“খনা ডেকে বলে
যান
রোদে ধান
ছায়া পান
গাছগাছালি ঘন
সবে না
গাছ হবে
তার ফল হবে
না
হাত বিশ করি
ফাঁক
আম কাঁঠাল
পুঁতে রাখ
বিশ হাত
করি ফাঁক,
আম কাঁঠাল
পুঁতে রাখ।
গাছ গাছি
ঘন রোবে না,
ফল তাতে
ফলেব না।
যদি না
হয় আগনে বৃষ্টি
তবে না
হয় কাঁঠালেনর সৃষ্টি
যদি না
হয় আগনে পানি,
কাঁঠাল হয়
টানাটানি।
যত জ্বালে
ব্যঞ্জন মিষ্ট
তত জ্বালে ভাত
নষ্ট
যে না
শোনে খনার বচন
সংসারে তার
চির পচন....
সুপারীতে গোবর, বাশেঁ মাটি
অফলা নারিকেল
শিকর কাটি
খনা বলে শুনে
যাও
নারিকেল মুলে
চিটা দাও
গাছ হয়
তাজা মোটা
তাড়িতাড়ি ধরে
গোটা।“
It is obvious that Myths and cultures are playing a vital role in
the conservation of the environment. There are a lot of environmental laws in
Bangladesh but they are less effective than various myths and cultures relating
to forest, tree, animals, birds etc.
For instance, the
traditional knowledge and beliefs of indigenous people are contributing
tremendously to the conservation of natural resources of the country. Most of indigenous people in our country live
in the hill tracks and forests and they respect the forest and trees to a great
extent. They usually don’t cause harm to any animal in the forest. They believe
that the forest is their mother. They are not abreast of any law relating to
the forest, trees or natural resources but they are more sincere to abide by
some mythical beliefs and traditional knowledge.
Meaning of Myth
The term ‘Myth’ is derived from the Greek word ‘Mythos’ which means story or word. It has different meanings as manifested below-
The term ‘Myth’ is derived from the Greek word ‘Mythos’ which means story or word. It has different meanings as manifested below-
·
The belief
system, social regulation, story, popular sayings that have a deeper root in
the society.
·
According to Oxford dictionary, myth means “A
traditional story especially one concerning the early history of a people or
explaining a natural or social phenomenon and typically involving supernatural
beings or events.”
·
According to Bangla Academy English-Bangla
Dictionary, Myth means “প্রাচীন কাল থেকে পুরুষনুক্রমে প্রবাহমান কাহিনী, বিশেষত কোনো জাতির আদি ইতিহাস সম্পৃক্ত বিশ্বাস ও ধারণা এবং নৈসর্গিক ঘটনাবলীর ব্যাখা।”
In a nutshell, it can be said that myth includes belief system, social regulation, story, popular sayings etc. Though
some of such stories or beliefs may be false, they play a great role in the
conservation of environment. However, the more they are true, the more they are
able to influence the society.
A chart is given below to
show the different meanings of myth-
It will not be wrong if we say that myths are more effective than
laws. The stories, the myths are relevantly close to people at the grass
root level, to whom pleas of laws are almost alien and less persuasive.[2]
People respect myths and abide by mandates of different myths
firmly but they are not sincere to abide by laws or rules. For instance, in Sundarbans,
there is a myth about the evils of cutting forest which plays a vital role in
the conservation of the forest and of the environment and it would never be
possible by strong laws or regulations.
There is a profound relation between myths and environment. Myths play an effective role in the preservation of the environment. Myths in the form of tales, stories, sayings, songs, beliefs, poetry etc. can be highly illuminative of man and nature relationship. Many environment policies reflect some myths and modern folklores.
The UNEP[3] had an abiding interest in the relationship between the natural environment and indigenous peoples. In a major report, The Global Environment Perspective, published in 1987, UNEP identified the need for an international, legally binding instrument to protect the world’s biological resources and indigenous peoples’ rights over their long-acquired knowledge and myths in terms of biological diversity.
In
1987 and 1988, UNEP convened two Ad Hoc Working groups of Experts on Biological
Diversity. These Working Groups reviewed existing biodiversity-related
conventions and prepared the framework for the Convention on Biological
Diversity. Through this convention, UNEP assumed responsibility for ensuring
that States recognize and foster the traditional methods and knowledge of
indigenous peoples, and for ensuring that indigenous peoples share in the
economic and commercial benefits that accrue from the use of those traditional
knowledge or myths regarding biodiversity.
