Environmentalism and the Values of Santhal Community/ পরিবেশবাদ এবং সাঁওতাল জনজাতির মূল্যবোধ

Abstract

Environmentalism evolved as a critical response to the degradation of natural ecosystem as a result of scientific and social activism. This movement sought to change the interaction between people and natural environment to achieve ecological balance and sustainability. From the very early period of Civilization human are used to exploit nature to fulfill their own needs and gradually it’s intensifying their control over natural settings with the advancement of industrial and technological development. However this dominance led to serious environmental imbalances. In response to this degradation, various scientific platform and social groups started movements to promote environmental preservation followed by the principles of deep ecology and ecological ethics.

           Environmental ethics of indigenous communities offer an important alternative framework for comprehending this movement to achieve sustainable coexistence. Santhal community from eastern India is notable because of their deeply rooted environmental ethics that permeate within their everyday life, culture and socio-ecological customs. This community maintains a strong world view that humans are the part of nature, not above it. Their approaches for using natural resources, water management, farming, forest management show an intense symbiotic relationship with the nature. This paper shows how the development of human society led to environmental degradation while emphasizing the importance of indigenous traditional knowledge in restoration of environment. It examines how the cultural practices of santhal community protect the environment through the lens of constructivism and environmental sociology. This paper not only focuses upon the philosophical base of environmentalism among the santhal community but also focus on their indigenous ethos in environmental restoration. In the contemporary period when most of the environmental activities are disconnected from the grassroots, the lived experience of this community provides a grounded and holistic approach for sustainable environmental well-being.