Ethnographic profile of Pardhi-Baheliya: a de-notified tribe of Madhya Pradesh
Student name: Ms Steffi Olickal
Guide: Dr Mala Narang Reddy
Year of completion: 2012
Host Organisation: World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF)-India
Supervisor (Host Organisation): Ms Vishaish Uppal
Abstract: Pardhi-Baheliya, a de-notified nomadic community was termed ‘criminal’ up until a few years
after Indian Independence by the British. Being traditional hunters and gatherers, they have been
historically dependent on forests for livelihood purposes and continue to maintain their linkages
with the forest, however with an evolving relationship and changing sources of income
generation.
This community known for its mobile nature and hunting-gathering ways has been caught
between its lust for nomadism and a need for settlement. Sedentary communities have often
viewed them with suspicion; local authorities have mostly ignored them. They have been in the
limelight mainly due to their hunting and poaching activities. The ‘Criminal Tribes Act’ made
their lives miserable and then with illegality of hunting, their traditional occupation is no longer
an option. Lack of basic amenities and alternate livelihood has made them resort to poaching but
now they crave for a respectable, sedentary life. The current generation hopes for a turn-around
with the help of the government and NGOs, so that they can undo their past and look forward to
a better, respectable future.
Key words: Pardhi-Baheliya, Criminal Tribes Act, livelihood, nomadic, de-notified
