Persistence and Transformation in the Eastern Hindu Kush

Abstract

In the vogue of modernisation and economic integration of the peripheral and remote areas, the whole society in Odier, together with its centuries'-old traditional practices, is at a crossroads. In this transitional process, induced by a monetary economy and changing interdependencies, the reciprocal and collective subsistence strategies are under huge pressure. In the pre-modern Situation of joblessness and ready availability of labour force, the old practice of sharing physical labour in co-operative activities was relatively easy, compared to sharing money, which is always very difficult to earn, with others. However, the availability of financial capital in the village - as a result of foreign remittances and the possibility of borrowing money for a long-term period without interest - are easing the ever-increasing indebtedness of the villagers to a great extent. <br /> With the high influx of industrial goods, access to an education system lacking in practical training and the rapid increase in out-migration from this village, both cottage industries and indigenous skills are losing ground. More and more young people of this village are being exposed to new ideas that are, to a great extent, irrelevant to their biophysical environment and prevailing way of life. Consequently, the new generation is not the least interested in, or ready to accept, the traditional livelihood mechanisms, and prefers propagating an individualistic way of life. With the passage of time, this individualistic trend is becoming quite visible in the daily life of the households, thus increasing the stress on poor families, although many agro-pastoral activities and infrastructure maintenance responsibilities are still performed by centuries'-old suprahousehold organisations. <br /> Most of the new innovations and infrastructure management practices, such as road maintenance and Operation of the threshing machine, are still following the old models of labour sharing and co-operation. Nevertheless, the delegation of some responsibilities, such as the burial system, to decentralised low-level organisations (clans), and the decreasing effectiveness of conflict-resolution mechanisms at the local level are hitting the poor and minor clan groups of the village very hard. Land development, seasonal out-migration and school attendance have already changed the domain and division of labour in the village to a high degree. <br /> Simultaneously pressure on the available natural resources is growing at an accelerated rate with the increasing animal and human population. Nevertheless, with the introduction of new infrastructures and communal arrangements, the managerial capacities, as well as different forms of interdependencies and collective responsibilities among the villagers are increasing. This trend is encouraging for the collective sustenance of the households, although there have been some negative impacts on the old Systems of mutual help and co-operation in the recent years. Nevertheless, the importance of common-property resources is still felt. Despite many innovations and social constraints, the traditional common-property resource management Systems are still intact. These Systems are still functioning as a main binding factor for the Community and providing a hope for future sustainability and conservation of the natural-resource base in the village.