Indigenous vision : peoples of India attitudes to the environment

Global warming, ecological destruction, en vironmental doom - these are the crises of the modern age. Conferences, seminars and workshops are being held over the world in order to forge consensual solutions to these acute problems which threaten the very fu ture of the human race. A major cause of the onset of this global crisis has undoubtedly been man's pursuit of economic 'develop ment' which has caused him to conquer na ture instead of living in harmony with it. Simultaneously, modern man has tended to look down upon indigenous populations as 'primitive' beings whose beliefs, attitudes and practises are 'outmoded' and 'back ward'.

Of late, however, there has been a grow ing realisation that these communities have pursued lifestyles which are harmonious with and respectful of the elements that comprise this planet; and that they still hold vital and rare wisdom concerning how to exist in harmony with ecosystems which more 'developed' cultures have been recklessly destroying.

In order to learn from these traditions, this fascinating volume explores various facets of the environmental practices of the indigen ous populace of India. The contributors pre sent the rituals and folklore of these people to show how they are shaped by the envi ronment they inhabit and are reflected in ingrained ethics of ecobalance. The case studies presented focus variously on the Warlis of Bombay, the Gonds, Kols and Bhumiars of Shahdol, the Gujjars of Hima chal Pradesh, the Panniyars of Kerala, and the Mundas, Oraons and Santals of Central India. Other papers deal with Buddhist trad itions, the impact of alien laws and attitudes on tribal populations, and distorted projec tions of biodiversity propounded by interna tional agencies in order to pass on the

responsibility to developing nations. Rich in insights drawn from a wide range of disciplines, this book is essential reading for ecologists, anthropologists, sociologists, environmental activists and all those con cerned with the survival of planet earth.