Anusandhanika / Vol. IX / No. II / July 2011 / pp.

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ISSN 0974 - 200X

Conservation of Tribal Heritage in Jharkhand

( An Anthropological Perspective )
Shamsher Alam
UGC - NET - JRF Department of Anthropology, Ranchi University, Ranchi

Dr. Kanchan Roy

Associate Professor Department of Anthropology, Ranchi University, Ranchi

Abstract
The present paper attempts to bring out the understanding of cultural heritage and its conservation through an anthropological vision. It focuses on tracing the origin of culture, its varied attributes, the anthropological parameters of heritage with reference to the tribals of Jharkhand and importance of heritage conservation. The tribals of Jharkhand have always been in stake in context to their rapidly de-generating cultural heritage. In this context the paper also suggests measures to be adopted and implemented for conserving the rapidly waning cultural heritage of the tribals in general and the same belonging to Jharkhand in particular.

Keywords : Anthropology, Tradition, Values, Culture, Heritage, Conservation Introduction such as agriculture, animal taming and husbandry, building of house and house-hold Man in the course of evolution has passed items, technological development in making of through several stages to reach the present tools and weapons, covering of body etc. stage of development. This stage-wise Mans interaction with the perceived unseen development is true both in the case of world, because of either fear or faith, gave birth biological progression as well as socio-cultural to religion, magic and nature-worship. and technological development. In these Ascribing of mystic ancestral relationship with courses of development, man has remained certain natural objects, led to upcoming of clan the epicentre of the whole happening. (gotra) and lineage setup. Concepts of prayer, Biologically, he has achieved the present state belief, faith, witchcraft, sorcery, shamanism, of increased cranial capacity, erect posture, religious taboos, worshipping of totem etc. power and precision gripping, stereoscopic were the other epilogues of this interaction. binocular vision and several other facets. All These three basic interactions laid the these have remarkably affected the other foundation-stone of CULTURE from the early perspectives of his life as well. The impacts of savage state to the present day civilized stage developed biological features were seen in of advancement. three different frontiers vizually his interaction Materials and Methods with fellow beings, environment and the unseen world. The present study is based on primary as well as secondary sources. Primary data has The interaction of man with man, led to the been collected through personal interviews upcoming of social senses leading to with the help of question schedule. Secondary socialization, division of labour, marriage, data has been collected through available family, kinship ties, kin based political setup literature in form of books, Journals, reports etc. It was a major development from the socioand websites. cultural point of view. Secondly, the interaction Results and Discussions of man with his surroundings (i.e. environment) was primarily concerned with fulfilling of his In a common-mans perspective, a person primary need of food (satisfaction of hunger). maintaining good manners, etiquettes and skill The influence of this interaction was also is referred to as cultured and performing of visible in the material aspects of human life finer arts like music, dance, drama, paintings
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etc. are referred to as cultural activities. This is the general understanding of culture. Kroeber and Kluckhohn, (1952) held that culture is very ambiguous and has as many as 108 different visualisations like educated behaviour, character, idealization, intellect, sophistication, creativity, art etc. In the traditional Indian Hindu setup, culture is presaged as performing of Sanskars. It integrates the different deeds of man for becoming a social being. However speaking in anthropological connotation, culture refers to the complex whole of knowledge, belief, art, morals, laws, custom and any other capabilities and habits acquired by man as a member of society (Tylor, 1871). Culture is also often quoted as the sum total of integrated behaviour pattern which are characteristics of the members of a society, and are not the result of biological inheritance (Hoebel,1958). Thus, culture is a social heritage, which is given to individuals by the society. The above citations make a clear-cut implication that, the building blocks of culture has two different facets. The first one is the material aspect of culture (often referred to as tangible component of culture) and the other constitutes the non-material aspect of culture (alternately designated as non-tangible component of culture). The former includes all perceptible things like house, utensils, ornaments, clothing, worship place, musical instruments, agricultural implements, objectsde-art, means of transport and communication, industries, weapons etc. In short, all the physical things come under this category. In the non-material facet of culture, all the nontangible or abstract aspects are categorized. It includes knowledge, belief, faith, values, customs, tradition, law, social organisations, marriage, rituals, lineage, kinship, religious setup, political structure etc. If viewed in stand-alone scenario these two aspects of culture, may appear to be quite unrelated and unconcerned with each other owing to their antagonistic attributes; but if analyzed carefully, they are very much
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complementary to each other and are parts of the unified cohesive whole of human existence ; and both are incomplete without the other. Tribals of Jharkhand and their Cultural Heritage In general usage, the word TRIBE denotes a primary aggregate of people living in primitive barbarous condition, usually located in far flung areas. Often words like Aboriginals, Animists, Savage, Pre-Literate, Indigenous were brought in use as its synonym. In Hindi the term Adivasi/Janjati appears in lieu of tribe. In India prior to 1931, these words were used interchangeably but after that, the nomenclature referring to tribes underwent successive modifications and after independence, such words were dropped and the notion of SCHEDULED TRIBE was incorporated in the constitution. Hence-forth it became widely accepted. Anthropologically speaking, tribals are a group of individual having common language/ dialect, common territory, common economic system and distinct oral traditions and customs of unique antiquity which varies quite sharply from the same of the so-called civilized societies. Tribals many a times are biologically identifiable as well. ` Speaking about Jharkhand, there are 32 identifiable groups under the constitutional criteria of Scheduled Tribe. They are :01. Asur 03. Banjara 05. Bedia 07. Binjhia 09. Birhor 11. Chik-Baraik 13. Gorait 15. Karmali 17. Khairwar 19. Kisan 21. Kol 02. Baiga 04. Bathudi 06. Bhumij 08. Birjhia 10. Chero 12. Gond 14. Ho 16. Kharia 18. Khond 20. Koda 22.Kawar
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23. Korwa 25. Mahali 27. Munda 29. Parhaiya 31. Sauriya Pahadiya

