Bamboo in Orissa: Trade and Livelihood Perspective - Vasundhara

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Though tribal bamboo weavers are lesser known, they do exist. The Kamar 32 of Sunabeda
plateau, the Juangs of Keonjhar & Pal-lahra, the Paudi Bhuyans of Bamparda area(Deogarh
district) and the Matias of Saharpada(Mayurbhanj) are among them. Basketry of the
Juangs, hats prepared by the Paudi Bhuyans and the bamboo brooms of the Matias are their
identity.
There is no specific socio-religious factor known to have caused this kind of caste-based
biasness. What seems to be the reason is that the expertise is transferred from one
generation to the other in any particular community, and each community hardly goes
beyond its traditional practice. Many such groups distinguish themselves on the basis of the
type of bamboo cane/strip processed and used by them; hence those using khadi(stick-like
canes used for making certain type of baskets and fish-trap, etc.) often shy away from
working on pati or pata(thinner and wider canes used for making oodara and mat,
etc.)Hence, the dama community is distinguished from the buna-pana community with
reference to the type of the items produced. It has also been observed that a kind of
inferiority/superiority complex does exist among these communities regarding their work
and some see the others as 'inferior' in this profession. For instance, the mediris of Ganjam
call themselves as Oriya mediris as distinguished from the telegu mediris (bamboo artisans
migrated from Andhra and settled in Berhampur town) and both have no socio-cultural
bondage. The telegu mediris do not practice professional drum-beating unlike the
Oriya(local) ones. Again, the Oriya mediris are harijans like dama and pana, but they do
not maintain any social relationship with the latter.
The tribals are better known as bamboo cutters than as artisans, though non-tribals(who
mostly belong to scheduled caste) also work as bamboo-cutters. Usually women are not
supposed to go for commercial bamboo cutting since the work is strenuous, but in some
areas women and children accompany men in cutting operations so as to assist them in the
delivery of the harvest at the depot. And in some exceptional cases, women also work as
bamboo-cutters because they have hardly anything to do at home, and without their active
participation the men would not be able to take full advantage of the employment
opportunity (i.e., since payments are made on the basis of the quantity harvested, women's
involvement helps increase the harvest and hence the income). This particularly happens in
case of the migrant labourers and women cutters are said to have a significant number in
the group migrating temporarily from the Boinda/Athamallik region to work as bamboo
cutters.
The quantity harvested by women is usually considerably less than that that by men. To
quote Manika Amata, a woman bamboo cutter of Purnakot(Kolha sahi) village near
Satkoshia, a woman can cut 4 to 5 bundles a day in comparison to 12 to 13 bundles by
man.
32 Unlike in the neighbouring Chhattisgarh state, they are not recognised as a scheduled tribe in Orissa. They
enjoy special concessions in Chhattisgarh with regards to bamboo extraction, since they are critically
dependent on bamboo weaving and are very poor. The financial and social status is similar in Orissa, but the
govt has deprived them of the legal status they deserve.
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