Society, Culture and Livelihoods

A Case study of Patlen Village and its vicinity 

ABSTRACTS

In the last few decades, several man-made unsustainable activities and interventions have accelerated the problems related to shelter, environment, food, health, society, culture and working pattern. The growth of modern technology and an easy way of earning money has effected the environment especially the tribals area of churachapndpur. These problem-areas are also associated, linked and guided mainly with society, culture and livelihoods. Appropriate culture and livelihoods can help us to move towards a more healthy, liveable and sustainable environment at the household, community and society level. Hence the sub theme of society, Culture and livelihood assumes significance.

The idea of this sub theme is to promote the concept of conscious and cautious involvement of science, technology and innovation to evolve sustainable culture and livelihoods. The sub theme looks at several concepts related to the effect of occupational, cultural and environmental changes and their relations with culture and livelihoods. This sub-theme shall in addition to its focus on the negative impacts also look at the positive impacts on culture and livelihood and identify these as opportunities for a sustainable future.

A culture typically reflects an individual’s attitudes, way of life, values, or world view. Therefore, a culture is a means of forging a sense of self and to create cultural symbols that resonate with personal identity.

INTRODUCTION

Society, culture and livelihood are linked mainly through environmental context where people live. Ecological setting of a region, where people live in is a factor that determines many aspects of social and cultural practices. The social group formation and its structural pattern vary from region to region with variation of ecological context. For example, small clan based groups have small number of people sharing the same roots living in a small area having a low population density. In such context, the ownership of natural resources also varies. Larger quantities of natural assets remain under village, community or clan ownership; village forest, community forest or clan forest which is most common in tribal area of Manipur. 

However, Society by what we mean is a total representation of intricate human relationships that grows out of action. It can be defined as collection of individuals united by certain relations or mode of behaviour which differentiate them from others who do not enter into these relations or who differ with them in terms of behaviour. Culture is something which a group of people commonly practised with sense of unity, wether it is for survival, laws etc. At the same time became identity for them. Livelihood means making a living and it covers fulfilment of basic necessities of life which incorporate security of food, shelter and clothing along with health and education. More specifically, a livelihood comprises the capabilities, assets and activities required for a means of living. 

In respect to it we have selected one particular place for case study therefore we selected a village called Patlen and its vicinity. Patlen village is located 12kms away from the main town of churachandpur, which is one of the most interesting place for data analysis. The village law is still operated by the chief, where 74 houses are residing. The case study to this village is important because it hold unique sustainability resources yet it had been restricted as it will contradict the religious faith. We shall elaborate this in the main section of the paper. 

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES

The idea of this sub theme is to promote the concept of conscious and cautious involvement of science, technology and innovation to evolve a sustainable society, culture livelihood. The sub theme looks at several concepts related to the effect of:-

1. Occupational changes
2. Cultural changes and
3. Environmental changes and its relation with culture and livelihood.

The sub theme not only tries to focus on the negative impacts but also on positive impacts identifying them as opportunities to carry forward for developing a sustainable future. The concept of Sustainable development consists of 4 main pillars which are

1. People (Social or Society)
2. Culture (practices)
3. Planet (Environment) 
4. Profit (Economy).

All these four main pillars of Sustainable development are interwoven both have an effect on each other. Current culture and consumption patterns are unsustainable.

Especially since after the adoption of the globalisation and liberalisation policies In the economic sectors of our country in the early 1990s.  in the backdrop of the above we decided to conduct a survey to know the pro and adverse impact and implication on the people of our area as a result of their changed culture and livelihood. Through this survey which we planned to conduct in the form of seeking answer to our questionnaire from the selected village and its vicinity by visiting them in groups and find out the problems being faced by them, so that we can try to find out some possible solutions to overcome this.

WORK PLAN

There are different phases or ways to conduct projects, first we have drafted the method and aim of the project and likely outcome should be ascertained. The project is Survey based on working models. Since our proposed project is to find out the impact of changed culture and livelihood in the society. A case study is being done to Patlen Village and its vicinity, since Patlen is a well known place for its natural resources and its vicinity is being used by many people for jhuming cultivation and poppy plantation. We planned to collect the data by approaching people especially to selected area with a questionnaire related to their livelihood in the form of a survey. In this regard, we prepared a questionnaire related to their life with an aim to find out the positive and negative impacts of their culture and livelihood, by which we could trace their religious faith which impacted their livelihood at the same time. The survey was conducted by visiting the villagers and the poppy planters who have spend their life in the farm itself.

