Ethnography of Agency Goudu Tribe in Andhra Pradesh Sponsored by Department of Tribal Welfare Government of Andhra Pradesh V.SUBRAMANYAM (Rtd) Project Consultant CENTRE FOR ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL STUDIES N.O. Campus, Begumpet, Hyderabad – 500 016. Web: www.cess.ac.in, email: [email protected], Phone: 040-23402789, 23416780, fax: 040-23406808 2020 i Ethnography of Agency Goudu Tribe in Andhra Pradesh Sponsored by Department of Tribal Welfare Government of Andhra Pradesh V.SUBRAMANYAM (Rtd) Project Consultant Research Team S.Narayanarao & S.Srinivas CENTRE FOR ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL STUDIES N.O. Campus, Begumpet, Hyderabad – 500 016. Web: www.cess.ac.in, email: [email protected], Phone: 040-23402789, 23416780, fax: 040-23406808 2020 ii CONTENTS Title/ Sub-Title Page No List of Tables vi Preface vii Acknowledgements ix Abbreviations x CHAPTER-I 1-12 Introduction Problem and Tribal Background-The Concept Ethnography-Frame Work for Ethnographic Study- Ethnographic Methods – Pastoralism - Aim and Objectives of Study- Methodology- Argumentation. CHAPTER-II 13-28 HABITAT, ECOLOGY AND CULTURAL LIFE Population and its distribution Dwellings- Racial and Physical Characterstic Features.- Flora and Fauna- Climate and Rainfall- Food habits-Smoking- Drinking, Dress and Ornaments, Leisure, Recreation and Child play, Sanitation, Hygiene, Disease and Treatment- Common Ailments – Background of Lakkaguda- Education and Literacy CHAPTER-III 29-52 SOCIAL ORGANIZATION Background- Social Divisions Family, Clan, Kinship and Other Analogous Divisions- The Clan Organization-kinship terms- inter family relationship- Status of Women- Child rearing Practices Social Countrol- Norms - Folk Ways and Mores, Ideal- Behaviour- Rituals (Life Cycle Ceremones), Birth- Puberty- Marriage- Widow Remarriage -Divorce- Death iii CHAPTER-IV 53-68 ECONOMIC ORGANIZATION Economic Resources – Land Utilization- Livestock Factors influencing on the Economic life of Agency Goudu - Transport Communication – Marketing Facilities-Girijan Cooperative Corporation - Sources of Finance - Occupational Background of Respondents- Size of landholdings of Sample Households - Economic Status of Sample Households - Agriculture and Agricultural Practices, Rotation of Crops, Crop Calender- Agricultural Implements - Mutual Assistance and exchange of Labour in Farming. CHAPTER-V 69-75 POLITICAL ORGANIZATION Structure of Social Control - Prestige and Leadership Traditional Political System Muthadari System- Sador (Public Meeting Place) Modern Political System Democratic Decentralization CHAPTER-VI 76-82 RELIGIOUS ORGANIZATION Religion- Religious beliefs and Practices Sankudemudu- Gangademudu- Nandi demudu Pedda demudu- Jakara demudu- Chaitra or Vitting (Etum) Festival – Modukondamma Temple and Fair CHAPTER-VII 83-91 ART AND MATERIAL CULTURE Procedure and Material used in house Construction - Utilization of House- Household utenisils and Domestic goods - Agricultural implements - Musical Instruments iv CHAPTER-VIII 92-100 DEVELOPMENT AND CHANGE Tribal Situation and Development Policies – Programmes, Development and change in specific to Role of ITDA and Non-Government Agencies, Agency Goudu tribe - Infrastructural facilities and Development- Education and Development- Social and Cultural change- Social Reforms and Welfare. CHAPTER-IX 101-107 SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION BIBLIOGRAPHY 108 PHOTOGRAPHS 110 v LIST OF TABLES Table Title Page No No 2.1 District, Mandal and village wise number of Agency Goudu households 15 covered in the study 2.2 Age and Sex wise population in Lakkaguda 24 2.3 Family Size in Goudu tribe in Lakkaguda 25 2.4 Family type in Lakkaguda 25 2.5 Eductional status of head of households in Lakkaguda 26 2.6 Annual income of families in Lakkaguda 26 2.7 Annual expenditure pattern of the househols in Lakkaguda 27 3.1 Type of families in the households covered in field villages (Study 31 Area) 3.2 Family size among the Agency Goudu in the filed villages (Study Area) 35 4.1 Size of land holding among Agency Goudu families in the field villages 59 (Study Area) 4.2 Annual income of Agency Goudu househols in field villages (Study 60 Area) 4.3 Annual family expenditure of Agency Goudu households in field 61 villages (Study Area) 4.4 Annual savings of Agency Goudu families in the filed villages (Strudy 62 Area) 4.5 Incidence of indebtedness among Agency Goudu families in the filed 63 villages (Study Area) 4.6 Crop calendar 66 8.1 Educational background of Agency Goudu tribe in filed villages (Study 98 Area) vi PREFACE Ethnographic studies gained much importance in the discipline of Anthropology since its origin and growth. The pioneer Anthropologists like Malinowski, RadcliffeBrown, Franz Boas, Varrier Elwin and Haimendorf were practically used and