Created this photo essay on my initial visit to India for fieldwork during my sabbatical in the Fall of 2012. Thanks to Arun Sasi for helping me put this preliminary report and power point together (Jan 2013). The collection of photos here were all taken by me. Video of the one hour presentation (with stories) will soon be available on Vimeo, as this is largely a collection of photos without context. Still, several people have asked me to share today's presentation so I have. Thanks to everyone who supported and encouraged me during my sabbatical. It was an amazing experience!

1. Obama-Singh 21st Century Initiative
“Sustainability and Indigenous Society Impact Study”
(Program III)
ACESSD, Mahatma Gandhi Univ. (Kerala)
Dept. of History & Philosophy, PSU (New Hampshire)
Dr. Whitney Howarth (PSU)
Arun Sasi
Shynu V.C.
Veena George M
Nisha S.

2. ACESSD at Mahatma Gandhi University
The Advanced Centre of Environmental Studies and Sustainable Development
(ACESSD) is an Inter-university Centre: aims to integrate Environmental Studies and
Sustainable Development. An interdisciplinary centre where all branches of Science,
Social Science as well as Humanities converge to promote holistic research.

3. Obama-Singh 21st Century Initiative Grant to promote
international collaboration among institutes of higher learning.

4. ‘An Interdisciplinary and Community Oriented
Innovative Approach Towards Sustainable
Development’
The goal of the initiative is to further strengthen, through faculty exchanges, joint
research, and other collaboration, partnerships between American and Indian
institutions of higher education in priority fields, including food security,
climate change, sustainable energy, and public health.
*Over 100 university partnerships applied – only 8 were selected in 2012.
*Each will receive approximately $250,000 for the 3 year program.
*3 years – faculty/student exchanges each year between US/India institutions:
MGU partners with:

5. MGU partners with the following
institutions:
Duke University – Dept of Civil Engineering
clean water & sanitation systems,
rain water harvesting and biogas systems
Brown University – Dept of Nanotechnology
generation of clean energy as an alternate to
fuel cell through Chitosan-based (solar)
Nano-membranes
Plymouth State University – Dept of Social
Science/History…

6. Livelihood Adaptations and Sustainable
Development of Indigenous Communities in
the Kerala Western Ghats.

10. Time Frame of Fieldwork Visits
1) Exposure visit to Idukki/Munnar, October 23-26
2) Fieldwork at Mannan settlement: November 24-27
3) Fieldwork at Muthuvan settlement: January 9-12
Future visits:
February-May: three visits by MGU fieldworkers
June-August: Observation/Participation visit 10 days each
January 2014: three short visits by PSU/MGU team

11. Purpose of Study
• To identify the opportunities and threats to the
sustainable development of indigenous communities
living in this region, especially as it relates to climate
change and resource depletion.
• To identify innovative and traditional regional practices of
preserving bio-diversity as a means to record adaptation in
the face of environmental challenges like climate change,
which are often exacerbated by inappropriate
development.
• To acknowledge and examine the particular way indigenous
people respond to climatic stimuli (actual or expected) in
adjustments to ecological, social, or economic systems

12. The major objectives are:
1. To understand the trends of economic and other livelihood
activities
2. To identify impacts of changing phases of climate and resource
use
3. To understand the role of institutions in facilitating the
sustainable development
4. To generate updated knowledge for academic and policy
decisions at a wider perspective

13. Case Study Focus:
1) Mannan of Kozhimala
2) Muthuvan of
Chempakathozhukudy and
Pachapulkudy

14. Mannan
Kozhimala settlement, Idukki District est. 1976
Total families: 112
Population: 443
Land: Approximately, 356 acres.
Cultivation: cardamom, pepper, coffee, tapioca,
cocoa, areca nut, coconut.

