Sustenance and Sustainability: Economic Life of the Karbi

Geographical Journal of Nepal

The processes of nature-culture interaction and resulting landscapes in an area form fertile fields for geographical research. The present study is an attempt to analyse the reciprocal relation between people and nature in a tribal village environment of the Brahmaputra Valley, Assam. Based on intensive field survey and interviews with the inhabitants, the study reveals that the human-environment relationship in the village is still mutually helpful and more or less sustainable. However, perceptible changes have occurred in the traditional cordial relationship between the people and their environment in respect of habitat, economy and mode of living mainly due to the growing influence of modernization.

Bamboo, one of the precious plant resources of the earth, plays a cardinal role in influencing civilised life patterns in Southern and Eastern Asian countries, where they are found in abundance. It has a long history in people's lives as cultural material. India is the second richest country in the generic bamboo resources after China. In India, bamboo is one of the most important forest species and has a wide distribution throughout the country and contributes to the rural economy. The NorthEastern region of India has a rich diversity of bamboo. It is integral to the life and culture of the ethnic communities of this region. In this area, the usage of bamboo made it an indispensable commodity for the rural people. The Karbi tribe of the Assam State of India has a rich cultural heritage of arts and crafts. They are masters in the skilful tradition of bamboo craft. Bamboo is an indispensable part of their livelihood mostly in food, shelter, household items, basketry, fishing gear, musical instrument, medicine, furniture and other various ethno-religious purposes. Various bamboo craft traditions of the community get the most creative expression through skill and the traditional knowledge of craftsmanship. This knowledge is essentially community-specific and restricted to the community and is accumulated through long interaction with the environment. Nowadays, this craft tradition is on the verge of extinction due to many reasons. Therefore, it is a timely requirement to document this craft tradition associated with the traditional knowledge system and wisdom. The present study has been designed in this context. During the study, standard anthropological methods have been applied. The present paper is based on the authors' empirical findings, and it probes into the cultural heritage of bamboo crafts of the Karbi community, which is governed by traditional knowledge and skills through empiricism. The paper also focuses on the importance and cultural significance of bamboo within the said community. The study also highlights this craft tradition's present scenario and provides recommendations to revive this heritage tradition.

The paper is a case study of Raghurajpur which is a heritage crafts village in the district of Puri in the state of Odisha. This village is recognized for its folk art called Pattachitra, an art form which dates back to 5 th Century B.C. and Gotipua dance which existed as a predecessor before the emergence of Odissi dance and is hence the home of a prominent visual art as well as a performing art. The artisans of this village are also engaged in crafting various other craft objects like wooden toys and masks, palm leaf engravings, wood carvings, etc. These activities have provided them income opportunities outside their state and even in foreign lands. The master dancer Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra, belonging to this village, is the person responsible for the popularity of the Odissi dance form today. The village was given the status of heritage village, the first in the state, by INTACH in the year 2000. Though the state government has attempted to improve the physical conditions so as to make them tourist friendly but the impacts of these interventions have been. The purpose of the research is to show how the practices and traditions of the residents make it an open air museum for the outsiders but a home for the residents. These practices are also the very essence of sustainability, a trend catching up throughout the world, as seen from the raw materials used in the painting process, in the colours, canvases, etc. and the manner in which the painting is done. This is an example of the complex relationship which the village shares with the environment and is exclusive to the place, making it an important focus of rural tourism in the state.

Text, 2020

Northeast India is a region defined by diverse and ancient tribal communities, by fertile lands and rice-based agriculture. This article presents the eri silk weaving communities of the Ri Bhoi district in Meghalaya, examining how artisanal knowledge exists and interacts alongside the natural environment and the shifting social world. It explores where it resides, how is it used, and how is it transmitted. It positions handspun and handwoven eri silk textiles as the product of a sustainable lifestyle, as indicators of social change and as tangible expressions of an interethnic identity. The interaction between the Karbi, the Khasi Bhoi and the Khadar Lyngdoh tribes of the Ri Bhoi district is the ethnographic focus of this article. Textiles, techniques and motifs are identified to illustrate cultural assimilation within the Ri Bhoi district, forming an identity that moves beyond the rigid framework of distinct ethnic identity. This article draws on doctoral research on the eri silk weavers of the Ri Bhoi district and sustained interaction with the artisans in different capacities; as a textile consultant prior to the research and as an entrepreneur and friend beyond fieldwork.

Cathy Lynne Costin in this article “Craft and Social Identity” draws attention on the formation of social identity by craft; to understand the meaning of identity and social network relationship by craft. Crafting and craft objects intersect with all cultural domains: economic, social, political, and ritual (Costin: 2008). Craft goods are social objects that assume an importance in daily life, beyond household maintenance and status or in work by making the different frame of identity from others, likely as to be a unique and special. “Every culture evolves from its own cultural background”. (Primitive Culture and Anthropology E.B Taylor) Across these manufacturing of special craft creates social networks in terms of dynamic of identity. “Crafting crates and transforms the self of the artisan in the minds and eyes of his or her family, community and state” (Weiner 1994; Dobres 1995). My research discussed and examined the, what were the different oral and background histories of ‘kachi khatti’ community from their decades and what are the relations between craft and identity in terms of social, cultural political and economic that has created the identity of kachi khatti’s which had uplifted their social representation in cultural confidence though local people. Furthermore what factors had effected and impacted the identity of kachi khatti’s by the passage of the time throughout the cohesion of the modernization. Apart that how modernization is benefits giving to the kachi khatti’s modern identity. This is qualitative research which represented the people’s point of view on chunari craft and their identity.