demonstrated applicability of ethnographic method in documentation of human cultures through empirical research with field work, along participant observation. The Colonial Administrators in India during their regime (rule) also felt the need of understanding the ethnographic (cultural) background of different ethnic groups (caste communicaties) of India, for an effective administration in local people perspective. Edgar Thurston (1909) was appointed by the colonial rulers for this purpose, and who documented the cultures of all caste communities and published it in number of volumes titled “Castes and Tribes in India”. Since then the ethnographic studies has achieved administration significance along with the academic value. In the beginning the Anthropologists started to document the cultures of unknown people of primitive communities, later which become the prime subject matter of social and cultural Anthropology. For planning and development of any human group across globe, it is very essential to understand ethnographic (cultural) background of mankind in both etic and emic perspectives inorder to initiate effective action orientation programmes for their upliftment and betterment. After bifurcation of the combined Andhra Pradesh State into Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, the administrators of Tribal Welfare department in Andhra Pradesh noticed the inadequacy of ethnographic information availability on certain tribal communities. Agency Goudu is one such tribal communities lacking detailed and descriptive ethnographic information. Hence, this ethnographic study on Agency Goudu tribe has achieved significance and came into operation with the financial support of Tribal Welfare Department of Andhra Pradesh, in assistance of Centre for Economics and Social Studies, Hyderbad. It is a project consultancy work assigned to me by the Centre for Economics and Social Studies, Hyderabad, during the financial year 2017-2018. Agency Goudu is one of the Pastoral tribe of Andhra Pradesh and its population mainly concentrated in the Scheduled areas of Visakhapatnam, Vizianagram and Srikakulam districts. As per people of India project report (2003), there are 635 tribal groups in our country, distributed in almost all the states except Harayana and Punjab. Among the total tribal communities only a few pastoral tribes are found in India. In Andhra Pradesh State vii once Lambada / Sugali tribe was considered as pastoral tribe. Now this tribe is primarily depending on Agriculutre, most of the families in lambada / sugali tribe owning agricultural lands. A few families have cattle wealth. The habitats of this tribe mostly found in the plain areas. It is treated as one of the plain tribes of Andhra Pradesh. Agency Goudu habitats are found in the hill tracts of north coastal Andhra Pradesh. It is a minor tribal group consists of 7749 people. Many families in this tribe now depend largely on agriculture but almost all the families have cattle in varied number. A considerable number of people in the community engaged as cow herds, which is another source of income to them, apart from agriculture and minor forest produce collection sources of income. The Agency Goudu or Goudu population also found in the neighbouring state Orissa, mainly concentrated in Koraput district. In Orissa most of the Goudu caste settlements are found in the plain areas and they have established symbiotic relationship with other castes of multi caste villages. Goudu caste in Orissa is a pastoral caste and claiming descent from the god Sri Krishna. The Agency Goudu in Andhra Pradesh state also claiming their descent from the god Srikrishna. The Agency Goudu people in the study area told that their ancestors were migrated to the Agency areas of Andhra Pradesh from Nandapur, Koraput of Orissa state and settled here. The Agency Goudu people in the study area speak corrupt form of Oriya, along with the regional lanagauge Telugu. They claim that their mother tongue is ‘Oriya’. At present their economy is agro-forest based and still largely considered as subsistence economy. Age old customs and traditions still persist in Agency Goudu society even today. The impact of modernization is very limited on this tribe due to geographical isolation. Still many settlements lacking proper infrastructural facilities like road, eletricity, clean drinking water and health. Still a section of Agency Goudu is not access to education and health facilities. A considerable number of Goudus are not availing the public and civic amenties. The impact of development programmes on this tribe is very limited and development taking place in a slow pace manner due to lapses at implementation level, geographical and ecological constraints. They are not fully participating in the ongoning development process due to economic deprivation,