Ethno-Ecology, Eco-System and Environmental Wisdom
Looking from Janjati Perspective
Keywords:
Ethno-Ecology, Eco-system, Environmental wisdom, Janjati communities, Forest resources, Emic-Etic perspectivesAbstract
Human society from the ancient times maintains a symbiotic relationship with forest and forest-based resources which influence their life, living and source of livelihood from birth to death. The forest resources in the form of plants, animals, birds, fruits are adopted in various cultural practices in the form of totems, beliefs and customs which are considered as the environmental wisdom in which human society is an integral part of both physical and meta physical entities. Most of the concepts of environmental wisdom used as a part of environmental explanations in this field have western origin and looking from etic perspectives. The humor theory of Hippocrates considered as the important foundation for environmental determinism has its origin in the theory of ‘Panchatatva’ of Indian Philosophy includes Prithvi (Earth), Jal (Water), Agni/Tej (Fire), Vayu (Air) and Akash (Space/Ether), which are the fundamental building blocks which influences our physical and mental wellbeing. The geographic differences in the physical form and their effects on personality resulted in variations in their world by life and living. However, over the period scientific methods based on simple, linear, cause-effect relationships ignored or neglected the complex interactions and feedback processes that make environmental wisdom. However, only recently a new approach is focused to look at environmental resources and ecological relationships from participants’ point of view which is called as ethno-science, ethnographic semantics indigenous traditional knowledge systems broadly known as Environmental Wisdoms build over centuries through various coping processes which need to be understood from emic perspective. Keeping this in mind, attempt is made through empirical studies and understanding among few Janjati communities of Chhattisgarh with respect to their emic understanding of the Ethno-ecology, Eco-system, and environmental wisdom long been practiced and handed over from generation to generation as a part of the processes of cultural continuity and change.
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