The pervasive malnutrition in the aboriginal heartlands in Madhya Pradesh is indeed intriguing. Malnutrition among the Korku, an originally hunter-gatherer tribe, has as many cultural complexities as socio-economic determinants. Korkus are concentrated in Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra especially in the Satpura ranges of Madhya Pradesh. Khalwa block of Khandwa district arguably has the highest population of Korkus for any block in Madhya Pradesh. The high concentration of the reclusive Korku tribe in this mountaneous region occured as a result of the waves of invasions and racial push.
Korku community’s knowledge on malnutrition is surprising. On one hand they had the realisation that malnutrition was of a recent origin while on the other, they had developed nomenclature for different manifestations of malnutrition. As it happens in the case of every hunting-gathering tribe, Korku’s diet consisted of a rich variety of nutritious herbs and meat and fish as protein sources. As the times progressed, meat and fish content in their diet disappeared gradually. This was also because of the ever-diminishing forest cover, decline of wildlife and imposition of stringent anti-hunting laws. To make the scenario even worse, local food grains like Kotho, small millets etc were replaced by wheat and soybean – the exalted crops of green revolution. The result was disquieting – chronic malnutrition.
Korku community’s knowledge on malnutrition is surprising. On one hand they had the realisation that malnutrition was of a recent origin while on the other, they had developed nomenclature for different manifestations of malnutrition. As it happens in the case of every hunting-gathering tribe, Korku’s diet consisted of a rich variety of nutritious herbs and meat and fish as protein sources. As the times progressed, meat and fish content in their diet disappeared gradually. This was also because of the ever-diminishing forest cover, decline of wildlife and imposition of stringent anti-hunting laws. To make the scenario even worse, local food grains like Kotho, small millets etc were replaced by wheat and soybean – the exalted crops of green revolution. The result was disquieting – chronic malnutrition.
Since Korku could not unravel the causation of malnutrition, he presumed and guessed. And that too wildly, in certain cases. Obviously, these imaginations helped the least in giving solution to malnutrition. Strangely, Korku came to the conclusion that pregnant and lactating women were the sources of malnutrition. For a common Korku, malnutrition is the result of an evil eye.
The deeper one goes into analysing the causes of malnutrition among the Korku, the more perplexing the reality becomes. Korkus still believe that if a pregnant woman happens to pass under a rope swing, the child for whom the rope swing is made will be hit by malnutrition, regardless of the place where s/he was when the pregnant woman walked under the rope swing. Even if the child was playing in the nearby field, s/he cannot remain unscathed by the evil eye of the foetus in the womb. If such unfortunate incident occurs, umpteen covert and overt rituals will have to be done for warding off misfortunes.
Feeding the colostrum, the immunity building first milk, is still a taboo among the Korku. Mothers will squeeze the colostrum in to ash in the hem of their saree and dispose it of. Of course some Korku women have become aware of the necessity of colostrums feeding and its benefits for the child but a good number of women continue to deprive their children of immunity of colostrums, and that too in innocence and ignorance.
Prakash, a seasoned worker in the Korku belt, informs that Korkus have specific terms to denote different manifestations of malnutrition. Sukhi Meli (a shrivelling disease), Shiti Meli (skinny hand and feet), Hagraya Meli (severe diarrhoea), Ulti Meli (oedema with fever), Lal Meli (reddish tongue and mouth) and Jali Meli (wasting when ribs become prominent) are some of the terms that Korkus use for denoting various degrees and manifestations of malnutrition. Mr. Prakash highlights the crude irony: all these words are in Korku dialect, which incidentally happens to feature in the UNESCO’s list of dying dialects.
The deeper one goes into analysing the causes of malnutrition among the Korku, the more perplexing the reality becomes. Korkus still believe that if a pregnant woman happens to pass under a rope swing, the child for whom the rope swing is made will be hit by malnutrition, regardless of the place where s/he was when the pregnant woman walked under the rope swing. Even if the child was playing in the nearby field, s/he cannot remain unscathed by the evil eye of the foetus in the womb. If such unfortunate incident occurs, umpteen covert and overt rituals will have to be done for warding off misfortunes.
Feeding the colostrum, the immunity building first milk, is still a taboo among the Korku. Mothers will squeeze the colostrum in to ash in the hem of their saree and dispose it of. Of course some Korku women have become aware of the necessity of colostrums feeding and its benefits for the child but a good number of women continue to deprive their children of immunity of colostrums, and that too in innocence and ignorance.
Prakash, a seasoned worker in the Korku belt, informs that Korkus have specific terms to denote different manifestations of malnutrition. Sukhi Meli (a shrivelling disease), Shiti Meli (skinny hand and feet), Hagraya Meli (severe diarrhoea), Ulti Meli (oedema with fever), Lal Meli (reddish tongue and mouth) and Jali Meli (wasting when ribs become prominent) are some of the terms that Korkus use for denoting various degrees and manifestations of malnutrition. Mr. Prakash highlights the crude irony: all these words are in Korku dialect, which incidentally happens to feature in the UNESCO’s list of dying dialects.
Saju MK, Caritas India, Madhya Pradesh
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