Livelihood strategy of Damai community (A case study of Kharigaira V.D.C of Dailekh district)

Abstract

People have adjusted their ways of earning livelihood to the changing environmental condition differ over space and social groups. Cultural values of people in the same space can create differences in the pattern of adaptation from one ethnic group to another in the same way, adaptation pattern of the same ethnic group may differ from one place to another due to change in the physical environment. In the case of Nepal the livelihood condition of rural people is very poor and miserable. The life of people and the agricultural activities of the country over the years have not been improving as expected, when locally self-sufficient community are compelled to change their livelihood strategy has been changing with modernization and globalization. This is a critical problem of originality of a particular community today. Damais are known as occupational caste groups with their own traditional occupation. In Nepal the occupational castes have been treated as Paninachalne and the term Dalit is used to refer to this group of people. Dalits are culturally socially and economically oppressed. The general objective of the study is to find out the livelihood strategy of Damai community of Kharigaira VDC of Dailekh district, whereas the specific objective are to explore the traditional livelihood strategy of Damai community in the study area, the continuity and change occurring in the livelihood strategies and alternate livelihood strategies as the result of modern development activities of study area.

Before selecting a topic, a Brief review of the literature related to the strategy study of Damai community has been studied. Primary as well as secondary data have been taken as sampled households of Damai. 25 households have been taken as sampled households out of 102 household's sample. In this study, data were collected from field survey by applying household survey questionnaire, field note focus group discussion and observation method. This study found that majority of the households (36%) out of total interviewed reported that they had adopted agriculture as a main occupation. Average family size of the sampled household was 5.18 per household. About 20% Damai out of total interviewed depend on telaring and 24% depend on laboring A specific change has been seen in some traditional occupation and social institution of these groups. The changes and diversification emerged due to the internal as well as external causes. Industrial products, readymade and fashionable goods are the external causes. The absence of knowledge and skills about new fashion and nature of frequent migration are taken to be the internal causes which have played a vital role in the changing livelihood of Damai community.