58
Ka:ḍu , a commonly used Solega word, is most readily translated into English as
‘forest’, but the way this word is used in everyday speech reveals its threefold
signifi cance:
- ka:ḍu refers to the Solega homelands, as opposed to the territory ( na:ḍu ) inhab-
ited by non-Solega people - ka:ḍu denotes various named forest or vegetation types (senses 1 and 2 are dis-
cussed in detail in Chap. 5 ) - ka:ḍu denotes the forested area beyond a settlement and its fi elds
It is usually in the context of the third sense above that people talk about the
hundreds of plant species that are used for food, medicine, construction and the
assembly of useful artefacts. Approximately 500 Solega plant name s have been
documented, of which around 300 have been identifi ed botanically so far. While the
uses of some of these plants are described later in this chapter, the fi rst few sections
deal with issues of plant classifi cation and nomenclature and with the signifi cance
of plants and plant names in Solega culture.
3.2 Solega Attitudes Towards Plants
It is diffi cult to work in the B. R. Hills for an extended period of time without com-
ing to the conclusion that Solega people are very fond of the plants growing around
them. One often hears adult men talking about a tree near their village that is cur-
rently in bloom, or admiring the beauty of a rare fl ower. While being given a tour of
a hamlet on a fi rst visit, guests are shown not only sacred sites, water sources, fi elds
and rock platform s (sites of activities such as grain-drying, laundry and machete-
sharpening), but also large trees in or around the hamlet that have recently fallen
over. In such cases, the visitor gets a clear sense of how important such a tree was—
having stood at that spot probably all through the living memory of the hamlet’s
residents—and how, after the tree’s demise, its life continues to be quietly
commemorated.
As noted in Chap. 2 , the orchids are a group of plants that the Solega do not use
in any way, and do not distinguish at the species level. While clearly able to tell dif-
ferent orchid fl owers apart visually, as well as appreciate their beauty, Solega people
lump all orchids together under the category baccaṇike. Their mild disinterest
towards this diverse and often conspicuous group of plants is matched by the mild
bemusement with which they regard the obsessive fervour shown by non-Solega
(including the author, tourists, botanists and ecologists) in attempting to locate as
many orchids as possible during visits to the forest. Solega guides accompanying
such orchid-tragics will nevertheless point out new orchid species in a helpful and
good-natured way, saying, “ No:ḍu, alli innondu a:rkiḍ ade! ” “Look, there’s another
orchid!” often using the English word a:rkiḍ ‘orchid’ in preference over baccaṇike.
Not all plants are looked upon benignly, and the invasive Lantana camara is a
notable exception. This plant is blamed not only for driving several understorey
3 Plants in Solega Language and Culture