Indian Journal of Traditional Knowledge Vol. 6(1), January 2007, pp. 160-162

Ethnobotany of Finger millet among Muthuvan tribes of Idukki district, Kerala Johncy Manithottam & MS Francis*

Spices Board, Government of India, Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Sugandha Bhavan, Cochin 682025, Kerala; *Center for Postgraduate Studies and Research, Department of Botany, Sacred Heart College, Thevara, Cochin 682013,

Kerala E-mail: msfrancisman@yahoo.co.uk

Received 22 August 2005; revised 10 October 2006

Muthuvan tribes of Idukki district adopt slash and burn method of cultivation for Eleucine coracana (L.) Gaerten. The selection of land is based on ecological indicators such as Carex myosurus Nees and Scleria terrestris (L.) Fasset. Their intercropping pattern, seed material storage and shifting cultivation remain unique in several ways. Katty is a special dish prepared from the powdered grains of Eleucine by these people.

Key words: Eleucine coracana, Muthuvan tribes, Katty, finger millet, slash and burn method

IPC Int. Cl.8: A61K36/00, A01G1/00, A01G17/00, A47G19/00, A23L1/00, A23L1/06, A23L2/02

Man’s preliminary interest in plants has been as food. The tribal belt has more often been the center of diversity, and origin of many crop plants. The primitive people originally domesticated almost all the cultivated plants. Over the ages tribal people had grown several plants as part of life-support system for survival and subsistence. The Muthuvans of Idukki district collect, and use a number of plant species available in the forest unknown to the common man as food. They also cultivate cereals, tubers, vegetables, fruits and spices. They adopt slash and burn method of cultivation of finger millet, and prepare a pudding like dish known as Katty from the grains. Today, these time tested practices and various valuable indigenous know how are under the threat of extinction. The paper deals with the ethnobotanical significance of finger millet, popularly known as Kepa among the Muthuvan community of Idukki district. Methodology The ethnobotanical data for the present investigation are collected from Idukki district, Kerala state. Idukki district lies approximately within 9.20°-10.20° North latitude and 76.30°-77.30° East longitudes. All the data are collected through repeated field visits to the Muthuvan settlements and careful interaction with them. Semi-structured interviews,

photographs, staying in the settlements, journey with these people through the forest and participating in various activities were used to record these valuable ethnobotanical practices. The plants were identified with the help of informants, brought back to the settlements and confirmed to elders. Herbariums were prepared and confirmed with the help of authentically identified specimens of Calicut University Herbarium1.

Result and discussion Muthuvans adopt slash and burn method for the cultivation of finger millet. Open area without trees but with lot of herbs and shrubs were selected. The selection of land was based on ecological indicators, two grasses known as Urukkala, Carex myosurus Nees and Scleria terrestris (L.) Fasset. The selected area is known as Vireppu. Selection was followed by the cutting and burning of all the plants in summer. They usually cultivate three varieties of kepa (Finger millet), which are with three months, four months and six months maturity. The seeds are sown with the onset of pre-monsoon showers on Pathamudayam, i.e. in May. The seeds are broadcasted along with Cheera (Amarantus caudatus L.) and slight hawing follows this. Vegetables and mustard are sown along the borders immediately after the broadcasting of Kepa. Neither fertilizer nor pesticide is applied. Amarantus caudatus L. is harvested from 30th day and used as vegetable. The first harvest of Finger millet is in August, second in October and the third in

__________ *Corresponding author

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December. The grains separated from straw, sun dried for 3 to 4 days are kept in gunny bags. The seeds for the next season are selected from the fully matured and healthy plants. The heads along with the straw is stalked and hanged vertically (Fig. 1) over the fireplace above the Cheru (a platform with perforations weaved with bamboo splits). The smoke and heat from the fireplace protects, preserves and extends the viability of the seeds. According to the Muthuvans, the viability of the seed stored in this method will remain for 5 yrs. Once cultivated with Finger millet, that area is abandoned for 7 yrs to recover the fertility status of the soil. The ethnobotanical studies conducted throughout the world have a mention of the food plants used by the people of the region. Famine foods used by the local

people of Marwar in Rajasthan, and food plants consumed by different tribes of Andaman and Nicobar islands have been reported2,3. An ethnobotanical study of the Negrito islanders reveals 33 plant species used for food alone4. Ethnobotanical and agro ecological studies on genetic resources of food plants in Mizoram state identified 116 plant species as resource for food5. The use of Eleucine is reported among various tribal communities6-8. But the specific report on the method of cultivation and use of finger millet by the Muthuvans of Idukki district are lacking.

Katty is the unique pudding prepared by the Muthuvans from the grains of finger millet. The dried grains are winnowed (Fig. 2), dehusked (Fig. 3) in an Ural (Ponder) and powdered in a millstone (Fig. 4).

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For 1 kg of powder, 4 L of water is required. Then with constant stirring using two thin strong sticks, the powder is added into the boiling water. At this time, the fire has to be regulated to adjust the softness of the preparation. This is a skilled work and requires some experience. If the stirring is not uniform the hot water will not reach every portion in the powder and if the heat of water is more, pudding will lose its property. After cooling, it is cut into pieces and consumed with or without side dishes. Till recently, they were depending totally on their surroundings for food. Their knowledge about indigenous food plants is very deep. The preparation of Katty from Eleucine, which challenges the modern pudding, superior in all qualities is not seen in any other tribal communities. Muthuvan’s slash and burn method of cultivation remains unique in several ways. They adopt organic method of cultivation without using chemical fertilizers, fungicides and pesticides. They are well aware of the intercropping pattern and successfully cultivate short duration leafy vegetables such as Amarantus caudatus L. They also utilize the boarder area of the plot for cultivating mustard and other vegetables. Muthuvan’s simple technique of hanging bundled heads with straws of finger millet over the fireplace above the Cheru preserves the viability of seeds for 5 yrs. This may be because the cheru will protect the seeds from excess heat of the fireplace and allows the smoke to pass through the heads and straws. Their practice of abandoning the once cultivated area for several years will pave the way for natural recovery of soil fertility status.

Conclusion The present investigation has brought out the Ethnobotanical and agro–ecological significance of Eleucine coracana among the Muthuvan tribes of Idukki district. Shifting cultivation, use of ecological indicators, slash and burn method of cultivation, seed storage practices, preparation of katty which challenges the modern pudding has no parallel in the tribal world. All these practices are vanishing very fast due to the infiltration of modern civilization. So, it is highly essential to document such valuable time tested traditional practices.

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Botanical Garden, Kew), 1991. 2 King G, Notes on famine foods of Marwar, Proc Asiat Soc

Bengal, 1869,116-121. 3 Sangal PM, Forest food of the tribal population of Andaman

and Nicobar Islands, Indian Forester, 97 (1971) 646-650. 4 Aswasthi AK, Ethnobotanical studies of the Negrito

Islanders of Andaman Islands, India-The great Andamanese, Eco Bot, 45 (2) (1991) 274-280.

5 Lalramnghinglova H, Ethnobotanical & Agroecological studies on genetic resources of food plants in Mizoram State, J Econ Taxon Bot, 23 (1999) 637-644.

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7 Singh HB, Hynniewta TM & Bora PJ, Ethnobotanical note on wild edible plants of Tripura, India, Ethnobotany, 11 (1999) 26-28.

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