User:Sureshpadmanabha

Mavilan Indigenous Agricultural Practices among Mavilan Tribe in North Kerala

Introduction

Indigenous knowledge refers to the traditional agriculture practices, which is carrying over from generation to generation by interaction of members of a social system. The local people acquired this knowledge through accumulation of experiences, informal experiments and understanding of environment in a given culture.

The concepts of indigenous knowledge have reflected in the definition of Lois Greneirs. He defined “indigenous knowledge as the unique traditional and local knowledge as existing within and development around specific conditions of women and men indigenous to a particular geographical area. Indigenous knowledge is dynamic. It is the continuous process of experimentation, innovation and adoption that enables itself to blend with science and technology as well. Indigenous knowledge plays an important role in conservation of biodiversity”. (D.M. Dudhe & P.S. Shinde,2002). The earlier references regarding the Mavilan are as follows, Thurston told that, Mavilan described in Madras Census Report, 1901 as small tribe shikaris (hunters) and herbalists, who follow makkathayam (inheritance from father to son), and speak corrupt Tulu. Tulumar (native of the Tulu country) and chingattan (lion-hearted people) were for returned as sub divisions. The name, H.A. Stuart writes, it is said to be derived from Mavilan, a medicinal herb, however the real derivation must be sought in Tulu or Canarese, as it seems to be a Canarese caste. These people are found only in the Chirakkal Taluk of Malabar. Their present occupation is basket making. Succession is from father to son, but among some it is also said to be in the female line It is recorded, in the Gazetteer of Malabar that the mavilons are divided into Tulu mavilons and Eda mavilons and sub divided into thirty illams. They are employed as mahouts (drivers of elephants), and collect honey and other forest produce; their headmen are called chingam (simham, lion) and their huts mapura. Report on the socio-economic conditions of the Aboriginal Tribes of the province of Madras by A. Aiyappan gives a detailed account of the tribal people of Malabar as well as the tribal group of Madras province. He had done his study as a part of the enquiry undertaken by the Aboriginal tribes welfare Enquiry Committee. Aiyappan argues that the mavilons are a North Malabar tribe omitted in the 1941 Census. They are shikaries and herbalists. They speak corrupt Tulu. They are divided into Tulu mavilan and Eda mavilan and sub divided into thirty illams. Aiyappan supports the view both of Thurston and Stuarts. In The Tribes of Kerala, Luiz discusses the customs of 48 tribes in Kerala. He had tried to record the details about the origin, life style, social structure, rituals and so on.

Objectives The objectives of the study are to identify and document the indigenous agriculture knowledge and practices prevalent among the Mavilan tribal community.

Method of study The present study carried out in Kasaragod district of Kerala state. However, it mainly confined to Panathady Panchayat of Kasaragod. Various anthropological techniques such as observation and interview are used for collecting data. The group discussions also conducted for collecting Indigenous agricultural practices of Mavilan.

Method of the study The study is based on the field carried out in the Panathady and Kallar Panchayats of Kasaragod district during 2006. This paper an attempt has been made to study the socio-cultural dimensions of the health care practices among the Mavilan community.The data are collected by the personal interviews and discussions with healers, aged persons. The role of ethnomedicine of the community has been analysed and an attempt has also been made to study the changes in their healthcare practices and their attitude towards the modern medicine.

Here in this paper, based on six months fieldwork, an attempt has been made to document the therapeutic value of those local medicinal plants used by the Mavilan shamans or healers. Its identification, collection, preparation and therapeutic application have been made systematically with proper informed consent from the Mavilan tribal council existing at the settlement level. The important findings of the study, in terms of healthcare system, are presented here with their knowledge and consent .It is believed that this would help the community in so far as the protection of their indigenous technical knowledge is concerned.

Result and Discussions

Shifting cultivation means a type of prime cultivation which is generally done in forest tracks for two or three consecutive years and then the land is left, as soil much loose fertility. This cultivation had known as slash and burn of agriculture. For the Indian tribals, it seems to be an age-old practice. A particular track has selected for this purpose. Trees and growth have felled and burnt spearing some tall trees. The cultivators have to shift to other places in the vicinity of operate the same of cultivation (M.N.Basu, 1963:33).

