Traditional Knowledge and Nutritive Value of Indigenous Foods in the Oraon Tribal Community of Jharkhand: An Exploratory Cross-sectional Study

Traditional knowledge and nutritional value of indigenous foods of the Oraon tribal community in Jharkhand, India was explored. Focus group discussions were conducted with adult members to identify commonly consumed indigenous foods. Taxonomic classification and quantitative estimation of nutritive value were conducted in laboratories or utilized data from Indian food composition database. More than 130 varieties of indigenous foods were identified, many of which were rich sources of micronutrients like calcium, iron, vitamin A, and folic acid. Some were reported having medicinal properties. Utilization and ease of assimilation of indigenous foods into routine diets can be leveraged to address malnutrition in tribal communities.


Indigenous Foods in
finding sustainable community entrenched strategies to tackle malnutrition (Turner, Plotkin, and Kuhnlein 2013).
Hundreds of indigenous foods like plants, insects, and fungi worldwide are known to have food value (Boa 2004;DeFoliart 1992;Kuhnlein et al. 2009;Rathode 2009), but the nutrient content of many of these foods are undocumented and an assessment of the patterns of their intake is not available. Thus the present study was undertaken to explore the food environment of Oraon tribal community specifically with respect to use, nutritive value and traditional knowledge of indigenous foods. It involved listing, identification and taxonomic classification of indigenous foods, followed by nutrient composition analysis, if their nutritive values were not documented in the Indian Food Composition tables (Gopalan, Sastri, and Balasubramanian 1989).

Study Design
This was an exploratory cross-sectional study conducted in villages of Jharkhand, India.

Study Area
The study was conducted in four purposively selected villages inhabited by Oraon tribal community in Gumla district of Jharkhand. These were selected based on their geographic location, from a list of villages inhabited by the Oraon tribes, and included Nawagarh, Birkera, Sursang in Raidih Block and Guniya in Ghagra Block of Gumla district of Jharkhand. This work is part of a larger study that documented the role of indigenous foods in addressing nutritional and food security among indigenous communities in India. The research team included nutritionists, a qualitative researcher, and a biochemist. They were assisted by a field NGO active in these tribal districts. Multilingual speakers from the NGO well-versed in tribal dialects and also able to interact with the research team in English and Hindi were involved in the data collection. The fieldwork was conducted from March to November, 2013. This study was approved by the Institutional Ethics Committee of the Public Health Foundation of India. Informed consent was obtained from all the adult participants in the study by the data collection team; those who were literate gave signed consent forms. Verbal consents were documented in presence of a third-party witness.

QUALITATIVE METHODS
Qualitative methods described below were used for listing and eliciting preferences for commonly consumed indigenous foods.

FREE LISTING AND FOCUS GROUPS
Free listing and focus group discussions (FGDs) were used to assess the range of available foods and the contribution of indigenous wild foods to the regular diets of the Oraon community. Adult women and men and village elders were requested to join in FGDs. The research team started with a free listing exercise and explored various issues related to seasonal availability and access to these local foods. The participants identified indigenous or "desi" foods gathered from the local environment such as nearby forests (jungle), agricultural fields or bunds, gardens (bari or kitchen garden) or water resources such as man-made ponds (pokhar), dams or even from market (haat). The foods identified were categorized under various food groups based on their edible parts.

PAIRWISE RANKING
This ranking method which compares pairs of elements helps prioritize preferences for needs, problems, food items etc and normally leads to analysis of the decision making rationale (Narayanasamy 2009). The participants followed this method and listed the most commonly consumed food items in a particular food group category. The food items were then tabulated as a matrix on a flip chart. Participants were then asked to compare the first food item in the row with various food items listed in the column one by one. The next step was to ask them to move on to the second food item in the row; keeping that as a constant and compare it with the third and the subsequent food items and enter the preference in the relevant grid. These steps were repeated till all the food items listed in the row were compared with the subsequent food items listed in the columns pairwise. A score was provided based on the number of times each food item was selected (Narayanasamy 2009). Thus, a hierarchy of series of food items in the various food groups were identified (table 1).

