Context: Muria tribal farmer, who migrated from Chhattisgarh and settled in the dense forests of the Godavari Valley, is practising ‘deda’ method.

About Deda Method

• It is a method of preserving seeds that his ancestors handed over to his family. 

How do they preserve?

• The seeds are preserved in leaves and packed almost airtight to look like boulders from a distance.

• The packaged seeds are, in turn, woven with Siali leaf (Bauhinia vahlii), which is locally known as ‘addakulu’ to make the deda. 

• A deda has three layers. In the first layer, wood ash is spread inside the Siali leaves.

• Later, the ash is covered with lemon leaves to form a casing, and, lastly, the seeds are preserved inside the casing and sealed. Each deda is crafted to support at least 5kg of seeds.

Advantages

• The deda method guarantees the protection of seed from pests and worms.

• In this method, the stored seeds can be used for cultivation of up to five years.

• It helps in preserving the seeds of pulses like the green gram, red gram, black gram and beans. 

About Muria Tribe

• Location: They are located in the states of Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Odisha. They speak Koya, which is a Dravidian language.

• The Muria settlements are known as habitations of Internally Displaced People(IDPs), whose population is around 6,600 in A.P., and they are referred to as ‘Gutti Koyas’ by the native tribes.

• They have a progressive perspective towards marriage and life as a whole. The biggest example is the Ghotul(a commune or dormitory), which is meant to create an environment for Muria youth to understand their sexuality.

• While most Gutti Koya belong to Gond or Muria communities, which are scheduled tribes in Chhattisgarh, they are not recognized in Telangana.