Indian Journal of Traditional Knowledge Vol. 5(2), April 2006, pp. 212-216 Commercial Non-timber forest products collected by the tribals in the Palni hills S M John Kennedy St Xavier’s College, Palayamkottai 627 002, Tamil Nadu E-mail: [email protected] Received 29 November 2004; revised 28 March 2005 This study documents the commercial Non Timber Forest Products (NTFPs), collected and marketed by the tribals in the Palni hills. Commercial non-timber forest products are those that are leased out by the Forest Department and the tribals are involved in the collection and sale of these products. The tribals in the Palni hills are collecting a total of 30 products as commercial non-timber forest products. Key words: Non timber forest products, Palni hills, Palliyans tribe, Pulayans tribe, Tamil Nadu IPC Int. Cl.8: A61K36/00, A01f25/00 Evolution of human life and culture has directly or Non-timber forest products refer to all biological indirectly been associated and influenced by the materials other than timber, which are collected from surrounding environment. The primitive people natural forests for human use. Ethnobotanical acquired the knowledge of economic and medicinal researchers have so far brought on record over 500 properties of many plants by trial and error methods. plants as significantly used by the tribals as food, Consequently, they became the storehouse of dyes, tanins, drugs, narcotics, drinks, housing knowledge of many useful plants. This knowledge instruments, weapons, fibres and medicine4. was accumulated and enriched, and passed on from Commercial NTFPs are those products that are leased one generation to another without any written out by the Forest Department and the tribals are document. This knowledge is fast vanishing as a involved in the collection and sale of these products result of rampant deforestation and the displacement (Figs.1-13). Some non-leased products are also of the tribals from their traditional habitats. In this collected and marketed by these tribals. The paper background, this study was undertaken to document deals with the commercial NTFPs. the commercial Non Timber Forest Products (NTFPs) collected and marketed by the tribals in the Palni hills. Methodology The Palni hills in Dindigul district, Tamil Nadu are Data on the NTFPs were collected mainly through an eastward spur of the western Ghats of India Informal interviews with the tribals who are involved (maximum East-West length of 65 km and North- in the collection of the NTFPs, and by accompanying South width of 40 km), situated between 10o 12’ and them in the forests when going for collection. 10o 15’ N and 77o 26’ and 77o 33’ E, covering an area of 2068 sq km1. The first people to live in the Palni Results and discussion hills were the dolmen-builders whose identities are Of 30 products being collected as commercial non- unknown2. The Palliyans and the Pulayans, two timber forest products by the tribals in the Palni hills, primitive tribes, have fled into the Palni hills from the 29 are collected from plants (Table 1). The collected neighbouring plains. Early descriptions refer to them products are sold to the contractors. as nomadic tribes who wore grass and leaves. Many Three notable changes took place in the NTFP 3 sector recently: of them live now permanently in villages . In spite of the rapid changes in the Palni hills, these tribals are • A decline in NTFP resources has been still dependent on the existing forests for the brought about by widespread deforestation collection of the non-timber forest products. and forest degradation. KENNEDY: NON TIMBER FOREST PRODUCTS OF PALNI HILLS 213 214 INDIAN J TRADITIONAL KNOWLEDGE, VOL. 5, No. 2, APRIL 2006 KENNEDY: NON TIMBER FOREST PRODUCTS OF PALNI HILLS 215 Table 1⎯Non Timber Forest Products collected by the tribals in the Palni hills S No Vernacular (Tamil)/ Botanical name Family Parts Seasonal (English) name collected availability 1 Pasam (Rock moss) Politricum densifolium Bryophyta All parts All months 2 Pasam (Bog moss) Funeria hygrometrica Bryophyta All parts All months 3 Pasam (Tree moss) Barbula convoluta Bryophyta All parts All months 4 Kadukkai (Gallnut) Terminalia chebula Combretaceae Fruits Dec-May 5 Nelli (Gooseberry) Phyllanthus emblica Euphorbiaceae Fruits Oct-Jan 6 Thurai