Relations of Blood: Hunting Taboos and Wildlife Conservation in the Idu Mishmi of Northeast India

Abstract

Hunting is one of the leading causes of declines in tropical wildlife. Yet, for many traditional and Indigenous Peoples, hunting and associated rituals are integral to establishing and maintaining social identities and reciprocal relations with nature. Taboos that restrict hunting and forest use are widely prevalent in traditional societies and have been likened to informal culture-based conservation mechanisms. However, where taboos have been formally co-opted by conservation programs, the results have been largely ineffective. A recent study showed that taboos in the Idu Mishmi community of Northeast India significantly reduced wild meat consumption and contributed to biodiversity protection, including an endangered tiger population. In this study, we explore what motivates Idu taboos, their role in everyday Idu life, how they impact hunting, and whether they will endure with changing circumstances. We find that by conditioning social and personal prosperity on ancestrally mandated, morally correct behavior in the forest, Idu taboos ensure that people understand that human well-being is inextricably linked to restrictive hunting. Violation of taboo does not just bring misfortune to the violator but to all kin, forging interdependence and cohesion in the society. Taboos form the moral and practical basis of interaction between and among humans, spirits, and animals. Taboos are not an isolated component of the Idu culture; they make the Idu the Idu, the reason why they have endured through rapidly changing times. Conservation should pay careful attention not just to the outcomes of cultural institutions, but to their meanings and processes to co-create sustainable and ethical programs.

Sharing Spaces and Entanglements With Big Cats: The Warli and Their Waghoba in Maharashtra, India

“…There have been many studies that explore the relevance of existing belief systems and narratives to conservation, specifically human-wildlife co-existence (Hill, 2011;Kolipaka et al, 2015;Aiyadurai, 2016;McKay et al, 2018;Parathian et al, 2018;Nijhawan and Mihu, 2020). For example Li et al (2014) discuss how Tibetan Buddhism contributes toward the sharing of space between shepherds and snow leopards.…”

“…Research pertaining to the study of ecology, diet, geography, distribution of attacks, and mitigation practices associated with the "conflictual" wildlife species dominated the treatment of the issue, often centered in and around protected areas (Edgaonkar and Chellam, 2002;Andheria et al, 2007;Athreya et al, 2013Athreya et al, , 2016Kshettry et al, 2017). Over time, the field of study has expanded, not only geographically to look at human-wildlife interactions in multi-use landscapes, cities, and other non-protected areas (Athreya et al, 2013;Chapron et al, 2014;Carter and Linnell, 2016;Landy, 2017;Miller et al, 2017;Dhee et al, 2019), but also ideologically to include the study of the numerous dimensions associated with human-wildlife interactions (Ghosal et al, 2013;Aiyadurai, 2016;Crown and Doubleday, 2017;Doubleday, 2017;Bhatia et al, 2019;Nijhawan and Mihu, 2020).…”

“…In some communities, narratives and knowledge surrounding human-wildlife interactions can also be seen entwined into informal social institutions. For example, in Dibang Valley the kinship ties of brotherhood and taboos describing the ill consequence of killing a tiger contribute significantly to the relationship between humans and tigers in that landscape (see Aiyadurai, 2016;Nijhawan and Mihu, 2020).…”

Tiger Becomes Termite Hill: Soliga/Solega Perceptions of Wildlife Interactions and Ecological Change

“…The ability of the Solega, like other indigenous communities in India, to adapt their own activities to mitigate conflict with wild animals, along with their extensive traditional knowledge on various aspects of forest ecology and animal behaviour, make them ideal partners for conservationists in the fight to preserve local biodiversity, and protect endangered species (Nijhawan and Mihu, 2020). Their presence in the forests of the B. R. Hills should not be viewed as aberrant, problematic or contrary to conservation goals, but as a distinct advantage, given that they have already lived for generations as stewards of the forest.…”

“…Such a community may have, over numerous generations, developed practices, beliefs, and behaviours that enable it to avoid conflict with the species in question. It is therefore a worthwhile exercise to document the TEK of such communities, and to engage indigenous peoples, with their diverse world views, experiences, and belief systems, to foster conservation and environmental stewardship (Appiah-Opoku, 2007;Beckford et al, 2010;Reo et al, 2017a;Nijhawan and Mihu, 2020). This paper presents aspects of the TEK of the Soliga/Solega 1 community of southern India, who live in a forest habitat that is also home to tigers, leopards, elephants and sloth bears, among others.…”