Developing Open Courseware on Indigenous Communities

and their Culture, Nutrition and Health

Dr. Lilian I Jasper & Dr.Florence ChandranWomen’s Christian College, Chennai, India

lilianjasper@yahoo.co.in

Aim and Objectives To create a local knowledge base by collecting indigenous information regarding Nutrition, Health, Good Environmental Practices and Culture of indigenous communities and making it globally available through a Web Portal.To develop the content into Open Course Ware which this can be integrated into Teaching Modules.

MethodologyParticipants:

Faculty and Students

Data Gathering Procedure:

Visits to tribal community, informal surveys and observation

Implementation  Trips and visit to tribal communities.

Travel by jeeps and vans to remote areas.

Recordings done on mobile phones and cameras

Malleswaram peak

Outcomes

We documented a number of unique traditions and customs

We were also made aware of problems faced by them

A sample of the material that we gathered:

• All these groups are moving away from their traditional lifestyles.

• In their use of implements, artifacts, relationship to nature, food and houses people have moved away from their traditional way of life.

• Women have also been affected by this change. Eg. Kuruvikarar community women have taken to drinking and gambling.

Kolli Hills - Monoculture

Attukal kilangu

Medicinal plants – Glorioso Superba

Kolli Malayali women….have started working as laboureres

Siddi women from W.Africa

Toda houses - Nilgris

Attapadi houses

Kuruvikarars

Weaver bird chick

Cooking it…

Applications/Outputs As many of these people are moving into the mainstream their way of living is fast disappearing – so it is imperative to document their lifestyles.To make students sensitive and train them to appreciate and understand the way of life of these people.

• We hope that this courseware will serve as a base material for students who are interested in pursuing research on indigenous people.

• This material will be used by students who study courses like Ecoliterature, Nutrition etc.

• Since it will be uploaded on the web other University and college students can also access it and use it to further research.

• We hope to keep adding whenever possible to this body of knowledge.

ConclusionsWe were surprised to hear that they were being uprooted from their land. This had left scars that has rendered them helpless, angry and frustrated.Mudugars and Korravars had taken to drinking. Siddis are now fighting for their basic rights, while the Kolli malayalis are taking up other jobs, like road laying.

Coming to terms with civilisation and progress has been a very painful process

Land grabbing mafias have had a field day. Some of these people have to fight for their basic dignity. They distrust the police.

We found them to be very generous, environmentally conscious and eager to please.

A whole way of life is disappearing which is urgently in need of documenting.

Recommendations1. On the one hand traditional ways of life need to be

preserved….but on the other these people need to progress and move on as civilization moves on.

2. Along with other Asian communities which have such indigenous people it would be interesting if we can have a collective archive and study similarities and find how to deal with problems faced by them.

Thank you!

Report Author: Dr. Lilian I Jasper Institution: Women’s Christian College, Chennai, India Email: lilianjasper@yahoo.co.in