The monsoons have arrived with the ‘Aadi’ month of appeasing the water gods, awaiting perennial streams to flow. (‘Aadi’ is a month of the Tamil Calendar). Bridges dry for winter and prolonging into summer now bring silt, fisheries and a revival of riverside wetlands. I enter the forests of the snake deity, revered by the ‘Irula’ tribes of Tamil Nadu. (Irulas are known for their rich knowledge on snakes and antivenom during a crisis of snake bites in remote landscapes). They prepare for their annual on-foot pilgrimage on neighboring hills where marriages are arranged across hamlets and wedded wives are brought back home in return for cattle or sheep. Often rearing goats and cattle of indigenous breeds, they also practice sustainable animal husbandry by grazing livestock in forest buffers at the borders of Kerala, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.

On the contrary another tribal sect, the Jenu-Kurubas have ventured into dense thickets in search of hives of honey in caves and on cliffs of ancestral mountain ranges. (‘Jenu or Jonne’ in Kannada dialect means sweet syrup or honey. ‘Kuruba’ means shepherd in Karnataka, indicating their livelihoods). Here, the pastoralists track the bees that have visited flowers of a particular type, and know the flavor of honey through its aroma, tinge and density. Their oral folklore validates tales of reviving harvesting means that are sustainable for the ecosystem as well as their livelihoods in the long run.

Education for Tribal Communities
To my luck, the all-inclusive tribal school for children from aboriginal backgrounds already established nature-centric learning through years of working in the field of education. My role here was to induct teachers to an eco-conscious means of learning that is culturally sensitive and ecologically responsive to the changing political landscape of the region of study. To fight migration with forced deprivation in undeveloped fringes of forested lands wasn’t an intent. Rather to include the choice to migrate than the push to feel displaced was the focus of this research. Anchoring in ecotourism, this educator training program involved facilitating teachers from not necessarily tribal origins to dialogue with the needs of tribal families in the learning imparted to their children.

The outcome of this research was to empower youth to make informed decisions regarding migration for furthering education, occupation or to bank on the tourism sector as an enterprising industry linked to traditional wisdom and indigenous practices.

Tribal communities of Irula and Jenu-Kuruba, walking with their livestock, embodying the timeless connection between nature, tradition, and sustainable livelihoods.

Snake Worshippers and Honey Collectors of Southern India;

The Marketing organic and wild honey was an option alongside knowledge about species conservation and the protection of endangered species from extinction. This study was a compilation of learning material to inform NGOs on how to replenish indigenous practices and traditional knowledge with the involvement of third-generation learners.

The repercussions of this study entail the implementation of modalities of learning that are nature-centric and culture-informed to tribes of various regions in the Indian subcontinent. In partnership with Nature Classrooms, a framework was utilised to design learning modules that informed tribal societies of their links to land and bio-resources, influenced by local weather such as the arrival of monsoons. And how diverse the arrival was felt in different biogeographies, elicited their unique connection to nature and a sense of cultural ecology that was built around their constant engagement with the environment

Preserving Tribal Heritage:

Finding the snake-charmer or beekeeper in a classroom of tribal kids is as interesting as challenging dissolving cultural roots and ecological dependencies
Reestablishing a healthy cultural identity with one’s descent and environment takes enormous efforts in curricular redesign to suit tribal needs. Such was my endeavor in a land of remote depleting identity and a marginalized socio-economic populace.

CONCLUSION: At the heart of this narrative lies the story of a fellow pastoralist community, thriving in ancient hillocks, that could help share solidarity with those in conflict areas, international borders and dynamic and shifting terrains. I hope this article inspires readers to implement something similar in North India to see if culturally responsive education can be a dialogue across latitudes and altitudes of climate and culture. Pastoralist and tribal discourse needs to gather impetus to inform educational policies on the acclimatized nature of interaction that culture has with ecologies and geographies of differing heights that share similar ecological concerns.
Hussain Ebrahim, is an independent researcher and PhD scholar at the University of TransDisciplinary Health Science and Technology, Bangalore. His research focuses on eco-centric learning for tribal children, community conservation, and the role of plant-derived medicine in Adivasi healthcare. Ebrahim works to preserve traditional practices and promote sustainable livelihoods by documenting oral histories and local ecological knowledge.