A
number of legal instruments adopted at the Earth Summit, such as the Rio
Declaration, and the Convention on Biological Diversity, established
international legal standards to protect indigenous peoples’ rights to their ‘traditional
knowledge’, ‘beliefs or myths’ and ‘practices’ in the area of
environmental management and conservation.
The
Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) of 1992 contains a number of
provisions of particular importance to indigenous peoples’ knowledge, beliefs
and myths relating to biological diversity. Those provisions are Articles
8(j), 10(c), 17.2 and 18.4.
Article
8(j)
is regarded as the core provision. It calls upon Contracting Parties to
respect, preserve and maintain knowledge, innovations and practices of
indigenous and local communities relevant to the conservation and sustainable
use of biodiversity, subject to national legislation.
The
Convention encourages Parties to promote the wider application of such
knowledge, innovations and practices with the approval and involvement of the
indigenous peoples concerned.
Article
8(j)
also requires that benefits arising from the application of traditional
knowledge or myths, innovations and practices should be shared equitably with
the indigenous communities concerned.
Article
22
of the Rio Declaration, recognized that indigenous peoples and their
communities have a critical role to play in managing and developing the
environment.
Role
of Myths in the Conservation of Environment (Bangladesh Perspective)
There
are a wide range of myths in Bangladesh which contribute in terms of
environment preservation. Some of them
are discussed below-
Adivashis’ Beliefs :
Many Adivashis[4] in
Bangladesh believe that the forest is their mother and they are the children of
forest. They also believe the trees and animals and everyone are brothers and
sisters of a common mother. They used to respect all kinds of lives, not only
human life but life of the plants, animals and everything.
The relationship of Adivashis to land, water and forest is the
relationship of children to parent, where each nurtures each, cares for each.
To sit under a tree used to be for them, like to take a shelter of a mother.
Some of the Adivashis believe the spirits of their ancestors are
present where they live. So, they have very intimate relation with land which
links their life to the life of ancestors and they try not to disturb living
things in forest. So, cutting a living tree for timber is relatively difficult
for them.[5]
Fear of tiger
Most of the people in Sundarbans don’t enter the forest
whimsically to collect timber as they fear that the tigers might attack them.
This is one kind of myths that is playing a vital role in the conservation of
the forests.
Fear of ghosts and protection of environment
In our society, there is a myth that the ghosts make their homes in
the banyan tree and tamarind tree. So, the people don’t cut down these trees in
the fear of ghost.
Trees and local beliefs
Many people in our society believe that the souls of pirs or fakirs(
Saints) rest in the banyan tree and when they pass by the tree respect it by
giving Salam (prayer for peace). There are many Majars or Tombs of Saints in
different localities of our country which are surrounded with different trees
and people there believe that if anyone cuts down or causes harms to those
trees, he would suffer from various distresses.
Bonbibi’s story and protection of sundarbans
Bonbibi culture is one of the major folk cultures of the Sundarbans
region. Bonbibi is a local popular deity in the Sundarbans region. The people
in Sundarbans believe Bonbibi as the protectors of Sundarbans. They don’t cut
down forest and trees in the fear of Bonbibi.
The people in Sundarbans believe some gods and goddesses to be the
protectors of Sundarbans and seek blessings from before entering the Sundarbans
for various purposes.
Such kind of belief systems keep them away from destroying the
forest. A grand chart relating to their gods and goddesses is given
below-
Name of gods or goddesses
|
Traits
|
Bonbibi
|
The queen of
Sundarbans and mother of other folk gods and goddesses.
|
Gazi Kalu
|
A Muslim religious victor.
|
Dakshin Roy
|
The god of
tigers.
|
Panchu Thakur
|
The savior of children.
|
Kalu Roy
|
A folk god
who guards humans from the deadly crocodile.
|
Devi Tusu
|
A goddess of fertility.
|
Makal Thakur
|
A god of
fishes.
|
Monosha
|
The serpent goddess.
|
Aka tribes and myths
The Aka[6]
tribes have their own indigenous knowledge system useful in the conservation of
forest resources. Numerous species of plants are not extracted from the
forests. Similarly, some animals are neither killed nor eaten by these people.
They spare the immature and pregnant animal in the forests. Small saplings of
certain plants are not destroyed. Only required plant parts are collected from
the nearby forests. As such, these people have developed an eco-friendly
relation with the surrounding forest ecosystem.
The
festivals are linked to the forests. Traditionally, they practice an annual
hunting ritual after worshipping the forest god. During such hunting, they
spare pregnant as well as immature animals.