24. Lohra 26. Mal-Paharia 28. Oraon 30. Santhal 32. Sawar

symbols, totem pole, worship place (Sarna), place of cemetery (Sasandiri/Hadgadi), place of gathering (Akhra), market place, rice beer (Hadia), market place, art and craft etc. are some of those which need special attention. In context to the non-tangible traits and complexes of culture, the life-style and panache of the tribals needs to be identified and conserved. Speaking socially; totemic clan setup, prohibitive clan practices, lineage setup, pharatrial and moietial arrangement, village committees, parha panchayat, clan exogamy, ways of acquiring marital-mate, kingroups, kinship usages, preferential and proscriptive forms of marriage, are the ones which needs to be preserved. Connoting economically; tribals display a wonderful balance between ecology and economy. In this context, their totemic values, traditional folkmedicinal knowledge and practices like JaniShikaar need special addressal. Religiously; tribals display a wonderful cohesion between themselves and the super-natural entity. In this scenario, religious taboos, animism, animatism, nature-worship (prakriti-puja), totemic practices, ancestral worship, pre-agricultural and postagricultural rituals, birth and death rituals, matrimonial practices, associated aspects of black-magic and white magic, sorcery, knowledge of witch-doctors, ritualistic practices of the religious head (Pahan), sacred and profane beliefs etc. are the ones needy of conservation. Apart from these, there are a lot of festivals that needs to be revived in view of their diminishing ambience such as Karma, Sohrai, Buru-Parva, Maghe Parva, Phagu, Sarhul, Chaandi, Jatra Parva, Hareli, Japaad, Dohrai, Saakraat, Bhagsim, Maghi, Horo, Jomnana, Kolom, Gangi-Adeya and PunnuAdeya. Apart from these, the legacy of the martyrs and forerunners of Jharkhand like - Baba Tilka Manjhi, Bindrai and Sindrai, Birsa Munda, Budhu Bhagat, Chand-Bhairav, Ganpat Rai, Jaipal Singh Munda, Jatra Tana Bhagat, Lako Bodra, Nilambar-Pitambar, Sheikh Bhikhari, Sido-Kanhu Murmu, Smt. Sinagi Dai, Tikait
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These tribal groups can be classified into different groups in accordance to criterions such as language/dialect, ethnic morphology, economy, culture, education, religion, population etc. They account for about 24 % of the total population of the state and are scattered throughout the territorial jurisdiction of the region. These earliest settlers of land possess well-structured socio-cultural and economic setup well adapted to the type of environment they inhabit. Their continuity and survival till the present times, is a proven evidence of well balanced and stable cultural setup with selfsufficient and stable ingredients, well synchronized with the ecological ambience of Jharkhand. These ingredients are the real heritage which needs to be conserved. The land of Jharkhand is marked by the prominent presence of the above mentioned tribal communities. All these groups have something or the other which is unique and is not seen in any of the so called modern day civilized societies. These special uniques are very important from the conservation point of view, as these are the real heritage which needs to be protected. They are necessary for maintaining the identity of the group and to some extent for the survival of the community as well. Heritage conservation refers to the combined whole of preservation of both the material aspects as well as non-material aspects of culture. Among the material aspects, tangible things like the special huts/houses of the tribals, agricultural implements, dresses, ornaments, hunting and gathering equipments, dresses, ornaments, idols and deities, day to day household items like utensils, cooking devices, totemic

