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Ethnic Identity and Forest Preservation: a Sociological Enquiry on Sundarbans, West Bengal

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Ethnic Identity and Forest Preservation: a Sociological Enquiry on Sundarbans, West Bengal NSOU-OPEN JOURNAL ISSN: 2581-5415 Vol.2 No.2 (July 2019) A multidisciplinary Online Journal of Netaji Subhas Open University, INDIA Ethnic Identity and Forest Preservation: A Sociological Enquiry on Sundarbans, West Bengal SubarnaKarmakar Ph.D. Research Scholar Department of Sociology University of Kalyani, India E-mail: [email protected] Abstract Sundarbans is a world Heritage site. It is an abode of thousands of animals and trees. The mangrove forest is the source of livelihood of the inhabitants of Sundarbans. Their dependence on the forest is historical. Through generations, they have built this 'we-feeling' as forest-dwellers. Their unique way of life is preserved in their cultural traits. 'Bonbibi' myth is one of the examples where the forest life of Sundarbans is portrayed adequately. The strong ethnic feelings lead to the preservation of mangrove forests of Sundarbans as these people think that they have nothing beyond this forest. Now-a-days, they are promoting plantation of trees through collective action. Along with this, Govt. initiatives have helped to improve the preservation of mangrove forests of Sundarbans. The environment makes their life vulnerable and this vulnerability binds them together. Unitedly, they fight with everyday problems. This physical unity brings cultural bonding. The mangrove forest is a companion to their struggle. This natural connection between human and forest promotes the sense of preservation among the human being. For this present study, qual-quanto method has been adopted. Both, secondary data and primary data have been used for this present study. Primary data has been collected through interview method. Keywords:Ethnic Identity,Mangrove Forest, Preservation, Sundarbans. Introduction culture through their songs, art, religions and Geo-social aspect is responsible for our myths. Their identity cannot be isolated from livelihood. Our environment makes us the the forest. Though initially during the British way we are. The mangrove forest of West rule, the British men encouraged to clear out Bengal, the Sundarbans plays a pivotal role in the forest for making human habitat the life of the inhabitants. These people (Chakrabarti, 2009) but gradually people depend on the natural resources of the realised the importance of forest in their life mangrove forest. This dependency makes a and inclined on preservation. The present strong bond between these people and the paper tries to find the connection between world heritage site, the Sundarbans. Through the ethnic identity of the inhabitants and the generations, they recognise themselves as preservation of the mangrove forest of the forest-dweller. The Sundarbans is a unique Sundarbans. forest in many ways, it is the only mangrove wetland tiger habitat in the world (WWF, Objectives 2010), it is an abode of crocodiles, buffaloes, The major objectives of this paper are- cats, deer, sharks, Gangetic dolphins, snakes, To explore the ethnic identity of the red crabs etc. (Sarkar, 2010). On the one inhabitants of the Sundarbans hand, the inhabitants have to fight with To analyze how this ethnic identity is linked environment for the survival as well as they with the mangrove forests have to depend on the environment for their sustenance. This livelihood reflects in their To find out whether this ethnic identity has Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh) were any effect on forest preservation of the encouraged by these lease-holding Sundarbans landowners to settle in the Sundarbans. The Methodology forests were cleared by these people for For this present study, qual-quanto method developing the land. Clearing of forest began has been adopted. The researchers have a decade after and was initiated by Tillman relied on both primary and secondary data for Henkel, the then Magistrate of Jessore the study. For secondary data, an influx of district, presently in Bangladesh. This is the secondary sources have been reviewed, history of human settlement in a nutshell analyzed and relevant data have been (Centre for Science and Environment, 2012). incorporated in the study. Primary data has been collected from fifty respondents of Uttar Ethnic Identity of the People of the Haripur village and Patibunia village, Sundarbans Namkhana block, South 24 Parganas. Occupations, Nature and Folk Culture Purposive sampling has been used. Those who The largest mangrove forests in the world, the are dependent on the forest for their Sundarbans is an abode of the Royal Bengal livelihood are selected as respondents. Data Tiger, snakes, crocodiles and other animals has been collected through interview method. which make it a dangerous area for the human being. People are struggling daily Review of Literature there to make out a living and they are always Human Settlement in the Sundarbans in fear and anxiety for survival. The popular There are some disagreements among the occupations of the Sundarbans are