined as non-timber forest products Latar (Phrynium punenurve (Gaertn.) Burtt (NTFPs). NTFP extraction can contribute to produce smoke (Figs. 2E-F).They then positively to sustainable forest management arrange the Phrynium leaves ( Sla-la-met ) in as it provides tangible economic benefits to the khara to collect the honey. They place poor rural communities whilst simultane- Phrynium leaves inside the Khara in such a ously conserving biodiversity (Peters, 1989; manner that the honey does not come out of Kaushal and Melkani, 2005; Mahapatra et it (Fig. 2C). al ., 2005). Since very early times the tradi- The person carrying the bamboo tional societies have a sound traditional torch always covers his face with a piece of knowledge which can be attributed to their cloth and hold the smoking torch while cut- rich experience and close interaction with ting the comb in order to escape from being the natural ecosystem. The knowledge is stung by the bees (Fig. 2G). With the fumes neatly woven into their culture and has per- of the torch, the honey bees generally flee colated from one generation to another and away leaving the hive. The bee hives are played a significant role in shaping their collected during that period very fast. They cultural identity. The traditional communi- will leave some portion of the hive on the ties have always depended on natural re- tree so that the bee can again rebuild its sources and have always been sustainable hive. As soon as the comb is cut, the col- in their approach to handle it. Honey collec- lected hives are immediately placed in the tion by the Pnar community of Barak Val- basket ( Khara ). The persons collecting the ley, located in the southern part of Assam honey will be carrying the bamboo torch provides a similar case of sustainable use of for some time even after climbing down forest resources in the area. Though they from tree to protect himself from the attack collect the honey for personal consumption, of furious bees who had been displaced yet the surplus is often sold and is a good from their hives. In the event of being stung source of income generation. Honey has by the bees, honey is immediately applied tremendous socio-economic value in terms in the affected area to get relief from the of its use in rituals, social, and health bene- pain. fits. The market price of honey varies from Rs. 300-400 per litre in the local markets. Filtration and preservation : The freshly Honey collection is one of the favourite collected honey is a mixture of wax and hobbies and earning source for the commu- sometimes the young bee from the hive are nity. The knowledge pertaining to honey also found. They would then filter the im- collection signifies the rich traditional pure honey for preservation. They filter it knowledge of the ethnic community. with a sieve made from bamboo and pre- The honey collection from wild has serve the honey in a bamboo or a glass jar been a traditional practice maintained by (Fig. 2H). After filtration, if the wax is left different tribes and communities in India in high amount, they use it to prepare can- and neighbouring countries (Zvelebil, 1979; dle. Demps et al., 2012; Sohela, 2013; Singh, Tropical forests provide a large num- 2014). A study in Nagaland reveals that ber of products such as fruit, seed, resin, among the 150 bee keepers, 86% have medicine, wildlife meat and by-products learnt the process of honey harvesting tradi-

Deori et al. / Our Nature (2016), 14 (1): 13-21 tionally (Singh, 2014). In the Nilgiri hills, the other hand used bamboo pipes or empty gathering honey from the wild has been the gourds as receptacles (Zvelebil, 1979) regular occupation of the Kurumbas and the while Jenu Kuruba tribe use basket lined Irulas tribes (Zvelebil, 1979). Honey col- with leaves (Demps et al. , 2012), similar to lecting has been and still is an important the khara used by the Pnar community in economic and ritualistic activity for the Je- Barak Valley, Assam. nu Kuruba tribe in Karnataka, India. The The honey harvesting in the forest is practice is so popular that the tribe is named a risky job, and therefore it is a group activ- after Jenu which means honey in the local ity: three people in Kurummba (Zvelebil, dialect (Demps et al., 2012). Like Jenu Ku- 1979), 3–8 are the most common in Jenu ruba in India, Mowals, one of the indigen- Kuruba (Demps et al ., 2012) and 5-10 ous communities of Sundarban, Bangladesh people in Mowal community (Sohela, is engaged in the honey collection (Sohela, 2013) form the group. The division of la- 2013). bour is practiced among the group mem- The ‘smoke and chase’ technique is a bers. The Mowal community of Bangladesh common practice in the subcontinent; how- adopts a technique similar to that of the ever, there are differences in application Pnar community in the present study depending on the local conditions and wherein they too locate a beehive by availability of natural resources. In Nagal- following the bee (Sohela, 2013). We did and, India, the honey collector would eat not see any rituals being performed by the garlic, ginger and other edible fruits from Pnar community before or during honey the forest and blow the hive to tame the harvesting; however, the Kurumba and Iru- bees (Singh, 2014). In most of the cases, la collectors perform certain rituals one the main collector carries the torch to week before the collection (Zvelebil, 1979). smoke, but Kurumbas adopt a different Women are forbidden to touch anything technique; a person smokes below the hive, used in honey-gathering operations. The old while the main collector descends down generation of Jenu Kuruba tribe sings a from steep rock by a ladder made up of honey collecting song (Demps et al., 2012). wild creeper (Zvelebil, 1979). In Nilgiris, They also use a bamboo ladder, but the they collect honey from bee hive hanging Jinkein used by the Pnar communityis very on huge rocks; hence, they use a rope lad- different; it is made up of a single bamboo, der to swing to reach the hive. In Sundar- with steps made in it by inserting small ban, Bangladesh, the leader climbs up the bamboos into the long bamboo pole. tree to reach the beehive, while another per- The Pnar people restrict the collec- son holds the long stick to make smoke tion of honey only to the spring season of from the ground (Sohela, 2013). However, the year which coincides with the availabil- in the case of Pnar community of Barak ity of flowers everywhere and the honey valley, Assam, the honey collector himself production is also recorded high during that climbs the tree with a bamboo torch to period. Jenu Kuruba tribe from Karnataka smoke and cut the comb. He does almost are found to collect honey during June the entire process by himself, collecting the (Demps et al. , 2012). Thus, by collecting cut pieces of comb in a bamboo basket the money during this time they ensure that (Khara ). The Kurumbas and the Irulas, on they do not disturb the process as they can

