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Ethnobotanical Leaflets 11: 258-265. 2007. Exploration of Kani Tribal
Botanical Knowledge in Agasthiayamalai Biosphere Reserve - John De Britto* and R.
Mahesh Research Department of
Plant Biology and Biotechnology St. Xavier’s College (Autonomous) Palayamkottai –
627 002, Tamilnadu. *Corresponding author: E-mail address: bjohnde@yahoo.co.in Tel.: 0462-2560813; Fax: 0462-2561765. Issued Abstract Since traditional herbal remedies are based
on ancestral knowledge and empiric experiences of tribes, an ethnomedicinal survey was undertaken to collect
information appeared to be useful for the research on medicinal plants of the
Agasthiayamalai Biosphere Reserve in Tirunelveli district of Tamil Nadu
during October 2005- December 2006. The ancestral traditional knowledge of Kani people including reliable hakims, physicians in five settlements (Tirunelveli
zones) the native plants used for the
preparation of drugs and methods of their administration along with doses
were recorded, collected through questionnaire as well as informal
personal interviews during field trips. The
exploration of ethno medicinal survey of medicinal utilization among Kani hakims 76 species of plants distributed in 64 genera
belonging to 43 families have been reported. The information was collected
and documented in database management systems using Visual Basic 6.0 as front
end and M.S Access 7.0 as back end. The practical knowledge of plants in
medicines of Kani tribe reveals that they are
capable of treating various diseases. Exploitation
and documentation of traditional medicine is essential for the future. Such
study will be useful to understand the role and importance of the Tribal
Botanical Knowledge (TBK) in the conservation of medicinal plants of this
area. Key words: Agasthiamalai, Kani tribes,
DBMS software, Medicinal plants. Introduction Bioprospecting is
the search of useful products derived from bioresources.
The useful products may be chemical compounds, genes, micro and macro
organisms and other valuable products that are useful in medicinal,
industrial and or agricultural and food sectors. India
has a rich tradition in medicinal plant study and is the one of twelve mega biodiversity centres and
eighteen hot spots in Eastern ghats and Western Ghats apart from being known for ancient
civilization and deep-rooted in tradition, is also known for its rich
diversity, both cultural as well as biological (Ravikumar
et al., 2000). Totally 427 tribe’s communities in The objective is to establish a database of
the plants used by Kani tribes with special
reference to their indigenous traditional knowledge and create awareness to
the local communities about the conservation strategies of these valuable
genetic resources. Research site Tamil Nadu is the
eleven largest states in The Agasthiayamalai
Biosphere Reserve in south Kerala is extended to
parts of Kanyakumari and Tirunelveli
districts lying between 77° 5' and 77° 40'E longitudes. 8° 20'and 8° 50'N latitudes. South west
monsoon from June – September, and north east monsoon in October and November
bring rain to this region, and annual rain fall varies at different places
from 89 cm to 625 cm. The Tamil Nadu Government is
considering for inclusion of areas adjoining the mountain peak 1868 mt (Agasthyakondam) in the
reserve (Map 1.), and its environs, comprising 1,701 sq.kms,
was designated as the 13th biosphere reserve with the inclusion of areas of
Tamil Nadu, the total area will exceed 2,500 sq.km and have many endemic heritage (MoEF,
2004) and inhabited by various ethnic groups such as Kanis,
Paliyars and Thodars. Kani tribals
are one of the primitive people and settled in secondary hills. There
are five tribal settlements such as Tirunelveli zones of Servalar, Agasthiar Kanikudiyiruppu,
Mayilar, Periyamayilar
and Inchikuzhi (Hendry et al., 1982). Methodology Kani Tribal traditional medicinal
practices experts having practical knowledge of plants in medicine were
interviewed in five settlements of Tirunelveli
district. The ancestral
traditional knowledge of Kani people including
reliable hakims, physicians in five settlements (Tirunelveli zones) the native plants used for the preparation of drugs and methods of their
administration along with doses were recorded, collected through
questionnaire as well as informal personal interviews during field trips were carried out in the study area totaling 52 days during
October 2005- December 2006. Plants in triplicates were collected in its
flowering stage from their natural habitats (Diane Bridson
and Leonard forman, 1992). Voucher specimens
were deposited in St. Xavier’s College (Autonomous) herbarium, Tirunelveli. All plants were identified by using relevant
floras (Gamble, 1935; Mathew, 1983). All the collected information were documented in a Computer program using Visual Basic
6.0 and Oracle 8.0. The data base contains all the details of plant such as
the Botanical Name, Family ,Vernacular Name,
Habit, Description, parts used, ethnobotanical
use, ethnomedicinal use, Ethnobotanical Uses,
Herbal formulation, Dosage and Pictures. Results and Discussion Plants have been used as traditional medicine
for several thousand years ( Abu Rabia
2005). Kani is one such
inhabited in Agasthiayamalai. Kani tribal are primarily a semi-romantic community one
of the primitive people and settled in secondary hills and they have been
originated from Kerala. They have slowly shifted to
Tamil nadu and have been settled in the The exploration
of ethnomedicinal survey of medicinal utilization Kani hakims suggest that 76 species of plants distributed
in 64 genera belonging to 43 families. The families of the species are
arranged in chronological order.
Botanical Name, Family, Vernacular Name, Habit, Description, parts used, ethnobotanical use, ethnomedicinal
use, Ethnobotanical Uses, Herbal formulation, Dosage and Pictures are
described. Indigenous technological knowledge is also described. Sample
software screens (See below, Figure 1) and a collection of plant list (Table
1) are given. A Kani tribe settlement is typically
a cluster of few families living interspersed with the forest, isolated from
any public transports facility. Tribals are
comprised largely illiterates, 90 % above can not read and write. Earlier
they lived under rock shades and caves, which provided shelter to their
people. They speak Malayalam mixed Tamil. The Kani tribe live in harmony with nature and the eco-system. They
live in bamboo nets, mainly derived their food from forest produce and still
maintain the hunter-gather instincts. They follow animistic religion and a
practice of magic healing. Steps must be taken to preserve their identity and
their various indigenous technological knowledge. Some
of them are employed in hydroelectric project, private estates and forests
deportments. Now The Tamil nadu governments
recognize them as Schedule Tribes in Tiruneliveli
district. They are
extremely hard working and can survive without the help of modern
agricultural implements. They cultivate edible food plants jackfruits,
citrus, pineapple, piper, panama, coconut, areca, Dioscorea species, Manicot species etc. They are socio-economically very poor and
still most of them are the forest workers. They guide tourists and
researchers. They are also engaged in seasonal collection of honey and some
other forests products. Traditional knowledge is not
protected within the patent system as it stands today. The turmeric case highlights the problems
faced by Summary and Conclusion Thus, the present study helped us to understand the Tribal Botanical
Knowledge of Kani tribes. The documentation is
essential to preserve the Tribal Botanical Knowledge of these tribes.
Further, they have to be trained and awareness should be given for the
conservation of this biodiversity rich area. The deterioration of the wild flora of this area is to be blamed on
population pressure, forest fires, overgrazing, and browsing. The present
population has little knowledge about the medicinal plants of the area because
most of the knowledgeable, older persons have passed away and the younger
ones are not as informed of traditional methods. However, as in the past,
some empirical knowledge of medicinal plants among the tribes continues to be
developed and transmitted orally from one generation to the next. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The authors are
thankful to the finance supported by the Ministry of Environment and forests,
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Figure
1. Sample software screens
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