Plants and people

Pavel Partha

Photo: Amirul Rajiv

PLANTS and people are historical Siamese twins with ecological vibration. Anybody can dissect them anytime, but they cannot live alone for a single moment. In Bangladesh, we have plant-based geo-cultural and political progress. If you think in a very simple way you cannot think about anything but the plant or touch of a plant. All subaltern political movements are based on plants. Tebhaga, Tanka, Nankar farmers' movements are basically rice growing farmers' movements. Blue mutiny related to Indigo plant and Jute movement are related with Jute plant. Recent anti-eco-park movement of Indigenous people in the Madhupur Sal forest is related to the dominant species of Sal forest is Shorea robusta. Basically we discuss here the ecological relationship among plants, people and cultural politics, especially in relation to indigenous wisdom.

If you stay in the northern part or the tea garden areas of Sylhet, you can easily come across a rare plant named in Kurukh language of the Oraon people as Karam. Karam is a very sacred plant of the Oraon, Saontal, Pahan and Munda peoples' culture. Historically they conserve the plant for the special ethno-political identity of their own dwelling. The socio-religious festival Karam is impossible without the Karam plant. Under the Rubiaceae family the botanical name of Karam is Haldia cordifolia (Roxb.) Rids. Karam is endangered in the natural forests of Bangladesh and is therefore guarded by the forest department with corporate guns.

In essence, we are describing here the plants which are very closely interrelated in the indigenous folk songs, proverbs, mantras, folktales, riddles, totems, legends and their dreams. Plants have been an integral part of Indigenous life and culture. Hence, references to plants are closely woven with the folklore. Indigenous folk songs are particularly rich in reference to various plants. Folk proverbs having reference to plants are indicative of their deep insight.

Plants in Indigenous folk songs:

“Sukme Kim Karoong Miting osongba
Japing Gambari-phang bokging dongsongba”
- a Mandi 'Re-Re' Song

This Re-Re song of Mandi people means, your breasts are like Miting, your thighs are smooth like the Gambariphang tree. The botanical name of the Miting plant is Artocarpus lakoocha Roxb under the family Moraceae. The plant Gambari-phang is Gmelina argorea Roxb under the Verbenaceae plant family. Basically the described two plants in the Mandi Re-Re song which are the native plants of their Sal forest territory.

“Chin-pan Ke mour dai
Mai mour bandhu dai?”

Oraon folksong
This Oraon folksong is describing the mother: this crown of chind-pan, Mother, shall I put it on my head? The plant Chind-pan is Borassus flabellifer L.Under the Arecaceae plant family it is a long tree containing big umbrella shaped leaves.

Plants in Indigenous legends and folktales
The popular folktale of Tripuri people is “Che-thuang bi-mandar: Kang-Gang” based on Chethuang tree. This folktale is regarding why this tree has no apical shoot. It is locally believed this tree protects from thundering. So, it abounds in Tripuri areas. Che-thuang (Alstonia scholaris L., Apocynaceae) is rarely found in the natural forest but is available in the Tripuri villages and their surroundings.

Plants in Indigenous folk proverbs
Do-ju chaw obng ria
Gro dakko mikkhang ria

In Mandi society this proverb has a very momentous existence for both male and female youths. This proverb means the tonic is made of Do-ju fruit, crime changes the faces. The plant named Do-ju (Hyptis suaveolens (L.) Poit, Lamiaceae) is very rarely found now in the surroundings of Mandis because of the vanishing of natural forests and corporate hijacking of forest resources.

“Chand, Badha, Iswarmul
Se jay na nodirkul”

This Dalu proverb means those who use Chand, Badha, Iswarmul, live a long and healthy life. Because the plants Chand (Rauvolfia serpentina Benth., Apocynaceae), Badha (Asparagus recemosus L., Liliaceae) and Iswarmul (Aristolochia indica L., Aristolochiaceae) are used for tremendous medicinal preparation. Dalu is the smallest Indigenous community that only lives in the Sherpur border belt now and has been displaced from its own forest lands.

Plants in indigenous dreams
It is locally believed in Mandi society that if anybody dreams of Soinyalot, she/he becomes rich. If anybody dreams of cutting Wah, her/his relative will succumb to death. The plant Soinyalot (Cuscuta reflexa Roxb., Convolvulaceae) is also a rarely found parasitic plant in the Mandi areas because of a lack of busy trees. Another bamboo species Wah (Bambusa sp., Poaceae) is also in danger.