A grand chart relating to their faiths and beliefs is given
below-
Things/theme
|
Faiths and beliefs of Aka tribes
|
Banyan
tree
|
They believe anyone who cuts the
Banyan tree would suffer from dreadful diseases.
|
Tigers
|
Killing the tigers is believed to be
an inauspicious and therefore there is a ritual repentance for killing
tigers. They don’t venture for killing the tigers.
|
Elephants
|
Killing the elephants is restricted in
Aka area. The Aka tribes worship the elephants.
|
Birds
|
They believe that the birds are equal
to men. They don’t kill birds as they believe it would cause the killer
various harms.
|
Groves
and Mountains
|
Extraction
of forest materials, collection of stones, hunting, etc. from the mountain is
strictly prohibited. A saying goes there, “One who plucks at mountain will
lose the way and will bleed to death.” This belief of the people is so
strong that even today; no one dares to visit the mountain. Such beliefs have
either directly or indirectly helped in the conservation of various forest
products of the area. [7]
|
Baka people and belief systems
The Baka people[8]
are African Traditional Religionists that
believe in the power of bark
and metamorphosis.
The Baka people worship Komba and believe him to be god above all. They also
worship the forest
spirit called
Jengi (also known as Djengui or Ejengi). The spirit plays the role of the
mediator between the supreme being, Komba, and the Baka people. The Baka thus
compare Jengi to a protecting father or guardian. They strongly believe and
revere Jengi as they believe that he is the only way to Komba. The Baka people
believe Jengi to be omnipresent within the forest allowing him to punish
transgressors within the confines of the forest. Ultimately, the Baka worship
nature.
Shintoism
and mythical beliefs
The followers of Shitoism[9]
believe that Nature is sacred; to be in contact with nature is to be close to
the Gods. They worship Natural objects as sacred spirits. They believe the animals
as messengers of the gods. Such myths,
no doubt, are contributing to the conservation of global eco-system.
Bulgarian myths regarding trees
It is a famous myth in Bulgaria that “someone
who is related with them will die if they are cut.” Such a myth is
contributing to the preservation of global ecology.
Sacred Trees of the Hindus and
Mythological Linkage
Trees being nature’s major processors of solar energy which is
vital for our existence, and yielding flowers, fruit, wood or medicine, have
been worshipped by the Hindus as a matter of gratitude. Manu believed that they
were conscious like humans and felt pleasure and pain. Indian sages and seers
eulogized asvattha or peepal (Ficus religiosa), gular (Ficus glomerata), neem
(Azadirachta indica), bel (Aegle marmelos, bargad or banyan (Ficus
bengalensis), Asoka (Sereca indica), amala (Phyllanthus emblica), Arjuna
(Terminalia Arjuna) and many other trees which acquired social and religious
sanctity with the passage of time.
The Brhat Parasara Smrti (10.379) admonishes in this context: “He who plants and nurtures the following trees will never see
hell: one each of the holy fig (pipal), margosa (neem) and banyan (bargad), ten
tamarind trees and three each of wood apple, the holy bel, myrobalan and five
mango trees.” The Hindu religious mind was thus keen on environmental
stability.
A chart focusing the important Hindu festivals related to trees is
given below-
Name of the Tree
|
Related Festival
|
Time of Celebration and Rituals
|
Amala
|
Amala Ekadasi
|
11th day of Phalguna sukla; bath
with water soaked in amala fruit; eating it; worshipping it; and worship of
Radha-Krisna.
|
Amra or Mango
|
Amra-puspa Bhaksana Vrata
|
1st day of Caitra sukla; eating of
mango blossoms and worship of Kamadeva.
|
Asoka
|
Asoka Pratipada
|
1st day of Caitra sukla; only
women worship the Tree; they also observe fast seeking longevity.
|
Bakula
|
Bakula Amavasya
|
Bakula flowers are offered to the
manes, seeking Their blessings.
|
Bilva or Bel
|
Sravana Krsna Ekadasi
|
Ceremonial offering of water to
the bel tree.
|
Bilva
or Bel
|
Bhadra
Sukla Caturthi
|
Offering
of trifoliate leaves of bel to Lord Ganesa
|
Bilva or Bel
|
Bilva Nimantrana
|
Asvina sukla sasthi; summoning the
tree-goddess and worshipping the Devi.
|
Bilva or Bel
|
Bilva
Saptami
|
Asvina
sukla saptami; a twig of bel, bearing two fruits, is offered to Devi.
|
Bilva or Bel
|
Bilva Navami
|
Asvina
sukla navami; bel leaves are offered to Siva.