METHODOLOGY

For conducting the survey we have prepared a questionnaire, seeking details related to means of survival, method of plantation and expectation of its outcome. We have prepared the questionnaire  containing total of points like:-

Questionnaire

1. Source of income
2. Current status of employment
3. The common culture of the village
4. Travelling expenses in a month
5. Method of cultivation
6. How long one had live in the area
7. Changes of health in over a period of time.

We conducted the survey by visiting the houses and the fields which required us an odessy to the hills and climb the mountains, put up relevant question related to its topic. The survey was conducted within a period of 2 weeks started from September 20. 2018. the survey was concluded by 2 October and the data thus collected were compiled in the next two-three days. 

Data Collections

Questions
Strength of House	90 (Ninety Five)	Population: 450 Approx.	Students: 120 Approx.
Source of Income	Agriculture and Farming	Fishery	Unemployed: 95% Employed: 5%
Method of Cultivation	Jhuming	Land Coverage 250 Acres	Poppy Plantation: 200 Acres. approx. Vegetables. 50% Approx.
Literacy and Illiteracy	Literacy rate 30% Graduate: 17 Persons	Illiteracy rate 70%	First generation Education 60%
Occupation	Cultivators 87%	Shop Keepers 7%	Vendors 6%
Common Culture/ Religious Faith	Kut celebration	7 times in a year, they double financial expenditure during the festivals	Religion Judaism-  70% Messianic- 20% Catholicism- 10
Daily Usages	LPG users 30%	Firewood Users 70%	Partly effecting ecology

a

Observation

Observation is being done on the basis of data collection and empirical studied. As per the observation Patlen Village could be resourceful and its natural beauty can draw the attention of many, which may also create employment opportunity for the villagers only if the land is properly mended and well engineered. It is because they have lake that covered 16 acres of land which may  have a potential to generate enough resource that can supply the entire villagers if converted into  resort, restaurant or tourist centre. However, it is being restricted by private owner to convert the land into resourceful mean as it contradicts their religious faith. As mentioned above in data collection section that the village itself is dominated by Judaism and Messianic. The lake owner belong to Messianic faith and their theology is rooted to the land itself, they conceived that the lake and some segment of land were given to them by God after consistent and consecutive prayer with fasting for 9 days, therefore they refuse any kind of external affairs that may devalued their faith.  

PATLEN LAKE. FIG. 1

Albeit they are not far from  Churachandpur town majority of them still use traditional way of accessing kitchen which required them to manage cooking with the help of firewood, at the same time effected forest wellbeing and the species who inherited jungles. Apart from  it, huge acres of land were use for cultivating poppy for which they implement many poisonous chemical to clean the grasses that degraded natural resources  like rivers. It also effected health especially during monsoon season when rain water cleansed up chemicals and transmitted to the rivers which is use as drinking water by many.

Suggestion and Future Plan

Right and wrong is not an issue in the face of needs and greeds, as data collection is the proved that religious faith seems no longer considered moral resource of ones life but religion is part of the culture which they used as means for social gathering or festive. Therefore the tremendous damage one had unconsciously rendered for cosmic disharmony must be rationally and scientifically  approach. For which the following points need our consideration:

Fig. 3 Imaginary picture on how traditional
skills could be re develop

1. Patlen lake could be properly mended and it can be converted into resort centre or hotel by which the villagers may have more working opportunity. 
2. Arts, creativity and life skills which we inherited from our culture need our attention for survival, as it is forgotten by current generation. Such, remaking traditional stuffs with the help of  bamboo. If those skills were re-introduce one can use it for survival means.









3. Bamboo plantation must be promoted, not only to avoid deforestation but its tree is useful to develop life skills.

Future plan comprises of spreading awareness by conducting seminar or workshop, with the intention of educating them about environment and ecological concern. Providing basic solution to alternative resources for sustainability rather than poppy plantation.   

CONCLUSION

Society, culture and livelihood are interlinked so as all the living things on the earth, our well-being and livelihood depends on the existence of one another. Our finding shows that  on the process  searching a means for livelihood we have forgotten and destroy sustainability resources, however some choices are existential dictation while some choices are out of greed, in all aspect we must creatively find out a means for sustainability by having peaceful coexistence with all the other living things of the earth.