Umrao Singh, Vishwanath Sahdeo etc. are also among the prized possession of this tribal state. Due to the growing influence of Hindi, English and a few other languages, tribal languages/dialects like Santhali, Mundari, Kharia, Ho, Kurukh, Nagpuri, Kurmali, Khortha and Panch Pargania are loosing their roots. They need to be put in the priority-list of preservation. Tribals of Jharkhand also possess rich folkloric tradition. Associated attributes like folk-stories, folk-tales, folkmyths, folk-songs, folk-dance, folk-music, folkproverbs, folk-idioms and phrases, folkriddles, folk-welcome songs, folk-riddles, folkabuses etc. are waning-away quite rapidly and need special attention. Apart from these, the life-style of tribals, customary laws, beliefs, faith, youth-dormitories, body-art(tattoo/ godna), oral-traditions, art of using natural resources, technology applied in various fields, are also among the non-tangible aspects which demands due consideration. Importance of Heritage Conservation Conservation basically refers to saving the precious. Speaking in context to anthropology, both the tangible and nontangible aspects of tribals have enormous importance because they are the representative of our past sequence of development. They can be designated as living history or living fossils of our early stages of development. In fact, they are the symbols of biological and socio-cultural past of mankind as a whole. The chief aim of preserving any form of culture is to present a holistic historical perspective to the coming generations as to what we were in the past. It teaches us about the past and the cultural values of those who came before us. It provides a visible evidence of continuity between the past, present and future. Apart from this, a sense of pride and consciousness is also rendered when people become acquainted with their past. Academically, it helps in understanding the socio-cultural, political and associated outlook for finding similarities or dis-similarities by means of cross-cultural comparative study. It
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also has great importance because a cultural trait or complex, once lost cannot be restored ever again. It is an irreparable damage. Anthropological Perception of Conservation In popular parlance, heritageconservation refers to preservation of only the material aspects of the concerned community/ individual which can be displayed. If liberalized, it goes to the maximum of performing folk dances or singing tribal songs. This however is very different from the anthropological perception of heritage. The term conservation circumscribing the anthropological perspective refers to signifying the entire field or realm of cultural heritage preservation (both tangible and non-tangible) from academic inquiry to historical research to planning and finally technically protecting such that it maintains its identity along with incorporating the modern changes (which are needed for its up-keeping with the contemporary time). Conservation of heritage is observable in almost every modern society. However its form and approach varies quite significantly from culture to culture. Usually, in the nonanthropological methodology of conservation, the different facets of preservation activities remain separate, un-integrated and quite insulated from social contexts. Usually the tangible things/objects/sites lack the context in which the society embeds them. These contexts are values of the associated people, the function which that heritage-object serves for the society and the real source of motivation behind the creation of the concerned object. Great deal of impetus on conservation is seen in disciplines like archaeology, architectural engineering and history, but sadly all of them focus on the challenges associated with conservation of physical form rather than its associated context. Hence, both the tangible aspects as well as the associated non tangible context, values, customs, belief, faith, tradition and other abstract facets along with the persisting ecological settings, constitutes heritage and the preservation of this whole can be designated as conservation in real sense.
