By H H Mohrmen
If food is also part of our culture, then stories of how people are connected to their crops and foods are colourful yarns that make the fabric attractive. The importance of food in the culture of the Jaidbynriew Hynñew Trep has never been a popular topic of discussion until the coming of the North East Slow Food and Agrobiodiversity Society (NESFAS) in the picture. It is a matter of surprise that despite the fact that we eat food every day, yet the food narrative is missing from the ordinary discussion of people. Food is a very important part of culture and if this one thread is removed from the cloth, then the structure, the pattern and strength of the cloth is also affected. Food also depends on seeds and the story of food is not complete without the seeds from which it originates.
CBS and regaining
of the lost Seeds
The story of Community Seed Banks (CBS) that we have promoted begins with the sad tale of the lost seeds that were once part of the community’s agricultural practices. Some would say that being sad is not a good place to start a new venture but the truth is farmers are lamenting about this irreparable loss.
During the rice festival in 2019 organized by SURE and supported by NESFAS, custodian farmers, knowledge holders lamented about the rice varieties that the area has lost. Even the Deputy Commissioner of West Jañtia hills Garod L.S.N. Dykes, who is a native of the region recalled that the rice varieties which were popular during his childhood days are nowhere to be found now.
Rice is just one example of a native species that is being replaced by hybrid seeds provided by the government to the farmers. Traditional rice varieties vanished when the government in good faith introduced the high yielding varieties to help augment rice production in the state. The CBS in Mulum is now trying to locate and salvage as much as they can the rice varieties that the people used to grow in the region. The story is in fact similar everywhere, therefore the story of CBS is also the tale of regaining our lost seeds because it is not only part of our culture and history but our future also depends on the seeds that we have.
Seeds are our legacy
Seeds are an integral part of society. Whenever a new family starts in the community, at some point of time the mother would take a fistful of seeds of different crops that she grew and hand it over to her daughter. This almost ritual-like activity is normally performed before the daughter leaves the house. Seeds have not only been part of our tribal lives; in fact every seed has stories and traditions connected to it. Seeds therefore are a rich legacy that has been handed down from one generation to another.
From Custodian farmers to Community Seeds Bank
By tradition individual farmers keep seed and few farmers in the community are custodian farmers. Custodian famers are not only the keepers of indigenous knowledge connecting to farming practices in the region, but they also have diligently keep the seeds that they have inherited. The keepers of seeds are always proactive farmers and often leaders of the farming community in the area. The CBS is a coming together of such individuals in the farmers’ community with the sole intention of protecting, preserving and sharing the seeds that they have.
Our security is
in the varieties
It is a well established fact that tribal lives depend largely on the vagaries of nature for their survival; therefore it is only wise that they do not rely on a single crop as their staple food. There were stories where one crop failed and people were saved by another. The story that people in the past did not rely on a single crop to feed their hunger came rather unexpectedly. It happened when the famers shared their stories during the Community Seed Bank Exchange visit program organized by NESFAS and SURE at Mulum village. The program which was part of the project titled ‘Empowering Indigenous People through Agroecology Learning Circle for resilient, integrated and innovative natural resource management’ is funded by World Bank under the aegis of Meghalaya Basin Management Agency (MBMA).
It was during the sharing of stories by the farmers that we came to know about the tradition that the staple food of the Khasi, Pnar War and Bhoi is not a single crop only. It is only very recently that rice became the staple food of the different regions of the state. In fact the crop which serves as the staple food for the people varies from one region to another. It is obvious that the crop which is the staple food of the people also largely depends on the topography of the area they live in.
Different regions, different crops, different staple food
Rice is the staple food for people living in the Pnar areas of Jañtia hills where the natural features of the region are plateaus with hills and valleys. It is also interesting to note that the culture and traditions of the people in the area revolve around the crop and even their festivals are based on the annual calendar of rice cultivation (Mohrmen HH, Cultural History of Jañtia hills in Stories, Stones and Traditions 2021). Similarly in the War Jañtia area the topography of the area is steep and the region experiences a subtropical climatic condition, which only makes the area a perfect match for jhum cultivation. In the southern slope millet was their main crop till not so very long ago and they even have traditions like Longhai which is connected to jhum cultivation of millet (ibid).
It is therefore not a surprise that the cultures of the Pnar who live on the plateau revolve around rice, while that of the people who live in the War area revolves around millet. But other regions of the state also have their own crops which serve as their staple food.
Crops which are
also staple food
Kong Bibinia Rani from Nongtraw village said that millet has always been the crop which provides staple food for the people in the area. It is not until the seventies that the government started providing rice through fair price shops and rice became the staple food of the people. Before that they depended on the three varieties of millets to feed themselves. For Sita Merry Nongrum of Umsaw village, Mawkynrew block Phan Karo (sweet potato) has always been one of the major food crops which they also used as a staple food. Kynsaibor Shadap of Madanrtiang, Ri Bhoi district, said that yam was at one point of time the staple food of the people in the region. But the most interesting story was that of Sohriew Sib (Job’s tears) by Ambious Umsor from Khapmaw, Mawkynrew block. Umsor said that sohriew may not serve as a staple food of the people, but it is an important part of their food. People not only eat it during leisure time but it is part of their lunch.
Not relying on food from outside: lesson from COVID -19
If the state depends only on rice and wheat as our staple food, the future of our food is not safe because the products come from outside the state through FCI. One lesson from the pandemic is that during a crisis it is not prudent to depend on food from outside. Lockdowns can affect the supply of food to the state and there will be food security only if we have ready supply of food within the state. The state will be self-sufficient in food if we do not rely on one or two crops for our staple food and using two or more crops as staple food is also nutritious. COVID-19 also taught us that vegetables and wild edibles foraged from the field and forest was our major support during lockdowns due to COVID-19. Therefore to grow locally and eat local is not only a catchy slogan but it is also healthy and economically viable.
No one can live without food and as the wise Native American Chief said, ‘we cannot eat money.’ Our future is bright only if we have robust food systems, which means not relying on one crop for our dietary needs and not depending on food from outside as our staple food.
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