This award-winning ethnographic documentary film made by Sathya Mohan PV, deals with the socio-economic and religious life of the Chenchus, the only Telugu speaking prehistoric hunting-gathering tribe living in the Nallamalai forests of Andhra Pradesh, India. They are a conservative tribal group and have not made many changes in their lifestyle or tried to adapt to modernity. They live in the enclosed space and geography leading a life of an unbroken continuity.
ADIVASI
Tribes of India
Sunday, September 22, 2019
CHILDREN OF THE FOREST (Chenchus)
This award-winning ethnographic documentary film made by Sathya Mohan PV, deals with the socio-economic and religious life of the Chenchus, the only Telugu speaking prehistoric hunting-gathering tribe living in the Nallamalai forests of Andhra Pradesh, India. They are a conservative tribal group and have not made many changes in their lifestyle or tried to adapt to modernity. They live in the enclosed space and geography leading a life of an unbroken continuity.
Thursday, August 8, 2019
CHENCHUS ARE GUARDING NALLAMALA AND ARE FORCIBLY BEING DISPLACED
Chenchus stand guard to save the forests of Nallamala
Nimmala Bayanna, long-headed and thickset, wields a bow and arrow not to hunt for food but to attack treasure hunters or trespassers in the lush green Nallamala forest which he inhabits.
While mining and land clearing continue to eat away the country’s largest remaining tiger reserves, the Chenchus, who live in 137 hamlets that dot the forest, are pushing back. Bayanna, who is in his 30s, is a member of Nallamala’s Chenchu tribe and has been spearheading the fight against the recent proposal of mining uranium that is likely to destroy a landscape rich in biodiversity, besides supporting the livelihood of the hunter-gatherer Chenchu community.
On a monsoon day, Bayanna and other Chenchus prepare to patrol the catchment area of the Krishna river, which flows through the forests marking up the boundary of Medimakala Penta (hamlet) in the interiors of tiger reserve. The land is inhabited not just by the Chenchus but also a variety of fauna. It is now under threat of uranium mining.
The Nallamala forest has been a permanent hunting ground for those who want to become rich quickly by digging into the suspected treasure.
While the Chenchu men patrol the forests, the women guard their hamlets by making sure their forest and all the living beings that survive on it are safe.
“If we go looking in our territory, we always find illegal things going on these days,” says Bayanna before he left with his men to patrol the forest.
“We patrol, we find intruders, we destroy their vehicles and we send them away. We’ve stopped many illegal miners and loggers by adopting this method. It’s working,” he said.
After the in-principle clearance granted for uranium exploration in the tiger reserve, the Chenchus fear re-location and have become more protective of their forest, says Y Balayya, general secretary, struggle committee against uranium mining.
Vigilant Chenchus caught a few trespassers suspiciously wandering near one of their hamlets.
“The Chenchus are well-known for their affinity with animals and understanding of the forest. Lack of enforcement by the state government has forced the Chenchus to take matters into their own hands,” said Balayya.
Tribal territories seem to be acting as the best line of control for the forests of Nallamala, and these Chenchus are ready to go to any lengths to defend their greenery amid a sea of destruction.
“We know it’s risky and we have enemies. But now’s no time for hiding. We are ready to die protecting this forest but will never let anyone take control of our lives,” said Lachamma, a Chenchu woman while guarding Medimakala hamlet located about 5km from the Krishna river.
The Nallamala forest has been a permanent hunting ground for those who want to become rich quickly by digging into the suspected treasure.
However, the number of treasure hunters trying to enter the core areas of the forests seems to have increased manifold after the recent in-principle clearance given by the central government for exploration of uranium.
The Chenchus are well-known for their affinity with animals and understanding of the forest.
Tribal territories seem to be acting as the best line of control for the forests of Nallamala, and these Chenchus are ready to go to any lengths to defend their greenery amid a sea of destruction.
Vigilant Chenchus caught a few trespassers suspiciously wandering near one of their hamlets. “We have no idea from where they have entered the forest. They looked very suspicious. We deflated the tyres of their vehicles and warned them of serious consequences if they come back again,” said Nimmala Anjaiah of Medimakala Penta.
“When we asked them, they first told us that they came to do some research in the forests, but we did not believe them. If they really came for research, they would have come from the main entrance instead of taking other routes,” said Anjaiah.
“There has been an increase in the number of people trying to enter the forest for gold and diamond. The Chenchus have increased their vigil and make sure no illegal activity takes place inside the forest,” said Balayya. (TNN | Sep 8, 2019)
READ MORE
In tiger country, tribals, greens cry foul over uranium mining
March 24, 2021 NAGARKURNOOL
Is the stage set to displace children of the forest Chenchus from Nallamala forest to the plains? Is this conspiracy going on without the notice quietly? Is a new 'package' promised with the hope of collecting consent from people? The answer is 'yes'.
