Sustainable development and ethnobiological practices in Hajong and Chakma community of Bangladesh

Sustainable development and ethnobiological practices in Hajong and Chakma community of Bangladesh

Bibhuti Bhushan Mitra

Introduction

According to United Nations World Commission of Environment and Development, sustainable development means meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.

Ethnobiological practices are totems and taboos, traditional medicines, strong beliefs such as myth, folklores etc .Hajong community lives in Mymensingh, Sherpur districts and chakma in Chittagong district. One community lives in plain land and another in hill area. The paper presents here ethnobiological practices of two communities which are sustainably used.

Bangladesh covers an area of 1, 47,570 sq km with a population of 150 million. The total population of indigenous peoples in Bangladesh is approximately 3 million, out of which, 0.85 million live in Chittagong which covers an area of 13,295 sq km and other indigenous peoples in greater Mymensingh and Sylhet region.

The ethnobiological practices in these communities are common in Bangladesh. Involving practices are toems and taboos, sacred groves, traditional medicinal uses and traditional farming, social ethics and beliefs etc. These are also termed as traditional ecological knowledge. According to IUCN-

1. Traditional ecological knowledge or TEK offers new biological knowledge and ecological insights;

2. Some TEK system provides models of sustainable natural resource management;

3. TEK is relevant for protected areas and conservation education;

4. The use of TEK is often crucial for development planning; and

5. TEK may be used in environmental assessment.

Clark shows that the concept of sustainable use of species posits that humanity can benefit from the exploitation of surpluses that are naturally produced by wild animals. The concept holds, for example, that it is appropriate to exploit elephants when their numbers exceed the carrying capacity of any particular habitat.

Sacred groves are the ancient natural sanctuaries where all forms of living creatures where afforded protection through the grace of some deity.

Totems and taboos are unwritten social rules that regulate human behaviour. Such constraints not only may govern human social life, but also may affect and sometimes even directly manage, many constituents of the natural environment.

Traditional agroecosystem supports the plant and animal diversity in immense. Tree diversity in farms and agroecosystems is often the product of interaction of local and formal knowledge.

In spite of modernization, traditional ecological ethos continues to survive in many other local societies, although often in reduced forms. A large number of elements of local biodiversity, regardless of their use value are protected by the local cultural practices.

Results

Animal use as totem through conservation in Hajong community

1. Local Name:Bon Chagol, English Name: Serow , Scientific name: Capricornis sumataensis, use: Muila worship ingredient

2. Local name : Raj Hans , English Name: Bar headed goose, Scientific Name :Anser indicus, use: Nikni dao worship ingredient

Animal use as farming through conservation in Hajong community

1) Local Name: Bon Chagol, English Name : Serow, Scientific Name:

