Page 102 - Changing Living Spaces

Haruhisa Asada

Figure 10 Muslim Fishermen Around Asamiya Villages

economic relationships. In Kamrup district, the living spaces of indige-
nous Hindus and other ethnic groups are also not clearly demarcated. In
this district, contact between different ethnic groups occurs more fre-
quently than in the other two districts. In addition, farmers in the in-
digenous Hindu villages have recently lost motivation to continue rice
cultivation for various economic reasons; the labour and skills of neigh-
bouring Muslims have enabled the conversion of cultivated land for oth-
er purposes.
The various ethnic groups living in the Brahmaputra Valley have dif-
ferent knowledge and skills regarding the use of local natural resources.
Although rice-based peasant agriculture in Assam is overall low in pro-
ductivity, farmers in the region compensate for production deficits by ex-
changing labour and agricultural technologies with other ethnic groups.
Integrating the knowledge available in the region can help locals to sus-
tain their daily livelihoods without the use of modern technology or pub-
lic funds. The traditional wisdom of geographical cooperation has also
enabled different ethnic groups to avoid conflicts with each other. The
above micro observation shows the unique economic development path

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