Quantitative Methods
The quantitative methodology used for identification and analysis of food items consumed by the community included: Based on the free listing activity done through FGDs, a list of commonly consumed indigenous food items was compiled (including cereals, legumes, vegetables, leafy vegetables, seeds, fruits, and animal foods). Samples of identified items were either provided by participants (if available) or were collected by the research team; these samples were then sent for classification to a team of experts at the Botany department of Birsa Agricultural University, Ranchi. The photographed food item (around 50-100 g; all parts) was collected, wrapped in paper towels, placed in a well perforated polythene bag and sent to the botanists for identification/confirmation of the botanical classification. Subsequent to the botanical classification, the Indian Food Composition tables were checked for availability of the nutritive values of the classified foods and finally a list of the items not available in the Indian food composition tables was prepared for collection for nutrient analysis. The food samples short listed for nutrient analysis and available at the time of survey/sampling were collected from the field site or procured from the local market (whichever was the usual mode of procurement in the community). Flesh foods were not analysed in this study.
Each of the procured samples was weighed, wrapped in clean paper towels, placed in well perforated polythene bags, and placed in a laboratory travel cooler box lined with freezer packs for transportation to the site of interim storage. Five hundred grams of each of the vegetables/fruits/green leafy vegetables collected was sent to the National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL) certified laboratory for analysis.

NUTRIENT ANALYSIS
The nutrient analysis was done according to standard reference protocols. The specific methodology is listed in table 2. The parameters analyzed for the raw/uncooked samples included energy, carbohydrates, total fat, total carbohydrate, sugar, dietary fiber, vitamin A (as beta carotene), thiamine (vitamin B 1 ), riboflavin (vitamin B 2 ), niacin (vitamin B 3 ), vitamin C, calcium, iron, zinc, sodium, and folic acid.

Traditional Diets of Oraon Tribes
The qualitative enquiry revealed that rice was the staple food for the community. Rice in the form of puffed rice and rice flakes were also commonly consumed. Meals consisted of rice with green leafy vegetables (GLVs). Pulses use was reportedbut they were not being consumed daily. Consumption of roots and tubers both cultivated and from the wild were also reported. The availability and consumption of a large variety GLVs (saag) was reported in all the discussions. The participants differentiated between GLV which are grown in the bari or foraged from the forest. Some families had small plots of land for cultivating vegetables for their own needs. Consumption of fruits especially wild fruits, seasonal fruits and flesh foods such as wild meat, birds, ant eggs, rodents, and molluscs were also reported. Hunting (during fagun, or March-April) activities were limited and were pursued only during the festival season. The indigenous foods (n = 136) identified through the FGDs are listed in table 3. Hunting for game was done only during major festivals, but smaller birds and animals were trapped by the men. Both men and women went into the forest to collect fire wood and non-timber forest products such as honey, leaves (for making plates) for selling in the market. The discussion continued with inquiries regarding their traditional diets and dietary changes due to the availability of packaged foods and market bought items.