16. Topical Issues for further research
1) Encroachment of outsiders, impact on irrigation
-- cash cropping patterns w/ bunds, paddy water limited/blocked
2) Loss of ‘pata’ (lease) lands and impact on cultivation.
3) Decline in forest foraging and collection
-- fuel wood, dammer, honey, gamboja fruit, and medicinal plants
4) Mixed cash-crop cultivation in lieu of rice/ragi
-- food crops require labor intensive and may yield less profits (needs 1 yr to
harvest) market factors also limit rice production, settlement from outsiders
influence tribal cropping patterns.
5) Role of Raja system and religious practices (Kalavoottu) in
maintaining food security, land development, use of
pesticides, forest usage.

17. Muthuvan people
Chempakathozhukudy
Total Families: 128
Population: 471
Land: Approximately, 60 acres under cultivation
Cultivation: cardamom, pepper, coffee, tapioca,
areca nut, coconut

19. Muthuvan People
Pachapulkudy Settlement
Total Families: 38
Population: 149
Land: ?
Cultivation: cardamom, coffee

20. Chempakathozhukudy
Topical issues for
further investigation
1) Food insecurity and decline of
edible biodiversity due to human-
elephant conflict
2) Cash-crop mix-crop cultivation &
medicinal plant usage.
3) Ecological dependency on forest
(changes?) – Eucalyptus and grass
for building.
4) Wage labor on cardamom
plantations outside settlement

21. “We and the elephant are the same… we don’t have land, they
don’t have land. So Why complain? We have the same problems.”
-- Muthuvan Kani, Subbaraman.

22. Pachapulkudy Settlement
Topical Issues for Further
Investigation:
1) Food insecurity and decline of edible biodiversity due to human-
elephant conflict.
2) Cash crops limited to cardamom and coffee (why?)
3) Ecological dependency on forest limited
(restricted to fuel wood and honey, no medicinal plants)
4) Wage labor on cardamom plantations outside settlement

23. Methodologies
1) Ethnographic – Gathering data via Secondary
Data Analysis, Fieldwork,
Observation/Participant Observation,
and Informal and Semi-structured Interviewing
1) Ethnobotanical – Gathering data via botanical
inventory, sample collection, semi-structured
interviews, quantitative assessment of species
density, Growth yield studies, mapping, etc.

24. • Questions for Fieldwork Interviews with Manan and Muduvan Tribal
communities:
• Religious/Spiritual beliefs:
• 1 Who are the Gods/Godesses you worship? Is there an Earth
Goddess?
• 2 What are the most important festivals of the year?
• 3 Are there special festivals related to the earth, to trees, to water, to
specific plants you cultivate, to an agricultural goddess or practice?
• 4 What poojas do you perform in your home daily? Are these done by
both men and women?
• 5 What is your relationship to Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam,
Christianity? Any converts? Feelings about that?
• 6 Do you find the DIVINE in nature? Does God directly influence
planting, growing, harvesting, weather?

25. • Land usage/Cultivation
• What do you grow? How much of this is for sale (cash crop) and how much do you consume?
• Do you practice shifting cultivation? Why/why not?
• Traditionally, did your people practice shifting cultivation? Food production? Cash cropping?
Mono-culture? Mixed agriculture (complimentary cultivation)?
• When did that change and why?
• Are you happy with the fertility of the land and how much land you have?
• If you had more land, what would be different – would you cultivate different things? More? In
same way?
• Do you collect (NTFP) things from the forest for sale or use? What things? Are they ample or
hard to find these days?
• When did that change?
• Do you grow or gather medicinal plants? How many medicinal plants do you know about?
Women more than men?
• Are the Manan/Muduvan healthy people? Do they live long? What explains their longevity and
good health?
• How is this new generation’s relationship with the land different than your generation, or your
father’s or grandfather’s?
• What skills or traditions are the young people forgetting?
• What is the relationship between the Manan/Mudvan people and the land? Is it a healthy
relationship?
• What is your relationship with wild life in the region? Do you hunt? Do you feel safe outside the
village Elephants?
• If you could change one thing about the place where you live (the resources you have) what
would you change? Why?

