Indigenous wildlife hunting and trapping practices of the Mishmi (Kaman), Arunachal Pradesh

Abstract

Wildlife hunting and trapping have been practiced and are part of the traditional livelihoods and agricultural systems among the Mishmi (Kaman), Arunachal Pradesh. There is a high dependence on forests and swidden farming in providing alternate livelihood and contributing to the local economy. Relations with animals and forests in the Mishmi (Kaman) society are linked to the eco-cosmological realms where the animals are believed to be the property of spirits or supernatural entities who share the world with human beings. Therefore, hunting and trapping are seen not just as an act of removal or extraction of animals for consumption but as a form of exchange between humans and the spirits as part of a large, complex socio-ecological network. With the arrival of conservation laws (Wildlife Protection Act, 1972), several of the indigenous practice of trapping and hunting became unlawful acts. Labelled as stigmatized activities, people who engage in these activities are criminalized. This chapter documents indigenous hunting methods and traps of the Mishmi (Kaman) in Lohit and Anjaw districts of Arunachal Pradesh, along with the socio-cultural knowledge related to animals. By doing this, the chapter will be a tribute to indigenous knowledge that is fast eroding, and formal documentation is an important step toward acknowledging the Mishmi's (Kaman) eco-cultural wisdom.