Volume : 5, Issue : 9, September - 2016

Women and Traditional Ecological knowledge in Nagaland: Issues of sustainability

Alomi Cynthia Shikhu, Dr. Toshimenla Jamir

Abstract :

<p>&nbsp;Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) is important for the survival and continuity of socio-cultural structure particularly for indigenous people. TEK is essential for sustainability of environment and ecology. It has and will continue to have a role in the life of indigenous people. TEK has sustained them for millennia before the intrusion of scientific knowledge and in the process; indigenous communities have developed a symbiotic relationship with their ecology. Naga society is one such community with more than half of the population dependant on agriculture and natural resources for sustenance and survival. Women in Naga society play a pivotal role in managing and sustaining the resources obtained from nature. They are in fact considered the real experts on preservation and continuation of TEK. From working in the field to collection of firewood to identifying the varieties of plants, they transmit TEK through daily practice and maintain close contact with nature and environment. One such importance is seen in the area of seed selection; women are natural custodian of seeds which they learn orally. The preservation of seeds, the choice of which seeds to be planted, the forecasting of weather and the pattern of cropping are some of the practices which portrays how TEK is intertwined in their lives. However with modernization and attendant forms of development with their emphasis on privatization of resources and commercialization, the importance attached to TEK system appears to be eroding. This poses the challenges of sustainability of TEK which is intertwined with the very survival of identity of the community in question.</p>