The forest department officials have recently been able to collect consent documents to move the Chenchus from the Amrabad Tiger Reserve Sanctuary in Nagarkurnool district. The public bodies have been strongly opposed to the efforts of the central and state governments for two decades to move the Chenchus living in the Nallamala forest area. However, the issue has come up again with a fresh collection of consent documents.
Nallamala forest area is spread over 2.75 lakh hectares in Nagarkurnool, Nalgonda, Guntur, Prakasam and Kurnool districts in both Telugu states. About ten thousand families live in 1077 chenchu pentas making forest products a livelihood. In 1999, when the Naxal movement was intense, some Chenchu families in Nallamala were moved to the plains. A special rehabilitation centre was established at Amargiri.
However, displacement of Chenchus became very controversial when two deaths were reported as the Chenchus were not able to adjust with the new environment. Later, in the name of the uranium excavations in Nallamala and on the pretext of sanctuary rules, Chenchus were asked to move to the plains. Each family was promised a cash package of Rs.10 lakhs and a house in Tukkuguda, Ranga Reddy district, but the children of the forest did not agree. That is why a new package proposal was brought to the fore with the cash of Rs.15 lakhs and a house or three acres of agricultural land for each Chenchu family. 175 Chenchu families are living in Vatavarlapalli, Charlapalli, Pulichintalabayalu, Kummanpenta, Kollampenta, Mallapur, Appapur, Bairapur, Rampur, Thangidigundala, Medimalakala and Eeralpenta in Nallamala and 80 per cent of the families are forced to sign on the consent papers. Meanwhile, SC and BC families in Vatavarlapalli, Sarlapalli and Pulichintala Bayalu are forced to leave their homes and cattle without any package.
SOURCESaturday, September 12, 2015
ADAVI BIDDALU (Chenchulu)
https://youtu.be/i7oK5cGB3P0
Saturday, April 26, 2014
CHENCHUS (Hunters and Gatherers)
Language family: Dravidian
Language branch: Telugu
The Chenchus are a Telugu speaking food-gathering tribe living in the
Nallamalai forests of Andhra Pradesh in India spread over the districts of
Mahaboobnagar, Kurnool, Prakasam and Guntur. They are a conservative
tribal group and have not made many changes in their lifestyle or tried to
adapt to modernity. They live in the enclosed space and geography, leading
a life of an unbroken continuity.
The Nallamalai forests are deciduous and deep. They cover mountain side,
and are full of treacherous pathways and dangerous ridges. The Chenchus
are undaunted by their natural surroundings and set out to gather food or
hunt animals. The bow and arrow and a small knife is all the Chenchus
possess to hunt and live. They hunt wild animals like boar and deer, but
with the increasing interest in wild life conservation, they are content
to hunt small animals like lizards, rabbits and wild birds.
Their meal is fairly simple and usually consists of gruel made from jowar
or maize, and boiled or cooked jungle tubers. They mix tamarind fruit with
tamarind ash and eat.This is especially good for pregnant women.
They normally eat before setting out to gather food in the morning and eat
again when they return home in the evening. This speaks of the enormous
stamina of the Chenchus who trek on foot through jungle paths all day
long. The slender build of their bodies is deceptive and express little of
their strong and resilient nature.
The Chenchus collect jungle products like roots, fruits, tubers, beedi
leaf, mohua flower, honey, gum, tamarind and green leaves and make a
meagre income of it by selling these to traders and government
co-operatives. The Chenchus do not care much for money or material wealth.
They have hardly developed any technique of preserving food. Their care
for future is marginal as they are used to living on a day-to-day basis.
As a result they have not cultivated much interest in agriculture. Though
at times they work as forest labourers, they mostly prefer to fall back on
their native skills to hunt and gather food. But the inroads of modern
development have found their ways to the Chenchu homeland. Today, the
forest region no longer belongs to the Chenchus. It has been declared as a
tiger reserve sanctuary. The government has been motivating the Chenchus
to adapt to agriculture, but has failed. The Chenchus refuse to be
displaced from the forest and continue to live in harmony with the tigers
in the sanctuary.
Centuries of life in the forest have deprived the Chenchus of an ability
to adapt easily to external situations. Though some of their children are
sent to government schools, there are very few instances of educated
Chenchus finding their way into mainstream modern society. The Chenchus
are struggling to adapt to new patterns of life as the forest resources
dwindle with time.
The Chenchus have been their own masters for many generations and have
“Peddamanishi” or the village elder is generally the authority to
Lord Mallikarjuna, an incarnation of Lord Shiva fell in love with a young
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