|
Karavira or Kaner or Oleander
(Nerium indicum)
|
Karavira Vrata
|
Jyestha sukla prathama tithi;
kaner roots and branches are bathed and adorned with red cloth; offerings of
seven cereals (sapta dhanya) and fruit are made followed by fasting; Savitri,
Satyabhama, and others performed this when they were in trouble
|
Kadali or Kela
|
Kadali Vrata
|
Vaisakha, Magha or Kartika sukla
caturdasia banana tree is planted and nurtured till it bears fruit; wishing
the welfare of one’s family, a person should worship the tree with flowers,
fruit, etc and circumambulate it.
|
Kadali or Kela
|
Yaksa-samantaka Kadali Vrata
|
A golden banana tree is worshipped
and offered to a brahmin on any auspicious day.
|
Kevada or Screw Pine (Panadanus
odoratis- simus)
|
Kevada Teej
|
Bhadra sukla trtiya; soliciting
unbroken married life, women offer Kevada leaves to Lord Siva.
|
Neem
|
Sitala Puja
|
Caitra navaratras; goddess Sitala
who is said to reside in the neem tree is propitiated ritually; Pat Gosain
festival in Bengal means neem tree worship; neem leaves are eaten on Vaisakha
sukla saptami
|
Numerous popular stories throughout the
world reflect a firmly-rooted belief in an intimate connection between a human being and a tree, plant or flower.
Sometimes a man's life depends upon the tree and suffers when it
withers or is injured, and we encounter the idea of the external soul, already
found in the Egyptian Tale of Two
Brothers of at least
3000 years ago. Here one of the brothers leaves his heart on the top of the
flower of the acacia and falls dead when it is cut down. Sometimes, however,
the tree is an index, a mysterious token which shows its sympathy with an
absent hero by weakening or dying, as the man becomes ill or loses his life.
These two features very easily combine, and they agree in representing to us
mysterious sympathy between tree and human life, which, as a matter of fact,
frequently manifests itself in recorded beliefs and customs of historical
times.
Thus, sometimes the new-born child is associated with a newly
planted tree with which its life is supposed to be bound up; or, on ceremonial
occasions (betrothal, marriage, ascent to the throne), a personal relationship
of this kind is instituted by planting trees, upon the fortunes of which the
career of the individual depends. Sometimes, moreover, boughs or plants are
selected and the individual draws omens of life and death from the fate of his
or her choice. Again, a man will put himself into relationship with a tree by
depositing upon it something which has been in the closest contact with himself
(hair, clothing, etc.). This is not so unusual as might appear; there are
numerous examples of the conviction that a sympathetic relationship continues
to subsist between things which have once been connected (e.g. a man and his
hair), and this may be illustrated especially in magical practices upon
material objects which are supposed to affect the former owner. We have to
start then with the recognition that the notion of a real inter-connection
between human life and trees has never presented any difficulty to primitive
minds.
Sacred groves in different countries and related myths
Many of the world's ancient
belief systems also include the belief of sacred groves, where trees are
revered and respected and there are priests and priestesses attending to them
who also serve as guardians, preventing those who wish to tear down the trees
by means of ancient magic and elaborate protection rituals.
From ancient Norse
and Celtic mythologies, to the Nigerian, Indian and Mongolian
cosmological thought, extending far east in the ancient Shinto faith of
Japan and the special habits of the 19 tribes of the forest peoples of Malaysia,
sacred groves provide relief and shelter from the mundane aspects of life and
are considered living temples, yet without stone walls or ornate stone monuments.
A place of meeting where ancient rituals are performed, it is also a place of
refuge for many in times of danger. For those who were fated to not find peace
in this life, it is considered as the final resting place where the soul finds
eternal peace as it reunites with the creator.
Animals
and birds related myths and global ecology
Þ Elephant
In Thailand it is believed
that a white elephant may contain
the soul of a dead person, perhaps a Buddha. When one is taken the capturer is
rewarded and the animal brought to the king to be kept ever afterwards. It
cannot be bought or sold. It is baptized and fêted and mourned for like a human
being at its death. In some parts of Indo-China the belief is that the soul of
the elephant may injure people after death; it is therefore fêted by a whole
village. In Cambodia it is held to
bring luck to the kingdom. The cult of the white elephant is also found at Ennarea in southern Ethiopia. In India, the
popular Hindu god Ganesha has the head of
an elephant and a torso of a human.
Þ Tigers
The tigers are of great importance in Chinese
myth and culture, the Tiger is one
of the 12 Chinese zodiac animals.
