Health of Indian Tribal Women

About Tribals

The word 'Tribe' denotes a group of people living in primitive conditions. It is a social group with territorial affiliation, endogamous with no specilisation of functions. They have a headman or a chief who controls the activities of that group. Tribals have several sub-groups all of them together known as 'Tribal Society'. It is really difficult to say whether they are Indigenous or not but they are earliest settlers of India. They were living in forests since early times and even now some of the groups follow the same trends and live in forests. Tribals constitute around 8.08% of the total Indian population, and of the total tribal population around 80% found in central India. Since they are older settlers and living in forests they are known as Vanyajati, Vanvasi, Pahari, Adivasi, Anusuchit Jati, Anusuchit Janjati, etc. in Indian languages. The word implies the meaning itself i.e. old settlers Adi = old Vasi = those who stay.

Tribals have their own culture and social life and thus are important in India. With culture they also have their own folklore, folk songs, dances etc. Almost all tribal communities possess rich mythologies, folk tales, stories which illustrate their affinity and relationship with tradition and traditional characters. With traditions they have their own general beliefs. There are around 636 schedule tribe categories in India. They are situated all over India. Even though they have a rich culture they are socio-economically disadvantaged and marginalized

'People of India' project shows that there is extent of sharing of culture in most of the tribes and non-tribes now. The percentage of joint families is higher among the tribals and most of them are engaged with agriculture and related activities as their main occupation. There are exceptions and some educated tribals have opted for nuclear families.

Health Modernity

As India strives towards becoming a more egalitarian society, individual human development becomes important and health and education become critical factors in reaching this goal. Health includes physical and mental development also the psychological and social development. Health problems that the tribals face are infant mortality, nutritional status, fertility, neo-natal mortality, post-natal mortality, peri-natal mortality, poor life-expectancy etc.

Researchers have developed the concept of "Health Modernity". Modernity means certain psychological qualities of individual, which are pre-requisites for economic development. It makes the individual an effective agent of socio-economic and political development. Health Modernity does not ensure or guarantee social, economic and political modernity but it is the fundamental precondition of all other developments. It includes scientifically correct information, attitude and behaviour in relation to physical and mental health, family planning, childcare, personal hygiene and sanitation. The health modernity considers:

• Physical health which includes Malnutrition and Physical Conditions
• Mental health which includes General Beliefs and Attitude towards New Medication Practices
• Family Planning which includes Reproductive Health Behavior

Tribals display a far less health modernity as compared to the rest of the population. Their own beliefs, illiteracy, poverty, non-access to scientific information contribute to this low Health Modernity status. Their Health status can be improved significantly by scientifically executed intervention with target-appropriate educational material and techniques.

Health Modernity Education Project (HMEP) financed by ICMR in Ranchi has also highlighted following factors in tribal communities -

• poor economic condition
• early marriage
• unhygienic living conditions
• high prevalence of illness, etc.

Importance of women

Among tribes the population is almost equal of men and women and women enjoy an equal status in most tribal groups. Instead of dowry there is bride price indicating high social status of the tribal women. A tribal women can divorce and remarry easily, she earns and up to a great extent is economically independent. Every 12^th women in India belongs to a schedule tribe community. Thus improving the health status of the tribal woman becomes an important developmental goal.

Developmental Projects

The Central and State Governments try to help the tribals with various policies and programmes. Some of the schemes are Grain Purchase Scheme, Grain Bank Scheme, etc. Governments also gives funds for various purposes. They get support from Panchayat Samities, Anganwadi, which help the tribals to get education as well as nutritious food and required medicines. In Maharashtra the T.D.C. [Tribal Development Corporation] works for tribal development.

There are some other organizations working for tribal women and their development. Some of them are:

• People's Rural Education Movement: http://www.caa.org.au/world/sthasia/india/prem.html                                 Political Representation of Women by PREM has promoted rural women to represent their villages in the Panchayat (village council) and currently more than 30% of the seats in the Panchayat are filled by women in the area in which PREM is working. NBJK, a people's organisation supported by PREM in the Mohana Block in Orissa nominated a woman to represent them as a Chairperson in the Samity, the highest local body in the block. PREM also conducts different activities as money saving, adult literacy etc. which helps tribal women to come out from their cocoon. It will also help tribal women in that area to become aware of and accept different health practices for their improvement.

• Bahaindia: http://www.bahaindia.org/socia/virw.html                                                                                                   It focuses primarily on developing income-generating skills by different cottage industries like producing small mats, incense-sticks, dry leaf cups, candles, chalk-sticks and handloom weaving. It has also started focusing on development activity, social awareness, skills and knowledge needed to initiate development activities, improve health and nutrition, raise household income, increase literacy, protect and improve the environment. It also conducts training programmes for nursing mothers.

• Alternative for India Development: http://www.aidindia.org/

          Alternative for India Development (AID) is a non-profit service Organisation. It conducts Health projects with                 components of family planning, female infanticide, crude abortion, early marriage, prevention of sexually transmitted           diseases, HIV infection and AIDS among lorry drivers and sex workers. Along           with the above it also conducts    women                           development      projects for rural and tribal women with focus on destitute women with activities like awareness creation, formation of self-help             groups/forums, mobilisation of savings, social and legal support, vocational training and employment.

• AFARM: http://www.afarm.org/

  AFARM is an organisation, which concentrates on tribal blocks for implementing different programs. They concentrate on development by various ways as by farming and support in kitchen gardening, nutrition, health education etc. in schedule tribe as well as schedule caste.