Culture is dynamic, so also the institutions in a culture. In the process of change, institutions either disappear or modify themselves to cater to the demand of changing societal needs. This is true for all the institutions. It is a matter of fact that tribal institutions have been exposed to the forces of change, particularly to globalization process in recent years and are experiencing changes. These are found to be weak supports to the changing developmental requirements. Still there are efforts at various quarters to preserve and integrate indigenous institutions to the process of development. Obviously, the thrust is on development through culture. Needless to say, the debate over the relevance of traditional tribal institutions in the context of emerging societal needs, given the fact that globalization also encourages protection and promotion of indigenous knowledge and indigenous institutions, demands thorough scrutiny. The present work is an attempt to address the issue with reference to two institutions namely Musup and Raseng of the Padam community of Arunachal Pradesh.
The study raises question on the preservation rationality of indigenous institutions in the face of present development level. Methodologically, the study is a critical blend of emic-etic perspectives. The work definitely will provide insight to the students, scholars and development planners to rethink the role of indigenous institutions in changing development perspective. |
