Authors : S. G.Yangandalwar, U. S. Indurkar
Page Nos : 73-79
Description :
The Gadchiroli district has a total population of 10, 72,942, with 5, 41,328 males and 5, 31,614 females (As per Census 2011). Chamorshi taluka, with a population of 1, 79,120 people and a percentage of 16.69 percent, has the highest population density. The indigenous community makes up the majority of the population in the district. The district's tribal population is 4,15,306 individuals, or 38.17 percent of the total population, while the scheduled tribe population is 1,20,745 people, or 11.25 percent (www.gadchiroli.gov.in). As a result, the district is classified as a tribal district. The KOYA people are tribals that live in the highland terrain. Gond, Madia, Pardhan, and Kolam are the four major tribal communities in the district. They speak their own dialects, such as gondi and madiya. The district's tribals have their unique culture. They are used to worship their God ''Persa Pen'' as well as other gods. On auspicious occasions and when new crops arrive, they dance ''Rela.'' The Rela dance is a popular tribal dance. The ''Dhol'' dance is the other type of dance. The biggest tribal celebrations are Holi, Dashehara, and Diwali. Families from the indigenous community live in the district's lush forest. According to ISFR 2019, Gadchiroli district has a maximum of 68.81 percent of its land under forest cover out of a total of 10,806 sq km in Maharashtra (www.ifsr.org). Tribal peoples play an important role in preserving biodiversity in and around their natural habitat in the Gadchiroli district. Animals were viewed as equal partners in an interwoven social network of human and non-human beings, endowed with spirit and the ability to act and communicate, by tribal peoples. Plants that provide as a source of wild edible food in the form of roots, tubers, rhizomes, seeds, fruits, and as agricultural and horticultural plants are protected by these ethnic and indigenous peoples. Some of these ethnic people's indigenous cultivars are employed in agricultural cultivar development initiatives to boost productivity and contain features that increase resistance to various pests and illnesses. Many of the plants saved by tribal people are used as antidotes for snake bites and scorpion stings, traditional healers set bone fractures, heal wounds or arthritis, or as abortifacients and cures for menstrual issues, among other things. The indigenous people have a strong bond with the forest because their entire way of existence is reliant on it. Tribal people's habits, habitats, and cultures contribute to forest environment protection. Since ancient times, tribal people have had their own system of living in harmony with nature, without harming or destroying the forest. They have their own way of forest conservation because they are genuinely concerned about conserving the forests and demonstrating the age-old pattern of man-nature coexistence.
