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Apatani
House
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The Apatani
are known for
their dexterity in using every inch of cultivable space. They
depend on agriculture, primarily paddy cultivation. Of the valley's
total area of 1,058 square kilometres, 32 square kilometres is
cultivated area, where mostly two kinds of paddy is grown, three
early ripening and three late ripening varieties in separate locations.
A striking feature of their agricultural practice is the system
of irrigating the rice paddies. Though traditional it is thoroughly
scientific. Taking advantage of the gentle gradient of the valley,
a forest stream is diverted to paddy terraces through an intricate
network of channels regulated by wooden sluice gates. By manipulating
these gates, the water flow is regulated and rice plots are either
inundated or drained. Along with paddy cultivation, they also
rear fish in paddy fields and usually harvest about 50 kilogram
of fish from each hectare. Millet is generally grown on the bunds
of terraced paddy fields. They also grow maize either in kitchen
gardens or in more distant plots. Their kitchen gardens usually
grow vegetables, potato and tomato being the recent introductions.
The
Apatani believe that there is no life without bamboo. They build
their huts solely of bamboo and pinewood. Therefore, an integral
feature of their villages is well stocked and carefully tended
bamboo and pine groves. In the surrounding hills, many varieties
of wild bamboo grow. However, in their individually owned groves,
they grow a variety that is locally known as "bije"
(Phyllostachys bambusoides). It is a medium size, straight stemmed,
male bamboo that stands up well to cold winters with seasonal
frost and occasional snow. It is the Plateau's characteristic
and is not found in the surrounding areas except where it is planted
by some Nyishi tribal. The blue pine (Pinus wallichiana) is also
the area's characteristic tree. A magnificent tree attaining a
height of over 170 feet, according to the Apatani folklore, it
was brought by them from central Mongolia from where they are
supposed to have migrated. They worship the old blue pine trees.
"Khoda Satnii", the massive and ancient pine tree in
the Khoda clan area of Rehru village, is an example.
Besides
bamboo and pine, the groves close to villages also contain a variety
of fruit trees. Those running up the hill slopes have pine and
fruit trees interspersed with a few other trees, whose wood is
used for hut building. The lush pine groves on hillsides surrounding
the valley are the evidence of their remarkable forestry skills.
The Apatani forests are mostly categorised as "Unclassified
State Forests", which is unique to the Northeast and comprises
all forest areas except the Reserve Forests, Sanctuaries and National
Parks.
Adjacent to the Apatani settlements is the Talle Valley, which
is an extension of the Apatani Plateau. It is a densely forested
area rich in plant and animal life with 274 species of birds and
560 plant species. Its forests are also the home of the elusive
and endangered clouded leopard (Neofelis nebulosa), a magnificent
feline that takes its name from the cloud forest it inhabits and
its hazy markings allowing it to blend with the shifting shadows
of the jungle canopy. It is the least known of the leopard species,
which include spotted and snow leopards. The other endangered
wildlife includes mountain otters, civets, wild dogs and macaques.
It also has a sizable population of tigers, leopard cats, marble
cats, fishing cats, wild buffaloes, bison, elephants, red foxes,
making it a heaven for wildlife enthusiasts and biologists. It
is also the natural home of a variety of bamboo with thorns (Chimonobambusa
callosa) and a very rare wild bamboo (Pleioblastus simonii). The
vegetation is primarily tropical and sub-tropical evergreen forests
and sub-tropical grassland. The tropical evergreen forests extend
from the foothills up to a height of 1,000 metres. In the upper
reaches, it comprises mainly Assamese hollock and other varieties
of broad-leaved evergreen trees that provide a dark and humid
environment conducive to profuse growth of orchids, ferns, etc.
Before notification as Reserved Forest, the Talle forests belonged
to a number of Apatani clans. Talle wildlife sanctuary, with an
area of 337 square kilometres, was carved out of the Reserved
Forest in 1994. Much of it is unexplored, even by the Apatani
hunters, who venture here from the Plateau, a day's walk away.
With the notification as a protected area, it is now under exclusive
government control. With the change in the forests' legal ownership,
the Apatani are inhibited from freely using these forests as their
resource base as also for their customary hunting. These restrictions
run counter to their traditional rights and customary practices,
and are likely to become the foci of potential conflict between
the people and the government.
Text
by AJOY BAGCHI
Based on the WWF-India Study
"Conservation & Sustainable Use of Natural Bioresources:
A Case Study of Apatanis"
by Sudipto Chatterjee, Soumen Dey, R S Rana & A R K Sastry;
Lead Paper "Talle Valley Sanctuary as a Community Resource"
by
Pekyom Ringu, Director, Dibang-Dihang Biosphere Project,
Arunachal Government;
and Lead Paper "Bamboo Resource Management in Apatani Valley"
by
R C Sundriyal, T C Upreti and Mihin Dollo,
Govind Ballabh Pant Institute of Himalayan Environment &
Development, North East Unit, Itanagar;
with inputs from
Arunachal Pradesh Government website,
World Pheasant Association-India and National Geographic
magazine.