In Kerala most of the tribal communities are practiced slash and burn cultivation. For example, Muthuvan of Idukki, Mullukuruman, Kurichyan and Wayanad Kadar of Wayanad, Mavilan, Marati, Malavettuvan and Male kudiya of Kasaragod and Kurumbar of Attapadi are the major communities practiced slash and burn cultivation.

Mavilan a tribal communitiy inhabit in Kannur and Kasaragod districts of Kerala. In the past, they were depended on forest and forest produce. They had been leading an independent life until the encroachment of Janmi (landlord) to their habitat. In this way Mavilan’s agriculture, land captured the landlord.

Kumeri cultivation

In the month of Dhanu(month of December to January) Kiragan (headman) and a group of people collectively decided and select a kunnu (hill) to be cultivated. Before cutting trees the Kiragan decide pothumuhurtham (best moment in time of cutting trees). At that time, all of them pray to their hill god for better harvest. Kiragan offers tender coconut to the god. After that kiragan select a kotta plant (this plant commonly found in hill tracks of their settlement). They clean the surrounding area of the kotta plant; Kiragan cuts coconut and pour water around it. Then he cuts small branches of the plant in three times with a knife. The branch throws to next hill. They believe that, if kottakole(stem of the kotta plant) fell East-West direction, cultivation have been rather good.

Cutting of trees and vegetation might go until Makaram( a Malayalam month between January to February), slashed  vegetations  are left for several days in sunlight. In the month of Kumbham(a Malayalam month between Month of February to March) the boundary of the plot was covered with branches. It was done to control the fire to be spread over, it is called beeri. The headman sets fire in the slashed area of the valley. After some days, they remove stumps and other unwanted wooden parts from the plots. Then they until in the soil with paruvae (an implement used for kumeri cultivation). On the on set of monsoon, they sow seeds of different crops like paru (paddy, Orizya spp), muthari ( ragi, Eleusine coracana), thina, cholam(maize), seeds of vegetables, pulses and oil seeds were also sown. Kiragan takes a handful of paddy and threw it to the field on the day of sowing. Sowing is a collective activity; all members take part in the operations. Women folk scratch the top soil with paruvae and then it cover the seeds after sowing the grains.

