Bewar of Baigas: Beyond Subsistence

Shweta Singha

Bewar, a form of shifting cultivation practised by the Baigas of Central India, represents a sophisticated adaptation to forest environments grounded in generational ecological knowledge, soil management, and crop selection. Early colonial accounts, however, presented bewar as an “inferior” and “wasteful” practice and argued as unsuitable for the hilly slopes of the Maikal ranges. Such views produced enduring stereotypes of the Baigas as ‘primitive’ and socially isolated, which were later used to justify the creation of Baigachaks (Baiga reserves) in 1890. These measures confined the Baigas as a dependent labour pool for British forestry operations. The socio-cultural consequences of this were profound. Restrictions on mobility and land use disrupted subsistence systems, social organisation, and ecological knowledge, undermining Baiga’s ecological autonomy. These interventions also mediated new forms of cultural interaction, including exposure to forestry techniques, markets, and agricultural practices of neighbouring communities such as the Gonds. The Baigas responded by adapting to changing conditions, blending traditional knowledge with imposed structures while maintaining a continued, though reshaped, relationship with forest landscapes. This paper will illustrate how technology acts as a carrier of knowledge that can be learned, modified, or suppressed with case studies among the Baigas. Going beyond visible material forms, an attempt is made to understand cultural interaction through the movement and transformation of ecological knowledge embedded in everyday practices.