cultivation, scholars regarding the settlement in the honey collection, fishing etc. Honey collection Sundarbans. Some scholars said that scattered is a risky occupation as sometime the honey human settlement was there in the collector or moulebecomes the victim of the Sundarbans during 8th century and a theory of tiger. Often, these kinds of tragedies are depopulation of the Sundarbans in the Middle happening in the Sundarbans that an entire Ages was prominent. Various reasons have village has come to be known as bidhobaar been forwarded like earthquakes that led to a gram or Village of Widows. Fishers in the sudden subsidence of the land, attacks carried rivers are also not in comfort. Along with out by Portuguese and Arakans, and a hostile storms, they have another anxiety, crocodiles. environment(Ghosh, 2015). From A. D. 1200, The female family members, back at home, sufi holy men cleared the forests of the “perform the kumirbrata, a folk ritual aimed northern and eastern part of the delta and at appeasing the giant reptiles” (Sarkar, 2010). introduced agriculture (Eaton, 1993). Some We can see a unique occupation, Tiger other scholar said thatin the seventeenth and Charmer or bauley. The tiger charmer is eighteenth centuries, “Sundarbans rivers were believed to have the ability to control tigers. inhabited in semi-permanent ways by The tiger charmers have to follow ‘Islamic fishermen, woodcutters, pirates, paddy Rules’ like not entering the forests in Fridays cultivators and salt makers who lived on (jumma), prohibiting themselves from eating boats” (Jalais, 2010). Though there are pork or crab, refraining themselves from debates on the timing of first settlements, lending or borrowing money with interest. permanent human habitation was enabled Mainly the honey collectors appoint them through the clearing of the forest that started while going to the forests. The tiger charmers in the late 19th century and continued through have the toughest role of ‘negotiating to the 20th century. The British collector between groups of humans and non-humans’ general Clod Russell planned to divide the (Jalais, 2010). forest land into plots and lease them out to landlords in 1771. Poor farming communities The PunthiLiterature from various parts of Bengal as well as from To know about the early days of Sundarbans, neighbouring states (presently Odisha, Bihar, one has to depend on the punthi. Thepunthiliterature of lower deltaic Bengal Briefly, we will discuss about the two deities. focused on gods and goddesses of the Sundarbans. The literature reflects the Dokkhin Rai elements of the Sundarbans. The theme of DokkhinRaiis known as the lord of the tigers the literature is the ‘struggle between and is worshipped in the Sundarbans. There humanity and nature’. Punthiliterature talked are several stories regarding the Dokkhin Rai. about the marginal sections of the population. In one of the stories, DokkhinRaiis considered “Their beliefs stood apart from mainstream as the son of the shiva. “The head of the Hinduism and Islam” (Basu, 1966). Ganesa when severed from his body fell in the Folk religion which is represented by local southern (or dokkhin) direction to become a syncretic cults has a distinctive existence of its deity”(Basu, 1966). In another story own.Woodcutters, honey gatherers, beeswax (BanabibirJahuranama), Dokkhin Rai is gatherers, boat builders and desperate believed as the demon king of the forests cultivators believe in the gods and goddesses (Ghosh, 2004). of this folk religion(Jalil). The man in the forest can ‘identify himself’ with these deities. The Bonbibi original source of religion is fear. Human Bonbibi is the deity of the forests, protector of beings worship those which they fear most. the all. It is a unique thing related to Bonbibi The inhabitants of the Sundarbans are not is that bothHindu and Muslims people believe exceptional in this. The most ferocious animal in her divine powers. Though both religious in the Sundarbans is the Royal Bengal Tiger. communities worship her but there are The central focus in the punthi is the man’s differences in their rituals. Muslims call her struggle against wild animals, especially tigers. ‘Bonbibi’ and for Hindus, she is ‘Bonodebi’ The tiger is considered in one hand as (Roy, 2007). Muslims create the idol of ‘monstrous foe’ and a ‘subordinate deity’ on Bonbibias a young girl of a Muslim family, the other hand(Sarkar, 2010). they offer her red flags. Hindus worship her as According to Hunter, almost all the a mother goddess, leaving offerings before inhabitants are ‘either Hindus or Muslims’. clay likenesses. In both cases, the idol is The Hindus are mainly from the Sudra castes: ornamented with wild flowers and creepers Napit, Kaibarta, Pod, Chandal, Jalia, Tior, on her head and neck which signify her deep Dhoba, Jogi, Suri and Kaora.There are roots to the wild forests (Mitra, 1923). This different categories among Muslims also: shared worship is not a simple equation but Shaikhs, Sayyids, Pathans(Hunter, 1973). reflects something else: a shared dependence These people have to depend on the forest on the forest and a very practical need for for their livelihood.
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