Also in various Chinese art and martial art, the tiger is depicted as an
earth symbol and equal rival of the Chinese
dragon- the two representing matter and spirit
respectively. The White Tiger is one of the Four Symbols of the Chinese constellations.
The tiger replaces the lion as King of the
Beasts in cultures of eastern Asia representing royalty, fearlessness and
wrath.
In many parts of Vietnam, the tiger is a revered creature. In each village, there
might be a tiger temple. This worshiping practice might have stem from the fear
of tigers used to raid human settlements in the ancient time. Tigers are
admired for their great strength, ferocity and grace. Tiger is also considered
a guardian deity. Tiger statutes are usually seen at the entrance of temples
and palaces, keeping evil spirits from entering those places.
The tiger is associated with the Hindu deities Shiva and Durga. In Pokhara, Nepal
the tiger festival is known as Bagh Jatra.
Celebrants dance disguised as tigers and "hunted". The Warli tribe of Maharashtra, India worship Waghia the lord of tigers in
the form of a shapeless stone. In Hanoi and Manchuria
tiger-gods are also found.
Þ
Birds
related myths
Birds play a wide variety of roles in Native American
mythology. They are believed to be the messengers
from the creator. Eagle plays a leadership role in the mythology of many tribes.
The crow is the chief
deity of the Tlingit people of Alaska. All over that region it is the chief figure in
a group of myths, fulfilling the office of a culture hero who brings the light,
gives fire to mankind and so on.
Together with the eagle-hawk the crow plays a great part in the
mythology of southeastern Australia. Crows also
play a part in some European mythologies, such as in the Celtic and Germanic Religions, where they
were connected to Bran and the Morrigan in the former
and Woden in the latter.
There is a blood relation between men and nature as Chief Seattle
implied in his famous statement, “We are part of the earth and it is part of
us. The perfumed flowers are our sisters. The bear, the deer, the great eagle,
these are our brother. The shining water that moves in the streams is the blood
of our ancestors.”[10]
Therefore, the traditional belief
systems and myths concerning the nature and environment play an effective role
in the conservation of the environment.
From practical point of view, the people don’t follow laws rather they respect
myths to a great extent. Myths had been believed by the people in the society
from time immemorial and thus myths have become more acceptable to the
society.
Finally, we can say as what Napoleon had said in terms of a good
mother-
“If you give me a good myth relating to environment
I will give you a good environment.”
Biblography
Þ
The Limits of Environmental Justice:
Questioning the Laws’ Strength in Environmental Preservation by Syed Masud
Reza
Þ
Role of indigenous knowledge system in
conservation of forest resources-A case study of Aka tribes of Arunachal
Pradesh by Gibji Nimachow, RC Joshi & Oyi Dai.
Þ
The Role of Indigenous People in the
Bio-diversity conservation, the natural but often forgotten partners, May 2008.
Claudia Sobrevila, Senior bio-diversity specialist.
Þ
Implementing Agenda 21, 2006 Religion and
Conservation in Ghana by Mike Anane.
Þ
Biodiversity Support Program, 2001. Good
Governance, Indigenous Peoples, and Biodiversity Conservation: Recommendations
for Enhancing Results Across Sectors. Biodiversity Support Program Publication
No. 120, Washington, DC.
Þ
Adivashi Ecological Democracy Of Wild Forest, Jyotindra Jain
Professor, School of Arts and Aesthetics, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New
Delhi.
Þ
Indian Folklife, January 2008, a quarterly newsletter
from national folklore support centre.
Þ
Stott, P., and S. Sullivan. 2000. Political
ecology: science, myth and power.
London: Arnold.
[1] A popular saying
having a deeper root in the society and it acts as a myth which has a great
importance to the common people of Bangladesh.
[2] . “The Limits of Environmental Justice: Questioning the Law’s
Strength in the Environmental Preservation” an article by Syed Masud Reza:
Lecturer, Department of Law, University of Dhak.
[3] The term ‘UNEP’ stands for United Nations
Environment Programs. It is an agency of the United Nations that deals with
global environmental issues.
[8] The Baka
people, known in the Congo as Bayaka (Bebayaka, Bebayaga, Bibaya),[1] are an ethnic group inhabiting the
southeastern rain forests of Cameroon, northern Republic of
Congo,
northern Gabon, and
southwestern Central African Republic.
[10] Quoted in Campbel, J., 1991, The Power of
Myth with Bill Moyers, Flowers, B.S. (ed.), Anchor Books, New York, p. 42
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
0 comments:
Post a Comment
Thank you !