06-bioresourcesstatu.. - M. S. Swaminathan Research Foundation

Lakshadweep Islands
c. The Ocean
The islands appear as tiny specs in the vast
expanse and yet because of them, about 4,00,000
sq km of the sea can be claimed by India as an
exclusive fishing zone. The territorial waters used
by the Islanders cover only 20,000 sq. km of this
entire area. The ocean contains substantial living
and non-living marine resources. Several Tuna
varieties, shark, Seer fish, half beaks move about
in shoals around the islands. Sharks, rays as well
as a large number of food fishes frequent these
waters.
III. Population Profile
Human activity within the system of Lakshadweep
centers around fishing and coconut cultivation.
Tourism is an emerging industry. Until recently
there was only one tourist resort at Bangaram
catering to International tourists. There is a
modest development of light industry, such as tuna
fish canning in Minicoy, coir fiber factories,
coconut oil press, printing press and pickle
making units.
Fishing is the mainstay of the economy and is an
important source of protein. Diesel power
generators fulfill the energy demand for domestic
power and light industry. The island households
use all the ecosystems within their vicinity but
they put nothing back in terms of management of
these free natural resources.
i. Settlement History
The history of these islands is obscure. The
general belief is that the first settlements on these
islands took place in the period of Cherman
Perumal, the last king of Kerala. The first settlers
were Hindus. In the 7 th century the inhabitants of
the islands embraced Islam, following the
advocation of the Islamic religion in the islands by
the people of Minicoy are quite different from the
Islands in the North. Islam is the dominant religion
and it plays an important role in the customs and
traditions of the Island and also places certain
constraints on the people's use of time (Hoon,
1990).
Records show that various rulers and dynasties
have administered the islands of Lakshadweep
since the 11" century. The Cheras ruled the
islands followed by the Kolathris, Ali Rajas of
Cannanore, Tipu Sultan and the Bibi of Arakal.
The main interest in controlling these Islands was
to control the coir trade. The Portuguese and
British also showed interest in these islands for
the same reason. The British managed to wrest
control of the Islands from the Rulers of Malabar
in 1905. Coconut cultivation in these islands
became the main activity of interest for all the
rulers and significantly, owning coconut trees
became the wealth marker and status
differentiation among the islanders. The Amin
Gutcherry was an important administrative unit
where people deposited their coir in return for
rice. The Amin was normally the Karanwar from
the biggest Tarawad, and the high caste • the
Koyas - who owned the coconut trees. The
Melacheris and the Malmis were the lower castes,
being the coconut climbers and the boatmen/
sailors. Almost all the ruling powers, made use of
the social hierarchy prevalent in these islands.
Tension often crept up between these groups, and
Ellis in his account mentions a conflict in 1913,
which was taken to the High Court in Madras.
The British L, in true coionial spirit, brought a
systematic and organized extraction regime. They
focused on earning revenue from land. In 1880 the
system of dMding land into blocks was introduced
to uninhabited islands of Tinnakara, Bangaram,
Hazrat Ubaidullah. Traces of the old culture still 1. The British government introdnced the policy of 'Ietting ont'
land to the islanders (who until then did not have a concept of
linger however despite the influence of Islam, owning land, and this only helped the colonial interest) to grow
caste system still prevails based on occupation- coconut. This system of 'cowles'. that is, "a grant of land, free
of assessment for a certain period, or subject to assessment,
landowners (Koyas), sailors (Malmis) and gradually rising to full assessment, granted to induce ryots to
cultivators (Melacheris). bring under cultivation unpromising wasteland or to plant trees/
shrubs Cor green manure."[Lakshadweep Gazetteer, p.233]While
According to tradition, the first islands to be such n system was already known in Malahar. the British called
it ~improvjng leases" in the islands. By 1875 the British
settled were Amini, Kavaratti, Androth, and administration had also drawn up a Land Manual. for fixing
Kalpeni. People then moved on to the other boundaries and property. on the AmiudiYi Islands. Ellis. who had
been deputed to these islands on an inspection, keeps referring
islands, like Agatti, Kiltan, Chetlat and Kadmat. to a 'confused' state of affairs so far ns property notious on land
An old dialect of Malayalam is spoken on all the
h
. h b.t t
islands except Minicoy, where t e III a I an s
speak Mahal and use the Divehi script of the
were concerned. They also introduced the concept of Pandaram
land, owned by the government, and 'jenmom' land, of the
'landlords'. Significantly. the manual also included a term hy
which minor accretion of land by the action of tbe sea. also came
Maldives. The customs, dress, and food habits of under goyernment property_
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