Food Preferences and Ranking of Local Foods
Out of the foods listed, the ones commonly consumed under each food group and preferred by the community were listed through pairwise ranking. A demonstration of the outcome of pair wise ranking done through the FGDs for different food groups is given for preferred rice variety and green leafy vegetables (GLVs) in figure 1. It is important to note that though the community mostly consumed improved or high yielding varieties (HYV) of rice, when asked about their preferences in terms of taste, the majority chose indigenous varieties. In two of the study villages, indigenous rice (Oryza sativa) varieties like Gopal bhog (rice), Manipuria, Gundri and Jheeli were the most preferred varieties followed by the commonly consumed HYV called lalhat/lalat. Among the GLVs Beng (Centella asiatica) and Kudrum (Hibiscus cannabinus); Hirmichiya (Enhydra fluctuans), Bathua (Chenopodium album), Phutkal (Ficus geniculata), Chiniya (Brassica campensis pekinensis) and Bhaji (Amaranthus viridis) were the most preferred and consumed indigenous varieties. In case of other vegetables, roots and tubers, no indigenous variety was commonly consumed or preferred.
Based on their common names in the Indian food composition table  (table 4) (Gopalan et al. 1989), taxonomic classification was found to be available for 47 foods. The foods (n = 30) for which classification was unavailable were collected and sent for identification by an expert at the Birsa Agricultural University (Botany Department). Finally, the taxonomic classification provided was verified from other literature sources (table 5) (Gopalan et al. 1989;Kharel, Acharya, and Rai 2009;Kumari and Kumar 2001;Mehta, Negi, and Ojha 2010;Shukla et al. 2013;Lakra 2005, 2007;Srivastava and Soreng 2012;Torkelson 1996;Tropical Forest Research Institute 2009). Some representative pictures of the food samples are provided in figure 2.  Of all the foods identified in this study, the nutritive values (based on taxonomic classification) were available for 55 foods in the Indian food composition tables (Gopalan et al. 1989). These included 8 foods from among those sent for classification to the botanist and those identified by common names as stated by participants during data collection. The nutritive value of these 8 foods along with those foods (whose classification was verified from literature and nutritive value was available in Indian food composition tables are summarized in table 6 (n = 55). For the rest of the foods identified but not having nutritive values available in the Indian food composition tables, samples (n = 8), were procured based on their availability. These were then sent for nutrient analysis to a NABL certified laboratory in New Delhi. Table 7 provides their nutritive values as reported by the laboratory.

Medicinal Uses of Indigenous Plants
Indigenous plants used for medicinal purposes were identified by the FGD participants. In general, majority of the plants were useful for easing stomach ailments, management of pain and fever and in improving overall health. Beng saag was the most versatile medicinal plant identified by the participants and was highly preferred among the GLVs as well. Beng was reported to ease stomach ailments and jaundice, maintain blood pressure and keep the heart healthy, reduce blood sugar, and improve mental capacity.
GLVs such as beng, kulthi (Dolichos biflorus), neem (Azadilrachta indica), and the bark of the charaigodwa (Vitex peducularis) were believed to improve immunity and induce healing. The participants explained that these plants increased one's appetite and kept the body cool. Beng, charaigodwa, and munga (Moringa oleifera) were believed to maintain blood pressure.
The tuber kariya haldi (Curcuma caesia) or the rare black turmeric was used for treating chest pains. Bhuineem (Andrographis paniculata) leaves were considered blood purifiers and were used for fevers or malaria. Papaya leaves (Carica papaya) were also used to cure fever in children.
The seeds of the chakod plant were used to treat tuberculosis. The participants identified the use of koraiya bark (Holarrhena antidysenterica) as a local treatment for heat stroke. They mix koraiya with hadiya or fermented rice wine. Charaigodwa and mahua fruit were used to relieve pain and swelling. Katai leaves could be applied to cuts.
Barks from trees (bakla) or seeds were boiled or grounded and consumed as tea for deriving their medicinal use. These plants were mostly cultivated in the bari or foraged from the forests. Freshly prepared GLVs were used for most of the medicinal uses, with the exception of the tamarind and neem leaves, which were dried and then later consumed.

