AN INSIGHT INTO ECOLOGICAL CULTURE OF THE ACHIKS INDIGENOUS TRIBE OF MEGHALAYA: A STUDY

Mankind is often placed in a privileged and glorified position among all the creatures, while the nature is often given the least importance on earth. A sense of Protagoras concept, an ancient Greek philosopher states that Man is the measure of all things, setting the tone of human chauvinist perception (cited in B.L.Mawlong & M.B.Mitri, 2015). But it is an indisputable fact that one cannot imagine the survival of humankind outside of the natural environment. However, the beauty, integrity and fairness of nature consist in the cultural practices and behavior of a community having more intelligent relationship with the natural world. In discussing the problems and causes of our environmental crisis, modernization and globalization to be the reason and the big threat for all the creatures and sustainability of all species of earth. The traditional indigenous knowledge of ecological practices and behaviors of the community towards natural environment are generally based on beauty, fairness and integrity and optimum balanced utilization of available nature and other natural resources. Majority of the ethnic tribal community inhabits the northeast part of India and the Achiks is one of them. The inhabitants of the Achiks could be found in different states of India such as Meghalaya, Assam, Koch Bihar, Nagaland, and Tripura but the major portion of the total Achiks population inhabits in northeast region of Garo Hillls of Meghalaya. The ecological culture of the Achiks with nature is always symbiotic and intimate. The activities of humans triggered by changing ecological practices and behavior owing to the globalization, the influence of modern culture, intermingling and cultural hegemony, most of the tribal ecological cultures are in the way of extinction. For maintaining stability and integrity of all species of earth, ecological practices and behavior is essential and without ecological culture the sustainability of ecology would be impossible. The Achiks ecological culture, their eco-friendly attitudes and behavior is significantly valuable for the ecological development in the context of ecological aggravation and more importantly it can be brought to a practical life with the ecological cultural practices and behavior in the world of today.