ISBN: 978-93-7143-285-6
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Chap e - 7
Economic T ansi ion and En i onmen al Sus ainabili y
Among he Cho he T ibe o Manipu
Rimkung Mami Cho he
Depa men o An h opology, Sou h Eas Manipu College,
Komla habi, Chandel Dis ic
Email: [email p o ec ed]
ABSTRACT:
The Cho he ibe o Manipu ep esen s a small ye signi ican
indigenous communi y whose socio-economic ansi ions o e
ecen decades mi o he b oade challenges o balancing
de elopmen and en i onmen al sus ainabili y in No heas
India. This s udy examines he economic ans o ma ion,
occupa ional mobili y, and changing educa ional pa e ns
among he Cho he people, wi h a pa icula ocus on gende
di e ences in employmen and li e acy. Using ield-based da a
collec ed h ough household su eys and in e iews, combined
wi h seconda y sou ces such as Census epo s and egional
an h opological s udies, he pape explo es how
mode niza ion, o mal educa ion, and s a e-led de elopmen
ini ia i es a e eshaping he Cho he economy. Despi e g adual
di e si ica ion om ag icul u e o se ice and sel -employmen
sec o s, adi ional ecological knowledge con inues o in luence
en i onmen al a i udes and local sus ainabili y p ac ices. The
indings e eal ha while educa ional ad ancemen has
imp o ed women’s pa icipa ion in non-ag icul u al ac i i ies,
Economic T ansi ion and En i onmen al Sus ainabili y
111
men s ill domina e in o mal employmen sec o s. The s udy
unde sco es he impo ance o in eg a ing indigenous alues
wi h sus ainable li elihood p og ams o ensu e ecological
balance and socio-economic esilience among he Cho he ibe.
Keywo ds: Cho he ibe, Economic ansi ion, En i onmen al
sus ainabili y, Gende oles, Educa ion, Li elihood change,
T ibal economy
1. In oduc ion
Indigenous and ibal communi ies in No heas India ha e
long ope a ed wi hin ecological niches, main aining li elihoods
ha balance esou ce use, cus oma y no ms, and social
cohesion. Howe e , o e he pas ew decades, many o hese
g oups, including he Cho he ibe o Manipu , ha e begun o
na iga e a ansi ion om subsis ence economies owa d
di e si ied, ma ke -o ien ed li elihoods. This ans o ma ion is
no simply economic; i is deeply en angled wi h cul u e,
en i onmen , knowledge sys ems, and powe ela ions.
The Cho he ibe is ecognized as one o he Scheduled T ibes
o Manipu and is mainly concen a ed in he Chandel and
Bishnupu dis ic s (Chei hou Cha les, 2010). They a e
iden i ied as a Tibe o-Bu man (Kuki-Chin) speaking g oup,
p ac icing a dis inc social and economic li es yle. Acco ding o
Cho he o al his o ies and s udies, hey a e some imes linked
his o ically o “Pu um” iden i y bu main ain clea dis inc ions
in cul u al ins i u ions and adi ions (The Cho he : A misnome
…, n.d.). Gene ic s udies sugges ha abou 2,440 indi iduals o
Cho he eside in ele en illages o Chandel and one illage in
Rimkung Mami Cho he
112
Bishnupu (Singh e al., 2007). Such small popula ion size places
hem among he mo e ulne able ibal g oups in he egion.
T adi ionally, Cho he li elihoods we e based on shi ing
cul i a ion (jhum), collec ion o o es p oduc s, hun ing,
ga he ing, and household c a s. Ag icul u al cycles we e ied
o allow pe iods which allowed o es egene a ion, soil
eco e y, and biodi e si y main enance. Cus oma y
ins i u ions egula ed land access, o es use, and in e -
household ecip oci y. Much o hei ecological knowledge
(e.g., plan uses, medicinal he bs, o a ional cycles) was passed
down o ally h ough gene a ions (Chei hou Cha les, 2010).
