Animal husbandry plays a very important role in the day to day socio-economic life of the local tribal population. Rearing of animal is very common among them. The environment also affects the food habits of the people in high cold mountains, making it necessary to have a high fat and protein rich diet. Though hunting is still practiced but it is not done on regular basis to ensure a continuous supply of meat and since meat is an important element in their diet, they rear 193 many animals like cow, pig, goat, duck, hen etc for meat. Apart from supplying meat, these domesticated animals and fowls are also used as offerings during rituals. Pigs, cows, fowls and eggs are extensively used during rituals.
Pigs
Animal husbandry, particularly of pigs, is closely integrated with the agricultural systems . In their society the domesticated pig plays a very important role. It is a domesticated animal and even treated as a pet. Pig has multiple functions for them. Pigs make a major contribution to human diet and symbolic feasts throughout Asia. Pork is extremely important in terms of both nutrition and social value. Pork is always a preferred food and it is a great source of fat and protein. Fat is critically important for proper metabolism and for adequate calories to maintain body temperatures during cold periods.
Pigs contributed the most meat per year followed by cattle and mithuns. Breeding of pig is time consuming but they are of considerable importance both economically and ritually to them. They also consume pigs which are ritually sacrificed. Apart from dietary and ritual importance pig also plays important role in festivals and social transactions.
Pigs are one of the main economic assets reserved for wedding feasts; settling disputes; paying fines for fighting or breaking the law. Because of its fertility, pig plays a prominent part in matrimonial matters. Among them it was customary for the bridegroom’s family to send to the bride’s family gifts of pigs or pig meat. Pigs are also considered as expensive prestige goods therefore it is also used as a medium of exchange as well as it forms an item of community feast. Pigs are also very productive because of their high reproductive rate, and they are very resistant to disease and produce a large amount of fertilizer for farming . Hence, it is quite efficient and economically reliable to have pigs for the Adi-Galos. In olden days, pig sty was attached with the main house but nowadays pig pens are made separately from the dwelling place of the people but within the same compound.
Chicken and Fowls
In addition to pigs, chicken and fowl are other domesticated animal kept by them. Similarly chickens are also bred and used as sacrificial items on numerous rituals. Fowls and eggs are in regular demand as every ritual needs its sacrifice. These fowls are also fed every morning and evening. For their protection small houses are made with bamboo.
Livestock
A very important animal is a rare species of livestock is the mithun (Bos frontalis). It is a semi-domesticated animal and indigenous to North-East India. The animal has got good potential for production of quality meat, milk and leather. Mithun apart from being an important subsistence source for direct consumption, represent the wealth of a person. Mithuns are used primarily as means of exchange in bride-wealth and other reciprocal transactions. In local mythology, is the first born of the union of earth and sky. Mithun is considered highly important by them for its value and its usefulness.
Mithun represents wealth and status in Adi-Galo society. It brings prestige and political power to the owner and at the same time it is in great demand for big rituals. There are major big rituals where the sacrifice of mithun is mandatory and without which the ritual is a failure. Unlike cattle and sheep, mithun cannot be herded. They are not kept in the house but left free in the dense forest. But the family can recognize their mithun by any distinguishing mark that they make on the ears or other body parts of the mithun.
All the commodities and materials in Adi-Galo society are valued in terms of mithun. Before any important ritual or marriage ceremony, groups of young men go to the forest looking for mithuns. Searching for mithun in the forest is very tiresome. The group is divided into subgroups and they spread themselves to search for the mithun. There are times when the search goes for even more than a week and the people would remain in the forest until the mithun is found. They would take food along with them as they go out of the house. They would depend on the jungle for their subsistence if required. They would take salt along with them to protect themselves from leeches, which can be very dangerous as the forest is leech infested. The skulls of the mithun sacrificed in any important ritual or marriage are hung on the walls of the house as a social display of wealth as it signifies the wealth and status of the family. Mithuns are cheap to maintain as forest resources for grazing are plentiful. Under such circumstances, the economic efficiency is high, with little maintenance costs. Also, since these animals are strongly territorial they need no special care.
Apart from mithun, they also bred cows but cows are never used for milking. The only purpose of cow is for meat. The entire process of mithun search can be of real importance to understand huntergathering societies, and draw parallels for archaeological interpretations.
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