Indigenous Knowledge and Endogenous Development: Exploring Survival Strategy of a Tribal Community of Jharkhand, India

Indigenous communities depend directly on natural ecosystems for their livelihoods — wild plants and animals for food, for clothing, for fuel, medicine, and shelter. The deteriorating ecological situation, persistent poverty, social, political and religious tensions and the reduction of biological and cultural diversity present a polycrisis for which new answers are urgently needed. It is in this context the relevance of Indigenous knowledge has entered in the mainstream of sustainable development and the concept of endogenous development has received greater attention. Endogenous development refers to development that is mainly, though not exclusively, based on locally available resources, such as land, water, vegetation, knowledge, skills and competencies. The present article is an endeavor to document the customary practices based on indigenous knowledge of a Sauria-Paharia community in relation to their livelihood strategies for survival in a hostile condition. The article highlights the localized livelihood organization encompassing pattern of resource identification and use, ‘local laws’ of resource conservation, labor organization in terms of acquisition of specialized knowledge, continuity of knowledge through customary networks and distribution of knowledge in terms of age and gender. Despite the presence of all the strength required for the endogenous development, the villagers have to combat with the challenges imposed by the extraneous factors like religious conversion, culturally incompatible education system, intervention of development agencies and programmes and acculturation of the tribal society into the non-tribal framework through greater participation in different fairs and festivals of other ethnic and religious groups. Finally, the article tries to explore the possibilities of endogenous development in the changing scenario by rapprochement of persisting knowledge base of the community and the factors deviating the community from their customary practices that so far been successful in the local context.