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Measures for Heritage Conservation 01. The process of conservation of tribal heritage emanates with the identification and ascribing of embedded values in both the material and non-material aspects of culture. Also, the environment and ecological settings in which the tribals dwell is an important aspect. In this context the major issues involved include : Understanding why and for whom an object/tradition is meaningful and for whom will it be fruitful and weather it really needs to be preserved or not? Availability and use of resources including funds, trained personnels, incorporation of technology and legislative mandate. These key issues need to be worked out before instigating the conservation process. 02. Realistically speaking, the EMICApproach (insiders perspective) about the importance and conjoined values of a particular aspect of culture is not fully understood and assimilated by the keypeople involved in the mechanism. In this context special mention may be made of the bureaucrats and ministerial people. Adding to misery, the tribals, who are the real bearers of this legacy, are also very less involved in the process of conservation. This creates a void between the top-notch people and the executing personnels working at the grass-root level. Without mitigating this void, the desired motive of conservation cannot be achieved. 03. In 2005, the Kyoto declaration on Protection of Cultural Properties, Historic Areas and their Settings from Loss in Disaster established a frame-work on preservation of cultural properties and historic areas. It was a major move in which the UNESCO (The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization), ICCROM (International Centre for study of Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property) and
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ICOMOS (International Council of Monuments and Sites) were closely involved. The guidelines and vogue passed in the meeting provides a clear set of instructions regarding issues and involved perspectives for cultural and natural heritage preservation. The same charter should be adopted and followed by the agencies in Jharkhand as well. (Details at - http://international.icomos.org /xian2005/kyoto-declaration.pdf) 04. For preserving heritage, the saviour action should be implemented via a multiple networking system incorporating conservation managers of the bureaucracy, concerned ministerial personnels of central and state governments, local planning departments, quasi-public entities conservation societies, NGOs, legal experts, cultural activists and even individuals. The role of bodies like Archaeological Survey of India, Anthropological Survey of India, Ministry of Culture (both centre and state governments) and other related ministries like Ministry of Tribal Affairs, is quite crucial in this venture. The role of funding agencies, businessmen, corporate houses and governmental agencies relating to financial assistance cannot be side lined either. Usually, the degree of cohesion and integration needed for successful implementation of conservation practices is not seen among these bodies. Proper visionary planning, suitable organising and above-all co-ordination between all these involved entities, needs to be ensured. Governmental laws and legislation in this context can act as guidelines for the aforesaid purpose. 05. The whole process of conservation and preservation needs to be multidisciplinary in nature. It should include heritage and conservation experts, historians, archaeologists, architects, engineers, management experts, sociologists and anthropologists. The assignment of preservation, needs an integrated assessment from expertise
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of all these disciplines to allow timely identification of priorities such that the waning heritage gets due addressal in time, before it becomes a past. 06. The follow-up process of restoration and reinstatement needs to be simultaneous with systematic identification, evaluation, documentation, regular maintenance and strict monitoring of responsible degenerating factors. In this course, anything having values of human existence representing their past, present or future needs to be preserved and/or protected. These facets enlighten about the sustainable, aesthetic and culturally appropriate interaction of the tribals with their environment. 07. Today with the development of science, we are fortunate enough to develop technology for conservation of natural heritage. Methodologies for proper handling, delaying deterioration and preserving are growing at pace. They need to be implemented by the conserving agencies. 08. Heritage sites must be considered as having incomparable value and should merit stricter standards than otherwise. Particular attention should be paid to monitoring and enforcement of environmental standards facilitating preservation in the concerned case. Integrated regional development plans rendering reduced level of pollution should be drawn up with participation of the local community. Adoption of building norms which maintain the overall heritage and ambience of the area must be taken into consideration as well. Translocation (if really necessary), should not be hesitated or delayed. (National Environmental Policy - 2006 , Ministry of Environment and Forests, Government of India) 09. On a personal/family level, one may preserve genealogies, family albums, letters, diaries, painting, personal belongings etc. At the community level,