26. • Gender:
• Tell us about your marriage traditions, practices, customs. Age of marriage
for w/m, gender expectations.
•
• Is there a specific ritual for ‘coming of age’ for women and/or men? Other
rituals only women or men do?
•
• Are women and men segregated? Before marriage, during a woman’s
mensus, after menopause?
•
• Are marriages always arranged? If so by whom? Factors that make someone
a good bride or good husband?
• Can a widow remarry? Is there divorce? Can a divorced woman remarry?
Why/why not?
•
• Do men and women do the same type of jobs outside the house? Do women
cultivate?
• What life transition rituals are practiced – birth, death, etc.
• Who is more religious? Men or Women? -- Who are more connected to
nature, men or women?

28. • Tribal Identity and Issues
• 1 What does the term ‘tribal’ mean to you?
• 2 Do you live differently than other people in Kerala?
• 3 Do you want to be separate? Distinct? If so, why?
• 4 What is your tribe’s relationship with the government? Is the govt. good to tribals?
• 5 Have there been any laws or policies (from the state) passed for your benefit? Harm? Which
laws?
• 6 Do the leaders of your tribal community talk to govt officials? What do they talk about?
• 7 What is your relationship with other tribal peoples in the region? (Manan/Muduvan)
• 8 Are they lower status or higher status than you? Why? Historic relationship/reasons for
difference?
• 9 What distinguishes you from these other tribes?
• 10 How do the (Manan/Muduvan/other tribe) live and what is their cultivation practice? Do they
grow the same crops?
• 11 Are the current young people in your community PROUD to be (Manan/Muduvan)? What makes
them proud?
• 12 What is good about the new generation? What skills/talents/knowledge do they have today
that previous generations didn’t have? How is it useful?
• 13 Do you practice conservation/protection of your resources? Why or why not?
• 14 Do you try to be sustainable (explain concept: live life now with intention that these resources
will be there for future generations)?
• 15 you feel like you’re losing culture? Are you disappointed with the loss of traditions or changing
traditions?
• 16 If I want to write a book about your tribe, its history, its relationship to the land… what is the
most important story I should tell?

30. Ethnobotany and Ethnomedicine
Leucas aspera (tumba) and salt, taken together
can be given to a woman during birth to aid in
the evacuation of the afterbirth (placenta).

31. Ethnobiological studies data sheet
Photo ID No Settlement Division
ID No: Date:
Name of the Plant Local Name Locality
Scientific name
Habit H/S/G/C/T Part used:
Category Habitat type Location status
NTFPs Edible use Medicinal Rituals Implements Sale
Quantity of collection Bundle/trip Kg/trip
Season Aprox. Time required
Jan-Mar Apr-Jun July-Sep Oct-Dec
IUCN Status Rare Endangered Threatened
Local Status Common Rare Abundant others
Collection Mode
Individual Group Others
Collection type
Destructive Sustainable

32. 1 Anguilla bengalensis (Malanjil/Blanjil) : the tail of this fish is
ground and given to pregnant women 2 months before
delivery to aid in birth. This fish is also eaten for asthma and
dry skin. (Source: Raman, Mannan settlement Kozhimala)

33. Challenges of working with human subjects
became clear on the 2nd day we tried to enter
the Muthuvan settlement…

77. Preliminary Findings
Mannan vs. Muthuvan
1) Settlement patterns – cultivation, proximity, unity, elephants
2) Pesticide usage, seed storage (ragi, peas)
3) Raja’s role in ‘development’ projects, governance, foreign
NGO’s and state politics (less activity among Kanis)
4) Proximity to forest and relationship with outsiders (customs)
-- issues of conversion/identity
-- conservative social traditions (Muthuvan isolation)
-- Education vs. traditional knowledge (Mannan mixed
school and Muthuvan women’s schooling limited)
-- Alcohol usage

79. Our interviews revealed that development projects such as hydro-electric dams in the
region, like this one at Anayirangal Reservoir, have caused loss of land, massive
relocation of indigenous peoples and dramatic shifts in tribal livelihood choices.
With overpopulation, increased land development, and population resettlement
schemes organized by the government, tribal peoples face increased elephant conflicts,
water shortages, deforestation, and a sever reduction in productive lands upon which to
grow crops or forage. Many feel they have lost more than land. They’ve lost identity.