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Tribal People, Forest Ecology and Colonial Rule in Central India: A Retrospective Look

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Abstract

Colonial rule in India had a profound impact on the tribal customary rights over natural resources like land and forest, the vital means of livelihood of the tribal communities of central India. These resources have been significant both economically and culturally for their survival. However, colonial rule adopted for commercialization and monopolization over natural resources was the reason for the deprivation of tribal people. The exploitation of natural resources by the colonial rulers was solely meant for the profit of colonial rule. The concept of ‘Scientific Forestry’ introduced by the colonial rule to develop forest resources ultimately negatively affected the customary rights of tribal people over natural resources and their symbiotic relationships maintained with the forest. The deprivation of tribal people from their age old rights over natural resources had caused several rebellions by the tribal communities against the colonial rule in different parts of central India. In this perspective, the paper based on secondary data provides a brief profile of tribal communities of central India and their symbiotic relationship with natural resources. It also attempts to examine how the colonial forest policy has dispossessed the communities of central India from their rights over land and forest. It examines how the continuation of Colonial policy of isolation of tribals and exploitation of natural resources has not only neglected central India region and the tribal people living therein, but also marginalized their cultural resources.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    The term ethno-ecology as an approach to human ecology was first used by Harold Conklin and Charles Frake in 1950 that denotes ethnographies with combination of techniques from biological and cultural ecology which can more systematically explored from native perceptions of their environment. It is called as ethno-science, ethnographic semantic or cognitive ethnography. (For detail see Hardesty, 1977: 215–243).

  2. 2.

    The term cultural ecology was coined by Julian H. Steward in 1930. He used the method of Cultural ecology recognizing that environment and culture as inseparable, rather involved in dialectic interplay or called as feedback or reciprocal causality For him the method of cultural ecology includes the understanding of interrelationship between environment and exploitation of natural resources, behaviour pattern and exploitative technology and their impact on other sector of culture. (For detail see Hardesty, 1977: 8–9).

  3. 3.

    The term ecological anthropology is to use anthropological knowledge to understand human environment both in terms of bio-social perspective to give an environmental explanation. The natural environment plays the role of prime mover in human activities. Human personality, morality, politics, government, religion and material culture have been the subject to explanation by environmental determinism (For detail see Bennett, 1976: 17–34).

  4. 4.

    The term ecological population means the traditional unit of study in non-human ecology. Human population interacts with other units to get food, energy, etc., which can be measured and described in quantitative terms. It gives quantifiable common denominators suitable for the study of both human and non-human ecology.

  5. 5.

    The ecosystem people for Geertz (1957b: 34) means the logical conclusion to the idea of constant interplay between culture, biology and environment. It is a dynamic set of relationship between living and non-living things through which energy flows and material cycle and food web. For him this method talks of system structure, system equilibrium, system change rather than relationship between variables of a culture and nature.

  6. 6.

    Kroeber (1939: 189) has defined culture as the ‘mass of learned and transmitted habits, techniques, ideas, values and behaviour they induce. It includes material products like house, dress, technology, behaviour pattern and non-materials like usage, practices, aspects like language, rituals, modes of production and distribution mechanisms of social control’.

  7. 7.

    Tylor (1871: 1) has defined culture as a ‘complex whole which includes knowledge, moral, art, belief, law, and customs and any other capabilities and habits acquired by men as a member of the society’.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Anthropology and Tribal Development, Guru Ghasidas Vishwavidyalaya Koni, Bilaspur, Bilaspur, Chhattisgarh, 495009, India

    Nilakantha Panigrahi & Subhandu Patra

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  1. Nilakantha Panigrahi
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  2. Subhandu Patra
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Arunachal Institute of Tribal Studies, Rajiv Gandhi University, Doimukh, Arunachal Pradesh, India

    Maguni Charan Behera

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Panigrahi, N., Patra, S. (2022). Tribal People, Forest Ecology and Colonial Rule in Central India: A Retrospective Look. In: Behera, M.C. (eds) Tribe, Space and Mobilisation. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-19-0059-4_6

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