SATURDAY, APRIL 27, 2024
Sushila Sawant Mendes
In the eve of International women’s day, the Indian cabinet approved the bill to provide reservation to Scheduled Tribes, as a first step towards providing for representation in the forty member, Goa legislative Assembly. The community however have their own legitimate grievances on this bill. The vocal and genuine leadership needs to be commended unlike the previous generation who depended on politicians.
The theme of this year’s International Women’s Day is, ‘Breaking barriers with inclusion: Empowering women in leadership’. My mandate is to bring on stage a subject which is hardly spoken about – tribal women in Goa. She is the fulcrum which supports her family and society. The Portuguese in their over four centuries of colonial rule in Goa did not permit the tribals to be admitted in the primary schools and they remained subservient workers. The post liberation period has however witnessed a new generation of educated youth in the community.
Gerald Pereira has discussed that the early inhabitants of Goa consisted of pre-Dravidian tribes of Gavdas and Kulawadis (Kunbins) and some other aboriginals, belonging to the Proto-Australoid race. With the invasion of the South by the Aryans who also occupied large tracts of the Konkan, the tribes moved into the jungles and hilly areas – places safer to escaped enslavement. The word kunbi came to connote ‘labourer’. Garcia da Orta wrote that, ‘the gentios (Hindus)…who till and sow the land for rice and other crops are called Curumbis, and by us labourers.”
Many tribal women have to deal with alcoholic and abusive husbands. Although she has the agency, she cooks her own food, but is the last to eat, she has knowledge of the herbal medicines but never looks after her own health, she works whole day, but has no money to fulfil basic requirements. She is artistic, a born performer but is never on the centre stage. Others make use of her talent, her skills, her knowledge and she is always backstage.
In the Goan tribal society, the kumeri cultivation is done only by women and is the core for sustaining family needs. Men may help in the cutting of the tress and the clearing of the forest. Women with infants strapped to their back, go to the forest, collect fruits, tubers, medicinal plants, firewood and cook. Even when they fall sick, they are expected do whatever they can. The present day educated post graduate young girls however will not and are not expected to play this victim’s role!
Most tribals have no land rights. The process to legalize their rights is going on. On an average if there are 10,000 cases pending in the courts, only 2,000 may be settled. There is no community land or communidade land owned by the gaonkars of the tribal settlements. The Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights Act, 2006) is a tribal friendly Act. The Forest Conservation Act, 1980 is also a pro-tribal law but there is lack of awareness and the government needs to play a more pro-active role to spread knowledge of these laws. Pratap Singh Rane’s vision as CM to start colleges in Sanquelim, Quepem, Khandola and Pednem has helped generate, ‘first generation learners’ who understand the importance of economic independence through education.
Of the tribal women in the age group between 40-60 years, 75% are illiterate. They were never allowed to go to school, most were married at very early age, and had children when they themselves were children. These women never got an opportunity to enjoy their childhood, learn to read and write and develop their talents. Many grow their own vegetables and then sit in the scorching sun to sell them at give-away prices to put food on the table for their family. These hard working women need to be patronized rather than be haggled over prices! If the government helps in forming associations, it will help to liberate and raise the dignity of entrepreneurial women like them.
The price of a vegetable in Canacona is sold for half the price in the village as compared to its price in Panjim. They do not need anybody’s charity, but could do with help in marketing on a day to day basis. The Tribal Development Committee of Govt. College, Quepem has provided a big table space to these women to sell their produce and named it ‘Amcho Posro’. Many more educational institutions can emulate this healthy practice. Some of the men have been gainfully employed by the Forest Department as guards. These families having a regular source of income and do not depend on agriculture. The government needs to do a survey of tribal belts and then identify the financial status of each family to help wherever needed in terms of availing assistance. Over dependence on agricultural produce, without any irrigational or marketing facilities can be disastrous. Fortunately the pandemic did not affect many of the tribals in Goa as they were self-sufficient, with the availability of wild vegetables and fruits in addition to their own produce.
As a result of alcoholic husbands, women have to run the household from providing food and education for the children as well taking care of the aged. Many of the community distil feni as the family looks after cashew plantations which they do not own. The women plant the cashew plant as a part of kumeri cultivation along with ragi (nachni), chillies, sweet potatoes, mash melons etc. Liquor is also made available by local politicians to ensure vote banks.
Registration of marriages was rarely done during the Portuguese rule. Some who did, had to walk for miles before reaching the Civil Registrar’s office, e.g. The people of Gaondongari in Canacona had to walk to Chawdi. Some of the elderly women speak about the pakle or the white skinned Portuguese touching their cheeks, and they were absolutely helpless. The tribal women are generally supportive in the bringing up of each other’s children in a joint family. There may be minor quarrels of who owns a particular ‘cashew tree or coconut tree’. In the absence of ownership of land there is no property dispute worth fighting about. Rape cases are very rare in tribal communities in Goa.
The Women Reservation Bill if passed would have been a great weapon of women empowerment in general and tribal women in particular. The appointment of, Droupadi Murmu as the President of India is a welcome step irrespective of the possible motives. Today the ratio of educated women in the community out numbers their male counterparts. The educated young boys and girls of the community need to support each other to break the shackles of caste or class.
The successful Scheduled Tribe leaders in Goa have the support of smart and well educated spouses behind them. All three women legislators in Goa are also wives of legislators in the same house. Wives or otherwise the tribal feminine voice needs to be represented. Education needs to reach every tribal family to integrate them with the mainstream so as not be looked upon as ‘the other’. What the Portuguese government did for centuries by denying them even primary education, our own government has the onus to reach out and undo.
(Dr Sushila Sawant Mendes is a Professor in History, Author & Best Teacher Awardee)