T adi ional no ms also egula ed ha es seasons, sac ed
g o es, and aboo species, he eby embedding conse a ion
in o e e yday p ac ice.
Ye , his equilib ium is now unde s ain om mul iple o ces.
Schooling, o mal educa ion, oad connec i i y, and s a e
de elopmen p og ams ha e exposed Cho he communi ies o
egional ma ke s, wage labou , and non-ag icul u al
oppo uni ies. In he b oade No heas con ex , c oss- ibal
s udies indica e ha educa ion is a key d i e o occupa ional
di e si ica ion among Scheduled T ibes, enabling mobili y
beyond subsis ence sec o s (Ma chang, 2020; Ma chang &
Reimeingam, 2019). Howe e , hese shi s also unse le
cus oma y no ms, al e powe s uc u es, and isk e oding
adi ional ecological knowledge (TEK). De elopmen -induced
in e en ions, whe he in as uc u e o esou ce p ojec s, a e
o en blamed o accele a ing socio-cul u al ansi ions,
accen ua ing accul u a ion, and diminishing ibal iden i ies
(Chhandama, 2025).
Economic T ansi ion and En i onmen al Sus ainabili y
113
Among ibal popula ions in No heas India, gende
dispa i ies in educa ion and income emain pe sis en
challenges. Women o en lag behind men in access o schooling,
which limi s hei pa icipa ion in non- a m sec o s. Changes in
occupa ional s uc u e ha a ou o mal employmen o wage
labou end o ad an age hose al eady educa ed o socially
well-connec ed, he eby ein o cing inequali ies wi hin ibal
communi ies.
Thus, in he case o he Cho he, economic ans o ma ion is no
simply a ma e o shi ing c ops o incomes. I en ails a delica e
nego ia ion be ween old and new: be ween cus oma y
ecological e hics and ma ke logic; be ween o al knowledge
sys ems and o mal science; be ween male-dominan wage
sec o s and women’s oles in ga dening, o es collec ion, and
household p oduc ion. The success o ailu e o sus ainable
de elopmen in such con ex s depends on how well he new
can be in eg a ed wi h he old.
This s udy aims o examine how he Cho he ibe na iga es his
ansi ion. Speci ically, i seeks o documen pa e ns o
educa ional a ainmen and occupa ional di e si ica ion,
analyze he socio-cul u al o ces d i ing change, assess impac s
on en i onmen al sus ainabili y and ecological knowledge, and
p opose policy pa hways ha s eng hen esilience wi hou
unde mining iden i y.
2. Me hodology
The s udy adop ed a quali a i e and desc ip i e esea ch
design o unde s and he economic ansi ion and
en i onmen al sus ainabili y among he Cho he ibe o
Rimkung Mami Cho he
114
Manipu . Bo h p ima y and seconda y da a we e used o
cons uc a holis ic iew o he communi y’s li elihood
ans o ma ion, educa ional s a us, and ecological p ac ices.
The me hodology ollowed he e hnog aphic adi ions o ibal
s udies in No heas India, emphasizing communi y
pa icipa ion, o al na a i es, and obse a ion (Elwin, 1959;
Roy, 2019).
P ima y da a we e collec ed h ough ield isi s o selec ed
Cho he-inhabi ed illages in Chandel and Bishnupu dis ic s,
whe e he ibe is p edominan ly se led (Singh e al., 2007).
Semi-s uc u ed in e iews, ocus g oup discussions, and
pa icipa o y obse a ion we e conduc ed among a me s,
women’s g oups, you h, and illage elde s. In o man s we e
selec ed h ough pu posi e sampling, ensu ing ep esen a ion
o bo h gende s, age g oups, and occupa ional ca ego ies. This
app oach p o ided an in-dep h unde s anding o communi y
pe cep ions ega ding li elihood change, educa ion, and
en i onmen al conce ns.
