Soliga songs and tiger tales
Soliga women gather for songs and stories on the front porch of a home in Biligiriranga Hills Tiger Reserve, Karnataka, India. Watch a short video that includes these women singing songs about tigers.
The country road that leads from Mysore to Biligiriranga Hills Tiger Reserve in southeastern Karnataka winds 56 miles away from colorful, vegetable markets, past endless fields of tall, feathered sugarcane, and toward the mountain range that is the namesake of the 540-square kilometer sanctuary. The ecologically rich, reserve, which joins the Western and Eastern Ghats, is a paradise of plants and wildlife, including tigers.
B.R. Hills is one of 42 “global source sites” — ecosystems deemed to have tiger populations with the potential to repopulate larger landscapes. It is also home to the Soliga tribal people, whose nature-worshipping traditions are rooted to the forest. The Soligas see themselves as forest stewards who live, not in conflict with tigers and other wildlife, but in harmony with the forest and its creatures, and whose families and ancestors, who have been living sustainably in the forest for thousands of years, know best how to protect it. Their way of life is hard, but the forest is home. Conservationists express concern that the tribals’ presence in the forest presents too great an impact on habitat and wildlife, which undermines the goals of conservation, and that their way of life would be considerably improved if they were to move out of the forest into homes near schools, clinics, and other modern facilities. As with Indian tribals living in other protected forests, the Soligas are faced with the decision to stay in the forest or accept relocation.
G. Malleshappa, Honorary Wildlife Warden of Biligiriranga Hills Tiger Reserve, Karnataka, India
I was drawn to study tiger conservation in B.R. Hills to learn about issues concerning the forest, Soligas, tigers, and strategies required to support their wellbeing. I spoke with G. Malleshappa, Honorary Wildlife Warden of four wildlife sanctuaries in the Chamaranagara district: B.R. Hills, Bandipur National Park, Malaymahadeshwara Wildlife Sanctuary, and Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuary. Nominated to the position of warden by Karnataka officials for his good rapport with tribals and forest officers, intimate knowledge of the forest, track record of wildlife conservation, open-minded attitude and diplomatic communication, Mallesh has been instrumental to the conservation dialogue. He is recognized for his ability to bridge perspectives among diverse stakeholders, from tribal women’s groups and eco-development committees to community organizations and government representatives. He is particularly passionate about taking the conservation message to schools, involving children, teachers, and guests in projects that raise awareness about the biorich world of the forests. This work becomes especially meaningful for tribal students enrolled in government schools, as it engages them in learning about the history of their ancestors who lived in the forest and what they knew, such as how to identify medicinal plants and native animals, and encourages them to be stewards, as well. He has seen the positive difference children make in teaching conservation concepts learned in school to their parents, neighbors and peers. Mallesh has served five times as warden and is responsible to the Chief Wildlife Warden of Karnataka.
While in B.R. Hills I also met with some of the older Soliga, who told stories and sang ancestral songs about tigers, their forest lifestyle, and worship traditions. I stood beneath their sacred, one-thousand year-old Dodda Sampige tree (Michelia champaka) — an embodied symbol of their relationship with nature — and marveled at its knotted burls and arching boughs, girth of trunk, and devotional offerings of painted stones, bells and three-speared tridents placed among its roots and suspended from branches.
Devotional offerings of painted stones, bells and three-speared tridents are placed among the roots and suspended from branches of the Soligas' sacred, one-thousand year-old Dodda Sampige tree.
B.R. Hills Forest Department officials also spoke with me about their responsibilities in the forest, from placing camera traps and collecting tiger footage to managing human-wildlife conflict. The Department is partnering with the Soliga to protect the forest. Given the tribals’ knowledge of the forest and their acute sense of hearing, smell and eyesight, they are hired as anti-poaching officers to monitor the forest for signs of wildlife, forest fires and poaching activity. This partnership has been positive for the Forest Department as well as the Soliga. The challenge is to continue to evolve these partnerships in ways that grow the conservation effort and protect the forest while respecting the needs of its indigenous inhabitants.