Deori et al. / Our Nature (2016), 14 (1): 13-21 start to build fresh hives quickly after get- edge the help received from Mr. Utpal ting dislodged from the present one. More- Kumar Deka Jr. Scientist at Assam Agricul- over, the practice of not destroying the hive tural University, Jorhat India for his help in completely and leaving some portion of it identification oft he bees and sharing his after honey collection to help the bees knowledge on the honey bee. rebuild the hives once more also signifies the sustainable approach followed the References communities. The community should be Anonymous 2011. Management plan of Barail Wild- encouraged to take honey bee cultivation in life Sanctuary, Cachar and Karimganj forest Di- vision . Department of Environment and Forests, a large way to reap more benefits out of Govt. of Assam. apiculture. Champion, H.G. and S.K. Seth 1968. A revised sur- Given the vital links to the basic survey of the forest types of India . Government of vival and culture of many rural communi- India Publications, New Delhi. ties, the sustainable management of NTFPs Cotton, C.M. 1996. Ethnobotany principles and ap- plications . John Wiley and sons Ltd. are widely considered to be a good Dattagupta, S. and A. Gupta 2014.Traditional proc- twinning strategy to biodiversity conserva- essing of non-timber forest products in Cachar, tion. Sustainable management and value Assam, India. Indian J. Tradit. Know. 13 (2): 427- chain development of NTFPs can provide 433. Dattagupta, S., A. Gupta and M. Ghose 2010. Non- holistic contributions, particularly better timber forest products of the Inner line Reserve income for rural forest resource ‐dependent forest, Cachar, Assam, India: dependency and us- communities, biodiversity conservation and age pattern of forest dwellers. Assam University capturing market niches for the local com- Journal of Science and Technology: Biological and Environmental Sciences 6: 21-27. munities. The potential of NTFPs has not Dattagupta, S., A. Gupta and M. Ghose 2014. Diver- been fully realized and harnessed in the sity of non-timber forest products in Cachar Dis- area, either for the development of the for- trict, Assam, India. J. For. Res. 25 : 463-470. doi est or for the betterment of the community. 10.1007/s11676-014-0477-7 Extensive research on honey as a product is Demps, K., F. Zorondo-Rodriguez, C. Garcia and V. Reyes-Garcia 2012. The selective persistence of needed, to evaluate the feasibility of insitu local ecological knowledge: Honey collecting cultivation of NTFP in the area so that with the Jenu Kuruba in South India. Hum. Ecol. maximum benefit could be reaped from the 40 : 427-434. available resources, following the goal of Kaushal, K.K. and V.K. Melkani 2005. India: achiev- sustainable development. ing the Millennium Development Goals through non-timber forest products. Int. For. Rev. 7: 128- 134. Acknowledgements Mahapatra, A.K., H.J. Albers and E.J.Z. Robinson The authors thank the Head, Department of 2005. The impact of NTFP sales on rural house- Ecology and Environmental Science, As- holds’ cash income in India’s dry deciduous forest. Environ. Manag. 35 : 258-265. sam University, Silchar for her support. Nath, B., B.K. Dutta and S.B. Paul 2011. Medicinal Authors are grateful to the villagers of plants used in curing major ailments by the Jain- Marwacherra Part I and II, Bombaithol, tia and Rongmai Naga tribes settled in Barak Val- Kayang, Nuncheeri, Durbin-Tilla, Kochuk- ley. Assam Univ. J. Sci. and Tech.: Biolog. and hal, Indranagar and Durgacherra village for Env. Sci. 7: 27-35. Peters, C.M. 1989. Valuation of an Amazonian rain- sharing their knowledge and demonstration forest. Nature 339 : 655-656. doi 10.1038/ during the field survey. We also acknowl- 339655a0

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