Diversity of crops Mavilan cultivates different varieties of paddy. Some of the elders say, there are 101 varieties of paddy are cultivated earlier. Some important varieties are chennellu, kaliyan, kayema, kunhutti, thadichil, karinthadichil, vellutharan, thonnuran, raven, paliyan, kallae kottae, ponnarian, maleyedubban, okapadi, chathappan,kaipan, chemmolu, koyivalan etc. Some of the paddy seeds can identify from its name like kunhutti, it is very small seed and kaipan is black in colour and bitter in taste. They also cultivate ragi, kadu(mustard) are sown in the mappa (cutting bushes and branches are deposited in a corner of the field). Maize has sown in the boarders of paddy field and the vegetables are cultivated in different corners of the field. Removal of weeds They removed weeds in three times; in the first time, in the month of Edavam(month of mayto June), bushes and tubers are started to grow, they removed and it called as kollipayiedukkal. In the second time weeds are removed in the month of Karkkidakam (month of July and August) is called randampani. In the month of Chingam (month of August and September) they removed stumps and roots of certain tubers are carefully taken from the cultivated land which is called kathipani. The ariva (sickle) is used for removing the climbers and creepers from the field. Plant protection They used certain herbal medicines for protecting crops from diseases. They identified different types of diseases, for example neeru vembu (a type of disease) which affect the crops through water. As the remedy for this, they use bark of punna tree, make a powder and mix with water then it apply on the affected plants. In rainy season, during the heavy rain thannuppu vembu (a plant disease related to cold) is affected the paddy. Kathir vembu is affected the corn of the paddy. In order to prevent these disease they prepare a medicine from kayakkam( a river bush) and avanakenna (castor oil), they mix it and get a paste. This paste placed in different corners of the field, which spread its smell when wind blows. Most of the crops had the power to resist disease; but rarely insects attack the paddy. Mavilan used different types of herbal pesticides for destroying nilapputhu (soilworm). It is a kind of mixture, leaves of mathalanaranga (a kind of citrus plant), beetal leaves and some herbal plants. Mavilans applied medicine for kathir vizhecha (falling of corn), it derived from castor oil and nannari leaves (Hemidesmus indicus). Another medicine prepared by using leaves of perumthurumba, anayadi and vathamkolli are crushed and mix with horse gram. This mixture placed in different parts of the paddy field. It placed in the blowing direction of the wind. This technique was used to protecting crops from microorganisms. For destroying chazhi (an insect) used peerakka (a wild fruit) it squashes and mix with water until it becomes a paste. This applied on the corn of the paddy in the early morning. Protecting crops from wild animals was another major task. Wild animals the rats, sambar, bandicoots, rabbits etc have caused severe damage to crops. In the paddy filed they fix either reed or plantain leaves or sheaths to fright the wild animals, have called marlu. Mavilan people made traps for catching boars, rabbits, deers, rats and other wild animals. During the period of cultivation, they made temporary huts for watching crops at night, on the slop of the hill. In every day the headman checked every part of the agriculture field and each hut. At the time of night they beat their thudi and sang songs for frighten the wild animals. Harvest Moorcha (harvest) begins in the month of Kanni (in the month of September-October). Before starting the harvest they make a kalam(yard) in order to thresh the paddy. Two kundam (poles) have fixed in the threshing floor and bulls have tied on the poles to thresh the paddy. They begin harvest with cutting three kathirs (ear of corn), from these kathirs the kiragan takes one with polivalli (a plant), which is covered in punna leaf, and it is tied on the kundam. The other two corns kept in the corner of the yard. Both men and women take part in the harvest. The reaped katta  (the sheaf of corn) is brought to the yard, for threshing. Storing Method Paddy, ragi, thina,, thora, and other grains dried properly and kept in bundles called mooda. The mooda made up of using straw. The sowing seeds also kept in the mooda and it hung above the hearth. Vegetable seeds to be sowing after immerse in the cow dung, and pasted on the mud wall. Some times, they mix the seeds with ash, and pasted on the walls. The ash or cow dung is protected the seeds from the attack of microorganisms.

Conclusion

Now a day Mavilans are not practising their traditional farming system due to many reasons. The migration of non-tribes to their habitat, after the migration, the settlers take over the cultivable land and they introduced new type of cash crops and crop patterns. Government forest policies are also preventing them from kumeri cultivation. Even though still recently they practiced kumeri cultivation in some private land of the Kasaragod.

Mavilan community inhabiting the north parts of Kerala. Earlier they were hunters and gatherers and later they became shifting cultivators. During Jami period they forced to become adiyan or slaves and they were engaged in agriculture works of the landlord. The landlord allow them to do their traditional kind of farming.This stage was changed after the independent movement and the rise of democratic system. In this phase the status of the community is changed from bonded labour to agriculture labourers.

The community face lack of resources and move away from the their land and they become agriculture labourers.Now a days Mavilan are not practising their traditional farming due to many factors. The reasons are migration of the non-tribes to their habitat, after the migration, the settlers take over the cultivable land and they introduced new types of crops as rubber. Government forest regulation policies are also preventing them from kumeri cultivation.

References: D.M.Dudhe & P.S.Shinde, “Identification and documentation of indigenous agricultural knowledge possessed by Madia tribal Farmers”, Tribal Research Bulletin, XXV, No.182, March & September, Pune: Tribal Research  Training Institute, 2002.

George,Tharakan.C, “The mixed economy of the South Indian Kurumbas”,       Ethnology, Vol.XLII, No.4, Newyork,2003. Suresh K.P., “A Traditional Community in Transition: A study of Mavilan in Kasaragod District of  Kerala”, KRPLLD Project  Report (unpublished), C.D.S, Thiruvananthapuram, 2003. Thurston, E and Rangachari, K, The Caste and Tribes of South India, Vol.5, New Delhi: Asian Publications,1906