Saurashtra University Re – Accredited Grade ‘B’ by NAAC (CGPA 2.93) Odedra, Nathabhai K., 2009, “Ethnobotany of Maher Tribe In Porbandar District, Gujarat, India”, thesis PhD, Saurashtra University http://etheses.saurashtrauniversity.edu/id/eprint/604 Copyright and moral rights for this thesis are retained by the author A copy can be downloaded for personal non-commercial research or study, without prior permission or charge. This thesis cannot be reproduced or quoted extensively from without first obtaining permission in writing from the Author. The content must not be changed in any way or sold commercially in any format or medium without the formal permission of the Author When referring to this work, full bibliographic details including the author, title, awarding institution and date of the thesis must be given. Saurashtra University Theses Service http://etheses.saurashtrauniversity.edu [email protected] © The Author ETHNOBOTANY OF MAHER TRIBE IN PORBANDAR DISTRICT, GUJARAT, INDIA A thesis submitted to the SAURASHTRA UNIVERSITY In partial fulfillment for the requirement For the degree of DDDoDoooccccttttoooorrrr ooofofff PPPhPhhhiiiilllloooossssoooopppphhhhyyyy In BBBoBooottttaaaannnnyyyy In faculty of science By NATHABHAI K. ODEDRA Under Supervision of Dr. B. A. JADEJA Lecturer Department of Botany M D Science College, Porbandar - 360575 January + 2009 ETHNOBOTANY OF MAHER TRIBE IN PORBANDAR DISTRICT, GUJARAT, INDIA A thesis submitted to the SAURASHTRA UNIVERSITY In partial fulfillment for the requirement For the degree of DDooooccccttttoooorrrr ooofofff PPPhPhhhiiiilllloooossssoooopppphhhhyyyy In BBoooottttaaaannnnyyyy In faculty of science By NATHABHAI K. ODEDRA Under Supervision of Dr. B. A. JADEJA Lecturer Department of Botany M D Science College, Porbandar - 360575 January + 2009 College Code. 212 Phone. - 02062211593 NAVYUG EDUCATION SOCIETY‘S: SETH SHREE N. K. MEHTA TRUST M. D. SCIENCE COLLEGE 2EAR 5AMLAPAR5 6 AER7DR7ME R7AD 6 P7RBA2DAR-360575 Ref 2o . M D 8 Date. 80182009 CERTIFICATE This is to certify that the content of this thesis for the requirement of Ph D degree in Botany entitled, :Ethnobotany of Maher tribe in Porbandar District, Gujarat, India“ is original research work of Mr. Odedra Na habhai Kanabhai (Registration 2o 3525, Date . 318782006 Saurashtra UniversityA who carried out this research work under my supervision I further certify the present work has not been submitted partly or fully to any other university or institute for the award of Diploma or Degree (Dr. B. A. Jadeja) Research guide + Lecturer Department of Botany, M D Science College, Porbandar + 360 575 (GujaratA Forwarded through. (Dr. C. G. Joshi) Principal, M D Science College, Porbandar-360575(GujaratA DECLARATION I the undersigned Mr 7dedra 2athabhai 5anabhai hereby declare that the research work has been carried out on :Ethnobotany of Maher tribe in Porbandar District, Gujarat, India“ is original and the present work has not been submitted partly or fully to any other university or institute for the award of any diploma or degree Date. Place. Porbandar Signature of Candidate (Mr. N. K. Odedra) ACKNOWLEDGEMENT I have immense pleasure in eBpressing my sense of gratitude to my esteemed guide Dr B A Jadeja for his flawless guidance and systematic criticism during the present investigations Ce never treated me as his student but as his colleague I am equally obliged to Dr U S BaBi Cead, Department of Botany, M. D Science College, Porbandar for his constant encouragement and inspiration throughout the tenure My genuine thanks are sprinkled on Dr C G Joshi, Principal of my college for eBtending their fullest co-operation to the completion of my thesis I owe my arrearage to Dr D C Bhatt for his critical suggestions, lending of literature and moral support during my tenure of work I am heartly thanks to my friend Mr A R Modhvadia, for their invaluable co +operation D help during the field work The support and help rendered by my student Dr Govind Chavda, Samat Bapodra, Eaja Ranil in the last phase of the tenure I am highly thankful to C S Eala, 5 B Jadeja and P D Dudharejiya for their unconditional and ever helpful nature especially, in the last phase of the tenure The assistance rendered by Mr Thakar, forester, to go in and around Barda Cills and its surroundings can not be forgotten as without his help, I could not have studied the vegetation in the remote areas My gratitude is also due to the Jila Panchayat of Porbandar for lending various technical details I am even thankful to Mr