The su ey ins umen eco ded household in o ma ion,
educa ion le els, income sou ces, land use and ecological
p ac ices. Gende -disagg ega ed da a we e collec ed o
compa e men’s and women’s educa ional and occupa ional
s a us we e analysed. Obse a ional no es we e aken on
ag icul u al cycles, o es esou ce collec ion, and communi y
i uals linked o ecological conse a ion.
Seconda y sou ces we e ga he ed om go e nmen
publica ions such as he Census o India (2011), Manipu S a e
De elopmen Repo (Planning Depa men , 2016), and
published esea ch by schola s on he ibes o No heas India
Economic T ansi ion and En i onmen al Sus ainabili y
115
(Ma chang, 2020; Roy, 2019). Academic pape s on ibal
li elihood, educa ion, and shi ing cul i a ion in Manipu we e
also consul ed (Chand amouli, 2011; Singh & De i, 2015).
A chi al sou ces om he An h opological Su ey o India
and p e ious e hnog aphic s udies p o ided a compa a i e
his o ical backg ound (Elwin, 1959; Hodson, 1911).
Da a we e analyzed using desc ip i e s a is ics and
in e p e i e hema ic analysis. Quan i a i e da a (e.g.,
educa ional and occupa ional dis ibu ion) we e p ocessed o
ob ain pe cen age dis ibu ions, shown in he accompanying
ables. Quali a i e da a om in e iews and ocus g oups we e
coded a ound ecu ing hemes such as economic di e si ica ion,
en i onmen al knowledge, gende oles, and ma ke in eg a ion.
The combina ion o nume ical and na a i e da a aimed o
p o ide a balanced socio-ecological in e p e a ion o how he
Cho he communi y adap s o mode niza ion while main aining
elemen s o adi ional sus ainabili y. This me hodological
app oach aligns wi h indigenous esea ch pa adigms ha alue
communi y oices and cul u al con ex (Smi h, 2012; Da a,
2018).
In o med consen was ob ained om all pa icipan s. The s udy
espec ed he communi y’s p i acy and cul u al no ms,
ensu ing ha sensi i e in o ma ion especially abou sac ed si es
o i uals was ea ed wi h con iden iali y. The esea ch
adhe ed o e hical guidelines o social esea ch on indigenous
popula ions (Ame ican An h opological Associa ion, 2012).
Rimkung Mami Cho he
116
3. Resul s and Discussion
The Cho he ibe’s economy has unde gone a mul i ace ed
ans o ma ion o e he pas ew decades, shi ing om
subsis ence-based li elihoods oo ed in shi ing cul i a ion
(jhum) and o es ga he ing o a mo e complex s uc u e
in eg a ing ag icul u e, wage labou , go e nmen employmen ,
and small-scale business. This ansi ion e lec s b oade ends
obse ed among ibal popula ions in No heas India bu also
exhibi s unique cha ac e is ics oo ed in Cho he ecological
alues, gende ela ions, and communi y o ganiza ion
(Ma chang, 2020; Roy, 2019).
Educa ion has eme ged as one o he mos decisi e ac o s
in luencing economic ansi ion among he Cho he. T adi ional
Cho he socie y emphasized o al ansmission o knowledge
including ag icul u al iming, wea he p edic ion, he bal
medicine and spi i ual p ac ices ied o land and o es . Wi h
he expansion o o mal educa ion, pa icula ly a e he 1990s
h ough s a e ini ia i es and mission schools, li e acy and
educa ional a ainmen ha e signi ican ly imp o ed, hough
gende dispa i ies pe sis . The educa ional a ainmen le els
and occupa ional s a us o Cho he men and women based on
ield da a om illages in Chandel and Bishnupu dis ic s
we e highligh ed in Table 1,2and 3.
Table 1: Dis ibu ion o Educa ional S a us o he Cho he
Women
All
age
To al
No.
o
Illi e a
e
P ima
y
Midd
le
H/
S
H/S
ec
G adu
a e &
abo e
Economic T ansi ion and En i onmen al Sus ainabili y
117
coho
s
wom
en
To al
844
78
183
157
14
8
162
116
% age
100
9.2
21.7
18.6
17.