Capricornis sumataensis

2. Local name : Raj Hans , English Name: Bar headed goose, Scientific Name :Anser indicus

3. Local name: Kabutor , English name : Rock pigeon, Scientific Name :Columba livia

Plant use as totem through conservation in Hajong community

1. Family name: Leguminosae, Scientific Name:Butea monospora, Uses: Red flower use in Balihata puja

2. Family Name: Bombaceae, Scientific Name: Bombax ceiba, Use: worship ingredients

Plant use as taboo through conservation in Hajong community

1. Family Name: Arecaceae, Scientific Name: Calamus guruba, Uses: use to drive out evil spirit

2. Family: Drynariaceae, Scientific Name: Drynaria quercifolia, Uses: to drive out evil spirit

3. Family: Poaceae, Scientific name: Erianthus rivannae, Use: to drive out evil spirit

Plant use as medicine through conservation in Hajong community

1. Family: Rutaceae, Scientific Name: Citrus aurantifolia use: stomach pain /leaves

2. Family: Lauraceae, Scientific Name: Cinnamomum tamala Use: Jaundice/juice

Plant use as farming through conservation in Hajong community

1. Local Name: Aam, Family: Anacardiacae, Scientific Name: Mangifera indica

2. Local Name: Narkael, Family: Arecaceae, Scientific name: Cocos nucifera

Traditional ethos of Hajong community

1. Killing of cow is like to the killing of Brahman

2. If one kills cow or elephant or horse, he will go to the hell.

Animal use as totem through conservation in Chakma community

1. Local Name : Murgi, Scientific name :Gallus gallus ,Use: Sacrifice to god

2. Local Name : Chagol, Scientific name: Capricornis sumataensis, use: sacrifice to god

3. Local name : Shukor, Scientific name: Sus scrofa ,Use : sacrifice to god

Animal use as taboo through conservation in Chakma community

1. Local Name : Ghughu Scientific name: Stretopelia chinensis ,use: sign of evil

Animal use as medicine through conservation in Chakma community

1. Local name ; Rui, Labeo rohita , Use : Stomach pain

Animal use as traditional or social farming through conservation in Chakma community

1. Local Name: Shukar, English Name: Wild boar, Scientific Name: Sus

scrofa

2. Local name: Murgi, English Name: Fowl, Scientific Name: Gallus gallus

3. Local name: Bon Chagol, Engflish Name: Serow, Scientific Name: Capricornis sumataensis

Plant use as totem through conservation in Chakma community

1. Local Name :Gela lota, English Name : Derris trifoliata, use : sign of good

2. Local Name : Pakur, English Name: Ficus infectoria , use: sign of good

Plant use as social or traditional farming through conservation in Chakma community

1. Local Name : Tula, Scientific Name : Gossypim herbaceum

2. Local name :Shosa, Scientific name : Cucumis sativa

3. Local Name : Korola: Scientific Name : Momordica charantia

4. Local Name : Bhutta , Scientific Name : Zea mays

Traditional ethos of Chakma community

1. Elephas maximus is the sign of king, so they do not kill.

2. It is forbidden to kill any pregnant animal.

Discussion

Traditional knowledge such as totems and taboos, ethos, farming, myth, folklores is vital for sustainable natural resource use including forest, water, agroecosystems etc.

Biodiversity conservation in the context of specific local knowledge and skills and strategies; concern for well-being of future generations; reliance on local resources; restraint in resource exploitation; an attitude of gratitude and respect for nature; management, conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity outside formal protected areas; and, transfer of useful species among the households, villages and larger landscape may be helpful for sustainable life.

Madhav Gadgil says that ecosystem people have been in the business of extracting services from nature without large inputs for a very long time. Their practices have therefore moulded to working closely to nature. This repertoire includes a great variety of land races of cultivated plants and domesticated animals adapted to particular environments which often are reservoirs of valuable genes conferring resistance to disease , permitting salt or drought tolerance and so on.

Anwarul Islam comments on his paper that despite the overwhelming Muslim majority, Bangladesh is not an Islamic state yet. A democratically elected government governs it, with equal opportunities for every group to choose its own representatives. Since Bangladesh is an overpopulated country, there is little inhibition in exploiting the available natural resources. Some of the traditional beliefs and practices of the people have helped in the protection of a few plants like peepul, mehndi, tamal, and birds and animals and archids like the spider, crab, turtle, king cobra, marsh crocodile, swift and Hunuman langur.

Most ecosystem people live in the forest area. According to this study, traditional beliefs such as worship ingredients (sanctified) protect the recorded species. Some species are protected by social farming or medicinal use, because of the traditional consumer’s needs. Two types of traditional ethos have recorded in both Hajong and Chakma community, which help to protect the species. These traditional practices are sustainable for development. Because it not only fill up the present community needs, but also save for long term future.

References

Gadgil,M and Guha,R. (1995). Ecology and Equity- the use and abuse of nature in contemporary India, Penguin Books, India pp 133-147

Clark,B.(2002).Unnatural selection or the natural consequence of Sustainable use of Species An Israeli Perspective, In Heaven and Earth and I Ethics of Nature Conservation in Asia.(Edt)Menon,V and Sakamoto, M . Penguin Books, India.pp157-171,

*Bibhuti Bhushan Mitra , M Phill researcher , Department of zoology , Jahangirnagar University , and Development activist ,Health Education and life Support Program , Sajida Foundation , Dhaka.