pudalai (Passion fruit) Passiflora edulis Passifloraceae All parts Jan-March 7 Injam (Date-palm) Pheonix sylvestris Palmae Leaves All months 8 Injam (Date-palm) Pheonix loureirii Palmae Leaves All months 9 Indu Kodi Acacia ceasia Mimosaceae Bark Jan-May 10 Kattu Milagu (pepper) Piper nigrum Piperaceae Seeds Oct-Nov 11 Mangai (Mango) Mangifera indica Anacardiaceae Fruits April-May 12 Sigakai maram (Soapnut) Acacia sinuata Mimosaceae Fruits April-May 13 Tellikkai Entada pursaetha Mimosaceae Seeds Mar-June 14 Senbagam (Chempak) Michelia champaca Magnoliaceae Flowers June-July 15 Karuppu kungiliam Canarium strictum Asteraceae Seeds Oct-Nov (Black dammar) 16 Kalakkai Carissa carandas Apocynaceae Fruits April-May 17 Malai Shenbagam Michelia nilagirica Magnoliaceae Flowers April-May 18 Poosakkai Sapindus emarginatus Sapindaceae Fruits March-May 19 Vellamarudu Terminalia arjuna Combretaceae Fruits April-May 20 Vengai maram Pterocarpus marsupium Fabaceae Fruits Oct-Jan (Indian kino tree) 21 Kochan kodi (Balloon vine or Cardiospermum canescens Sapindaceae Whole plant All seasons blister creeper) 22 Thailapul (Lemon grass) Cymbopogon flexuosus Poaceae Leaves All seasons 23 Pepper (Milagu) Piper mullesua Piperaceae Seeds April-May 24 Thatpoot kodi Passiflora calcarata Passifloraceae Whole plant All seasons 25 Nei kottan maram Lepisanthes tetraphylla Sapindaceae Fruits March-April 26 Samburani maram Styrax benzoin Styraceae Sap All seasons (Benzoin tree) 27 Elam (Wild cardamomum) Eletaria cardamomum Zingiberaceae Seeds January-March 28 Kattu chiragam Vernonia anthelmintica Asteraceae Seeds Oct-Nov (Wild cumin seeds) 29 Koonthapanai Caryota urens Arecaceae Leaves All seasons (Dwarf palm tree) 30 Then (Honey and wax) ⎯ ⎯ ⎯ March-May • Commercialization of the rural economy subsidies, and regulations and development has resulted in the increased penetration of schemes. the market economy into all aspects of rural All these changes led to a three-sided exploitation life. of the tribals: • Institutional changes have been imposed by • Low price given for the products collected. Government affecting forest land classifi- • Lending money in lean months in order to get cation and associated regulations, land tenure NTFPs at very low prices in the harvesting arrangements, hunting and collecting permit season. and royalty systems, trade and industry • Cheating in measurement. 216 INDIAN J TRADITIONAL KNOWLEDGE, VOL. 5, No. 2, APRIL 2006 Of the total wage employment in the forestry References sector, NTFPs have accounted for more than seventy 1 Krishnan M S, Physiographic characteristics of Peninsular per cent5. Seventy per cent of NTFPs collected are Ranges, in: Mountains and Rivers of India, Law, B C (ed), (21st Int Geogr, New Delhi), 1968, 88-95. from the seven states of Maharashtra, Madhya 2 Victor Rosner, Dolmens in the Anamalai Hills, South India, Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Orissa and in: Anthropos: International Review of Ethnology and Andhra Pradesh, where 65% of the tribal population Linguistics, LIV, 1959, 181. live6. Thirty five per cent of the earning of the 3 Edgar Thruston, Castes and Tribes of Southern India, Vol IV, (Government Press), 1909, 169-70. tribals in a district of Gujarat and up to 38% in 4 Jain S K, Ethnobotanical Research Unfolds New Vistas of Madhya Pradesh has been found to come from those Traditional Medicine, in: Glimpses of Indian Ethnobotany, 7 NTFPs . (ed.) Jain S K, (Oxford & EBH Publishing Co, New Delhi), 1981, 13-36. For tribal people, the key to their survival is 5 Gupta T & Guleira A, Some Economic and Management recognition of their rights, the rights to the inalienable Aspects of a Non Wood Forest Product in India: Tendu collective ownership of their traditional territories; leaves, (Oxford & IBH Publishing Co., Pvt. Ltd., New their right to an acceptance of the legitimacy of their Delhi), 1982. own institutions and systems of decision making. 6 Guha R, Forestry in British and Post-British India, Econ Pol Wkly, VII 18, 1983, 45-46. Tribal cooperatives, if formed for NTFPs can be 7 Anonymous, Report of Committee on Forest and Tribals in actively involved in the sustainable management of India, Ministry of Home Affairs, (Government of India, New the forest resources in the Palni hills. Delhi), 1982, 19. .