DISCUSSION
Our study demonstrates a wide diversity of indigenous foods available and consumed from the natural environment of the Oraon tribes. Specifically, a number of micronutrient rich plant foods were part of their daily dietary intake. The preferred and commonly consumed food items identified through pairwise ranking were particularly rich in iron, calcium, vitamin A, vitamin C and folate (Gopalan et al. 1989). The food items which were analyzed in the laboratory as part of the study were also found to be good sources of one or more micronutrients. Some of the indigenous foods identified in the study also reportedly had medicinal properties which was known to the local community based on practical knowledge and traditional wisdom. Based on some of our findings and evidence from previous literature, there is likely a scientific basis to these beliefs. For example, the nutrient analysis of beng saag revealed a high iron and dietary fiber content. Its medicinal properties are believed to be due to its triterpenoid and saponin content (Gohil, Patel, and Gajjar 2010). Phutkal has high levels of zinc which may be the reason for its efficacy in treating diarrhea. The local environment of the Oraon community thus presented a rich and ready source of indigenous plants that were used for maintaining good health and treating illnesses. The women foraged for these plants from nearby forest areas and also cultivated them in their kitchen gardens or plots. Access to land (either communal area or kitchen gardens) will help protect this treasure trove of traditional knowledge and sustain biodiversity. Some villages inhabited by the Oraon are in difficult terrain and remote areas; use of this indigenous knowledge about medicinal benefits may potentially be used as a first line of management for minor ailments before accessing standard health care. Supporting and advocating for the consumption of indigenous plants for their medicinal properties through local policy interventions or knowledge and behavior change communication could present opportunities for improving community health outcomes.
While studies have documented the various uses and immense diversity of the flora and fauna in Jharkhand (Pradhan, Mishra, and Mohapatra 2011;Sinha and Lakra 2007) and some efforts are underway to conserve the natural biodiversity for food and livelihood security (Gene Campaign 2014), the analysis and documentation of nutrient content of these and their preferential consumption is rare. Our findings are significant given that the community in question has been reported to have high rates of chronic malnourishment in all population groups (Das and Bose 2012) which compromises the health and well-being of women and children in particular and also the community at large. Multiple government supported efforts are trying to tackle the prevalence of undernutrition and micronutrient deficiency (MoHFW 2014; MWD 2014) . However, the rates of progress are slow and the communities are often dispersed in geographically difficult terrain. The enormous natural diversity present in the indigenous foods with the potential to contribute to nutritionally complete dietary patterns, the existence of transgenerational knowledge of their uses within the community and the ease of assimilation of these foods into the routine diets of the tribals can be leveraged to address malnutrition. The local communities also employ many conservation strategies to maintain these food resources. Support and advocacy for their increased consumption can be an important supplementary strategy to improve nutritional status within this tribal group. Listing and identification of these foods could also be a way of identifying underutilized items and advocating their incorporation into the diet (Kuhnlein and Turner 1996).
In the context of promoting consumption of indigenous foods for improved nutrition, kitchen gardens for cultivating these nutrient rich foods can be an effective strategies. Use of indigenous knowledge can be also be leveraged for procuring and utilization of these foods from nearby forests and the like. This information can be further incorporated into nutrition education materials at a community level for their effective dissemination (Food and Agriculture Organization 1993). In addition, the promotion of the continued use of these foods in the diet of the whole family rather than shifting to more "modern" diets will prevent the advance of the dual burden of malnutrition that is being observed across most developing economies (Dixit et al. 2011).
Research into indigenous foods and the nutritional practices related to these foods are gaining momentum for many reasons. Firstly, the scope of these foods to provide a nutrient rich diet by virtue of their diversity is considered important for maintaining a holistic health status through natural means. Secondly, the propagation of the consumption of these foods provides a buffer against the increasing displacement of traditional dietary patterns by marketed, processed foods. Though the Food and Agricultural Organization has been involved in the support and promotion of knowledge regarding indigenous foods across the Americas and Africa, data in the form of a comprehensive biorepository of indigenous foods is very limited in India (Bhattacharjee et al. 2009). While, we have discussed the nutritional aspects of the foods identified, an effort to appraise their true potential for providing improved nutritional security would be a desirable activity to obtain information on the contribution of these foods in the daily diet.

CONCLUSION
Our study is step towards documenting the nutrient rich indigenous foods in this tribal community which could be used for quantification of nutrient intake in this community. To the best of our knowledge, no previous study has looked at the anthropological, dietary and nutritional aspects of the indigenous foods in the tribals of Jharkhand in an integrated manner. We would also like to highlight the immense scope of further study in this geographical area with such tremendous environmental biodiversity. Data on these aspects could be a repository of information for botanists, agriculturists and nutritional experts alike and form a valuable resource for researchers and for the community to build upon and preserve.