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similar method inclusive of publications, books and electronic media may be incorporated. At other higher levels, protected sites, vernacular architectures, landscapes, parks etc. needs to be conserved. 10. Stewardship ensuring that heritage resources are made available for public understanding and enjoyment must be warranted. In context to the environmental and ethnic environment of Jharkhand, promotion of Ethno-Tourism and EcoTourism can be a very good alternative for making people acquainted with the prevailing heritage of the land. By incorporating and promoting this kind of tourism, knowledge about artifacts related to the genesis and development of Jharkhand, the environmental ambience, the tribal martyrs and forerunners of the state, the monumental and architectural heritages, megaliths, temples, cemeteries, socio-political material aspects, archaeological sites, ethnic artifacts of the generic people, technological skills, astronomically important sites, cave and rock arts etc. can be presented for the people at large. However, in this venture, the tribals, their ecology and their culture circumscribing the involved pre-historic, historic and future perspectives must be put on the spot-light. 11. In the present time-frame, the tribals of Jharkhand are undergoing a transition due to tremendous socio-political, economic and technological influences. This has resulted in drastic change in every walk of their life. The after-effect of this, many a times - lead to endangering their cultural identity and putting their survival at stake. In this scenario, the heritage of these people is also put under the risk of elimination. The traits and complexes of individuals, families, communities, societies, villages etc. are put under the shadow of threat. In this regard, prevention of migration through proper implementation of developmental
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programmes at the grass-root level can be helpful. However, care should be taken that the developmental schemes do not lead to displacement, migration or other conditions which abrupt their ecological setting. Also, a friendly and helping attitude towards the tribals to gradually change in light of the present day developmental processes such that it does not endanger their socio-cultural and other legacies should be attempted. Conclusion As an individual (and at a personal level), looking after the welfare, survival and respecting the existence, autonomy and identity of the tribal people needs to be ensured. If the same is being ratified, the much felt need of heritage conservation would be automatically catered. References 1. Filho W.L, Castles of Tomorrow - Tools of H e r i t a g e C o n s e r v a t i o n , Tu Te c h Innovation GmbH, 2005 Hasnain N., General Anthropology, 4th Edition Revised, pp. 3-9, Jawahar Publishers and Distributors, New Delhi, 2003

3.

Kluckhohn C., Universal Categories of Culture. In Anthropology Today: An Encyclopaedic Inventory, edited by A. L. Kroeber, pp. 507 - 523. University of Chicago Press, Chicago, 1953 Kroeber A. and Kluckhohn, C., Culture, Meridian Books, New York, 1952 Kyoto Declaration Report, Protection of Cultural Properties, Historic Areas and their Settings from Loss in Disasters held at the Kyoto Kaikan, 16th January, 2005 Management Policies, U.S. Department of the Interior National Park Service, 2001 Mason R. et al, Values and Heritage Conservation Research Report, The Getty Conservation Institute, Los Angeles 2000

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08. Ministry of Environment and Forests, National Environmental Policy 2006, Government of India 09. Pandey Gaya, Bhartiya Janjatiya Sanskriti (Hindi), Concept Publishing Company, New Delhi, 2007, p 72 10. Roy Kanchan, Excerpts from lecture on Conservation of Tribal Heritage, INTACH (Jharkhand Chapter), ICFAI University, Jharkhand, 2010

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