Important Facts For Prelims
Traditional Seed Preservation Practices in North East
- 14 Nov 2023
- 3 min read
Why in News?
Ao and Sümi Naga communities in Nagaland follow practices passed down through generations, Traditional Seed Preservation Practices, preserving seeds from successful harvests for successive cycles.
- Traditionally agrarian, the Ao and Sümi Naga communities practise jhum or shifting cultivation.
Note: Seed preservation refers to the intentional act of storing seeds from plants for future use. It involves collecting, storing, and maintaining seeds under specific conditions to ensure their viability and ability to germinate when planted.
- The goal of seed preservation is to safeguard genetic diversity, conserve plant species, and maintain agricultural productivity.
Who are Nagaland's Ao and Sümi Naga Communities?
- Ao Naga Community:
- The Ao Naga tribe predominantly resides in Nagaland's Mokokchung district, stretching from Tsüla (Dikhu) Valley to Tsürang (Disai) Valley.
- Believed to have originated from Southeast Asian countries like Indonesia, Malaysia, and Myanmar, the Ao Nagas are part of the Naga tribes descending from Mongoloid ancestry.
- Within the Ao tribe, two racial groups, the Mongsen and the Chongli, constitute distinct segments.
- The Aos became the first Nagas to adopt Christianity and Western education.
- Sümi Naga Community:
- The Sümi Naga people are another indigenous community in Nagaland known for their unique cultural practices and strong agricultural heritage.
- They celebrate various festivals like Tuluni, Ahuna, and Tsükhenye, often centered around agricultural cycles, accompanied by traditional dances, songs, and feasts.
- Similar to several other Naga tribes, the Sümi Naga traditionally practiced jhum or shifting cultivation, cultivating crops such as rice, millet, beans, lentils, pepper, and tobacco.
What is Shifting Cultivation?
- Shifting cultivation, locally called 'Jhum', is a widely practiced system of crop cultivation among the indigenous communities of Northeast India.
- The practice, also known as slash-and-burn agriculture, is when farmers clear land by slashing vegetation and burning forests and woodlands to create clear land for agricultural purposes.
- This provides a very easy and very fast method of the preparation of the land for agriculture.
- The bush and the weeds can be removed easily. The burning of waste materials provides needed nutrients for the cultivation.
- It gives a family its food, fodder, fuel, livelihood and is closely linked to their identity.
- Because of cutting of forests and trees, this practice leads to soil erosion and may also affect the course of rivers.