IJSR, 2022

Livelihood studies emerge as the hallmark of social sciences in the present context, particularly in the domain of tribalswho happen to be the most backward and marginalized (Sahoo, 2015).Feeding for self and the family is the fundamental aspect of the human existence followed by other socio-political-religious aspects which are secondary in the sense that they form the totality of humanity. So for this, the humankind has to engage upon certain kinds of activities to feed the empty stomach. It is in accordance that the concept of livelihood comes to the picture which is not merely a means for the very survival but itself constitutes a part of that culture. For livelihood is not only the way of earning a living but also the very means to live a life. However in the process of feeding herself she comes across a number of livelihood challenges, both socio-cultural as well as environmental. In this context, the present study throws light on the perceptions of the livelihood challenges as faced by the Dongria Kondhs, a Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group (PVTG), andexcellent shifting cultivators, residing in the Niyamgiri hill ranges of the Eastern Ghats in the state of Odisha. Any problem, before it materializes at the manifested level, comes first at the level of psychology of the people. Therefore keeping this in mind, the research was carried out to investigate how the natives perceive of the different circumstances coming out of the means of living and livelihoods; what is the thought process and what importance they heed to the subject of life and livelihood; and what they think of the causal factors behind the livelihood challenges-natural or man-made.This is what the cognitive anthropologists and ethno-scientists argue. For the entire worldviews of the people reflect as the overt behavior while the thought process beneath this is the crux of the matter and this particular study is a small endeavour to bring out the thoughts or perceptions about the emerging issues of lives and livelihoods of the Dongrias.

Handloom Sustainability and Community, 2021

In traditional weaving societies across the world, handloom is so embedded into community life that boundaries are often blurred between livelihood, culture and community. The integrated nature of handloom weaving in agricultural communities of Meghalaya (Northeast India) is the focus of this paper, where the balance of the individual and the community has been maintained over generations, where artisans maintain their individual practice alongside their communal agricultural responsibilities. It argues that this balance is crucial to environmental, social and cultural sustainability in the localised context. While the common narrative of handloom development in India is centred on productivity and livelihood generation, this paper explores the value of a part-time practice, aligned with the changing seasons and responsibilities of agriculture. It draws on the example of the eri silk weaving communities of Meghalaya, although many of the observations are common with other communities across Northeast India and beyond.

This article delves into the intricate dynamics of Adivasi food practices in Sundargarh, examining their profound connection to culture, ecology, and resilience. Highlighting sustainable resource management and traditional knowledge, it explores how tribal communities cultivate a diverse array of foods, deeply rooted in their environment. Adivasi cuisine, characterized by seasonal variations and reliance on forest resources, serves as a vital expression of identity and community bonds. Yet, amidst the richness of tradition, contemporary challenges such as globalization and environmental degradation threaten these age-old practices. Initiatives like the Millet Mission aim to revive traditional knowledge and promote sustainability, offering hope for the future. By empowering communities to reclaim and celebrate their culinary heritage, this article also talks about cultural preservation. Ultimately, the study underscores the importance of preserving the indigenous food system for a brighter and more sustainable future.

The Mahali tribe of Choukapathra village of Nayagram Block and Jhargram is an artisan tribe. They mainly reside in West Bengal, Jharkhand and Orissa. Their traditional occupation is basketry. Being an artisan tribe and depending on basketry their income is not sufficient for their livelihood now a day; as the markets of the products of basketry are being exchanged with plastic materials. They are losing their market for selling the products. They are losing their profit of the products. They are thinking themselves that their social positions are being deteriorated for this occupation.

Anveshana: search for Knowledge

The social inequality lies rather in certain features of all human societies. Predominantly in most of the countries the men enjoy the authority, power and rights over the resources. In contrary, by empowerment we mean to a large extent about the increase of womens' relative access to economic opportunities and resources. The anthropological study of economic organization is a focal point for discovering the relationship between material and non material aspects of the environmental resources and human behaviour as well as the social system within which it is exchanged and distributed as cultural goods and services. In our country the tribal people are dwelling in the high hills and forest covered regions. Their livelihood and traditional economic organization is intimately associated with multifarious natural and environmental resources. In the tribal societies women folk play a very crucial role. In this context, the environmental resources related to traditional economic organization has generated a scope of income for them and it can generate a wider potential for their economic self dependence. The present study has been done on the Karbi tribal group, of Karbi Anglong, Assam to analyze the significance of the environmental resources in the empowerment of women.