5
19.2
13.7
Table 1 illus a es ha app oxima ely 9.2% o Cho he women
emain illi e a e, while 19.2% comple ed highe seconda y and
13.7% a ained g adua ion o highe . These igu es signi y
inc easing educa ional pa icipa ion among women, a posi i e
indica o o gende inclusion in he communi y’s de elopmen
p ocess.
Table 2: Dis ibu ion o Educa ional s a us o Cho he Men
All
age
coho
s
To
al
No.
o
Me
n
Illi e a
e
P ima
y
Midd
le
H/
S
H/Se
c
G adua
e &
abo e
To al
757
65
158
176
14
3
109
106
% age
100
8.6
20.9
23.2
18.
9
14.4
14.0
Table 2 shows, he li e acy a e among men is ela i ely highe
han among women, wi h 91.4% a aining some o m o
educa ion. The end owa d seconda y and e ia y educa ion
Rimkung Mami Cho he
118
indica es he Cho he ibe’s g adual shi owa d o mal
employmen oppo uni ies.
The da a indica e ha educa ional le els among bo h men and
women ha e imp o ed subs an ially, wi h less han 10% o
ei he g oup emaining illi e a e. Howe e , women’s
pa icipa ion in highe educa ion emains sligh ly lowe
compa ed o men. This aligns wi h s udies on ibal educa ion
in No heas India, which a ibu e gende dispa i ies o socio-
cul u al no ms, ea ly ma iage, and household esponsibili ies
limi ing emale mobili y.The ela i ely high pe cen age o
seconda y and g adua e-le el educa ion among Cho he you h
(a ound 19% and 14% espec i ely) sugges s inc easing
exposu e o mode n sec o s and go e nmen employmen . As
Ma chang (2020) no es, such ends e lec a gene a ional shi
among ibal you h who seek sala ied employmen o e
ag icul u al labou . Ye , his educa ional ad ancemen is
une en ac oss illages, hose close o oads and u ban cen e s
such as Chandel headqua e s display highe li e acy a es and
be e access o schooling, whe eas emo e se lemen s con inue
o ely on communi y- un p ima y schools wi h limi ed
acili ies.
Table 3: Dis ibu ion o Occupa ional S a us o Men and
Women
Occupa ional
s a us
Women
(N)
Women
(%)
Men (N)
Men (%)
Cul i a o
240
28.4
208
27.5
Business
55
6.5
80
10.6
Sel employed
155
8.3
181
23.9
Economic T ansi ion and En i onmen al Sus ainabili y
125
illages demons a es he communi y’s capaci y o collec i e
ecological go e nance and adap a ion o mode n conse a ion
amewo ks. The Cho he expe ience unde sco es he b oade
lesson ha de elopmen canno be measu ed solely by
economic indica o s. T ue sus ainabili y equi es he
in eg a ion o cul u al alues, ecological balance, and social
equi y. S eng hening adi ional knowledge sys ems, ensu ing
equi able access o educa ion and employmen , and p omo ing
eco- iendly li elihoods a e c ucial s eps o sa egua ding bo h
he ma e ial and spi i ual well-being o he ibe.
Ul ima ely, he Cho he’s ongoing nego ia ion be ween adi ion
and ans o ma ion o e s aluable insigh s o indigenous
sus ainabili y in No heas India. Thei adap i e esilience
g ounded in cul u e, communi y coope a ion, and espec o
na u e p o ides a model o econciling economic
mode niza ion wi h en i onmen al s ewa dship. Suppo ing
hese locally oo ed s a egies h ough pa icipa o y policy and
inclusi e go e nance will ensu e ha he Cho he people
con inue o h i e wi hou comp omising hei ecological and
cul u al in eg i y.
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