Rinabhai for lending me the necessary meteorological data from Salinity department of Porbandar My profound reverence is also due to all those local villagers and residents, without their co-operation and helping attitude things would not have been the same I would also like to eBtend my sincere and profound gratitude to my beloved parentsF for encouraging me on occasions when I needed them the most My pranams are due to my brothers Rambhai D Balubhai for his constant encouragement, which was a great source of inspiration to me I am also thankful to my affectionate wife Mrs Manju 7dedra for her encouragement and total support Thanks to my children who never allowed peace to prevail in the house and made me immune to noise Thanks are also due to all those who have not been mentioned by name but nevertheless have been of invaluable help in their inscrutable ways 2athabhai 5 7dedra CONTENTS Lis of Illus ra ions i Abbre.ia ions ii-iv CHAPTER / I INTRODUCTION 1112 1 1 General 1 1 2 7rigin of Ethnobotanic Study 1 1 3 Basic notion of Ethnobotanic Study 2 1 1 Ethnobotany + A Multidisciplinary 2atural Science 2 1 5 Importance of Ethnobotanical Studies 3 1 6 Indigenous People 3 1 7 India + A Gene- rich Bank 1 1 0 Indigenous and Ethnic Community of Gorld 5 1 9 Ethinic Society of India 7 1 10 Global Indigenous and Ethinic Societies Under Assault 9 1 11 Prospects of the Study 10 1 12 Cypothesis 11 1 13 Aims and 7bjectives 11 1 13-1 Aims 11 1 13-2 7bjectives 12 CHAPTER1II THE PRESENT STUDY 13153 2 1 Research site 13 2 1 1 Location 13 2 1 2 Etymology 13 2 1 3 Cistorical and Mythological perspectives 15 2 1 3 1 Carappan Settlement 15 2 1 3 2 Princely Porbandar 15 2 1 3 3 Current Situation 16 2 1 1 Geology 16 2 1 5 Drainage System 16 2 1 6 General Climate 17 2 1 7 Soil 17 2 1 0 Biogeography 17 2 1 0 1 Gujarat 17 2 1 0 2 Porbandar 10 2 1 9 Eegetation 10 2 2 The People Setting 19 2 2 1 The Maher 19 2 2 2 7rigin D Settlements 20 2 2 2 1 7rigin 20 2 2 2 2 Settlements 21 2 2 2 3 Maher Lineages 21 2 2 3 Dialects 22 2 2 1 Cousing Pattern 22 2 2 5 Social Customs 23 2 2 5 1 Birth 23 2 2 5 2 Costumes D 7rnaments 23 2 2 5 3 Marriage System 21 2 2 5 1 Divorce 25 2 2 5 5 Religion 25 2 2 5 5 1 Maher 5uldevi Tradition 26 2 2 5 5 2 Maher Deities 26 2 2 5 5 2 1 Ramdev Pir 26 2 2 5 5 2 2 Eachhara Dada 27 2 2 5 6 Maher Raas 20 2 2 5 7 Death 20 2 2 6 7ccupation 29 2 2 6 1 Agriculture 29 2 2 6 1 1 Agriculture Calendar 30 2 2 6 2 Small Scale Industries 30 2 2 7 Maher Concept of TaBonomy 31 2 3 Methodology 32 2 3 1 Introduction 32 2 3 2 Climatic Eariable 32 2 3 2 1 Rain Fall 33 2 3 2 2 Temperature 33 2 3 2 3 Relative Cumidity 33 2 3 2 1 Gind Speed 33 2 3 2 5 Sun Sine 31 2 3 2 6 Panevoparation 31 2 3 2 7 Soil Temperature 31 2 3 2 0 Gind Direction 31 2 3 3 Ethnobotany 31 2 3 3 1 General 31 2 3 3 2 Literature Survey 35 2 3 3 3 Collection of Data 35 2 3 3 3 1 Enquiry 36 2 3 3 3 2 7bservation 36 2 3 3 3 3 Interviews 36 2 3 3 3 1 Huestionnaire 36 2 3 3 3 5 Informants 37 2 3 3 3 6 Participation 37 2 3 3 1 Miscellaneous 30 2 3 3 5 Laboratory Gork 30 2 3 3 6 The Plan 30 CHAPTER III REVIEW OF THE PREVIOUS WORK 55161 3 1 Eedic and 7ther Literature 51 3 2 Gork on Gujarat 57 3 2 1 Floristic Diversity of Gujarat 57 3 2 2 Ethnobotany of Gujarat 59 CHAPTER1IV OBSERVATIONS 621357 1 1 Introduction 62 1 2 Enumeration of Ethnobotanical Uses 62 CHAPTER V RESULTS AND DISCUSSION 3581373 5 1 The Problem 310 5 2 The Site Characteristic and The Eco-climatic Eariable 319 5 3 The Floristic Catalogue 319 5 1 Physiognomic Classification 352 5 1 1 Cabit 352 5 1 2 Life Form 353 5 5 Medicine 351 5 6 Food 357 5 7 Agricultural Crops 350 5 0 Agricultural Implements 359 5 9 Field Fences 362 5 10 Geather Indicator 369 5 11 Fodder 369 5 12 Fuel 370 5 13 Ethnoveterinary 370 5 11 Domestic Implement 371 5 15 Couse Building 371 5 16 Magico-religious Beliefs and 7fferings 371 5 17 Masticatories 372 5 10 Miscellaneous 373 5 19 Unreported Uses of Plants 373 CHAPTER1VI CONCLUSION 3771380 SUMMARY 3811382 LITERATURE CITED 3831393 APPENDIX1I 3951512 APPENDIX1II 5131521 APPENDIX1III 5221528 APPENDIX1IV 5291536 PLATES 1111 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS Photographs Plate 1 Research Site Plate 2 Ethnobotanically Important Plants Plate 3 Ethnobotanically Important Plants Plate 4 Ethnobotanically Important Plants Plate 5 Sacred Places Plate 6 Life Style Of Maher Plate 7 Marriage Ceremony Plate 8 Folk Uses Plate 9 Agricultural Implements Plate 10 ,ifferent -ind Of Implements Plate 11 Miscellaneous Uses ABBREVIATIONS USED A, annodomini Alc.