Plants in indigenous riddles
In Hajong society women go for lots of riddles for their children and their leisure period. A popular Hajong riddle is ``Thaka jha jha, Ar Kale Raja” (Surrounded by branches of tree, amidst the palace of prince, free). The answer of this riddle is Hengos or water gourd (Cucumis sativus L., Cucurbitaceae).Another scholarly Hajong riddle says, “Aga ling ling gor chatti, tar phol khay ashin-karti” (It looks like umbrella, available from September to October). The answer of the riddle is Gua or betel-nut (Areca catechu L., Arecaceae).

Indigenous clan's totems based on plants
In Bangladesh, many Indigenous communities have different clans and totems. Some clans are based on various plant names and beliefs. In the Saontal Society, the "Hembrom" and "Marondi" clans' totem based on “Sopri-dare(Areaca catechu L., Arecaceae)” and “Durva-man(Cynodon dactylon (L.) Pers., Poaceae)”. In Mandi ethnic communities, "Kharek(Vigna sinensis Endl. ex Hassk., Leguminosae)" is the clan's totem of Nokrekk. Totem plants of the clans have a sacred and immense ethno-political power in society.

Plants in mantras of indigenous worships
In Khasi society, if anybody dies, this mantra (verse) is recited before the dead body, “Khublei, Khublei, Khi lit Phtha, Ko-toui Soh-I-Iang Ubeli” (Adieu, adieu, go away to Ublei-syiem (Gods' Kingdom). Phtha (Piper betel L., Piperaceae) and Ko-toui (Areca catechu L., Arecaceae) are the main crop for the Khasi people for their jhum cultivation. In Mandi society, one of the most important socio-cultural festivals is named “Ru-gala”. This mantra (verse) is recited in “Ru-gala”. “Again we the mankind, adore Mi., Mikhop, Tha-bol-chu, Ething, Haldi, Ak-Kharu...again...again we bow down our head…before God who has given these…” In this Mandi verse the Khamal (Mandi priest) is addressing the surrounding jhum crops names at a time. Mi (Oryza sativa L., Poaceae), Mikhop (Zea mays L., Poaceae), Tha-bol-chu (Manihot esculenta Crantz., Euphorbiaceae), Ething (Zingiber officinale Rose., Zingiberaceae), Haldi (Curcuma longa L., Zingiberaceae), Ak-Kharu (Benincasa hispida (Thumb.) Cogn., Cucurbitaceae) are mainly the crop of jhum. But the state totally expelled jhum in the Madhupur Sal forest areas by armed pressure with the help of the forest department. Mandi people lost their jhum crop diversity and bio-ecological birthright. Indigenous legends emphasize the need to protect the earth not because of its use to humans but because it is sacred. The perception of conservation as a religious duty, of course, also serves ecological, cultural and political purposes. Indigenous people live in nature with a sort of eco-friendship commitment. They think of themselves as a part of the biodiversity, not the owners or rulers of it. They do not separate the "environment" from their daily life. They believe that man is a part of nature, as are trees, insects, birds, mushrooms, pigs, animals, rain, stones, soil, sun, etc.

In Jaintia society, people use "Gindit-sor-oh" plant {Thysanolaera maxima (Roxb.) Kuntze.}in their child naming festival "Pamon-so-oh". In the Mei-tei Muslim Manipuri or Pangon society, "Kang" {Entada phaseoloides (L.) Merr.}seed is used in their New Year festival, "Bisu". In Indigenous culture, people conserve various plants through socio-cultural taboos. For example, in the "Soor-ong clan of Khasi and Jaintias, they do not cut, burn or destroy the "Rom-Bwii" plant {Hydnocarpus kurzii (King.) Warb.}. Many ethnic societies preserve a particular tree preserved from time immemorial. The plant "Prithhol pan" (Jatropha curcas L.) is used for "Hodom-wai" worship of the Kochs as a sacred one.

Bangladesh recently has finalized a new biodiversity related act named ` Bangladesh Wildlife Act 2010' without ascertaining public opinion and without taking account of the concerns of biodiversity dependent people. This is the first legal document of the state which recognizes the term `sacred plants' and `sacred forest'. The new act lists only 57 plants for special concern.

We believe indigenous culture is born from plant embryo and plants also live with the peoples' embryo. In 1855, the Saontal people used the branch of the Sal trees against the unjust British colonial rule in the Hul or Saontal rebellion. Plants give us not only food, house, space, cloth, color, medicine, ritual, breath, river, odor, culture, but also the political power to live with plant-civilization.

The writer is Researcher, Ecology and Biodiversity Conservation.