Bee Hunting Tradition ,Nepal
Cliff Bee Haunting
Bee Hunting Tradtion
Bee Hunting efforts are underway to link traditional honey hunting with tourism. The adventurous honey hunting at Akkare Bhir has become a tourist attraction. In Gurja, it is customary to cut bee honey every year. Honey bee hunting is practiced on almost all the bee hives for more than a month. In the high mountains, bee honey is extracted from the palms of the hands. At the highest risk, the bee hive is approached by a honey hunter (parange). Local youths climb the Akkare hills of Gurja to extract honey. Bee Hunting .
They used to cut honey on a rope made of Nigalo choya and put it on a ladder (parang) for bee hunting .There are more than 60 bee hunts in Gurja. Ghaspur, Chhahra, Rimtala, Huchin, Ghumaure, Wanthan, Faliyaghar, Thulo Bhir and other big hills are used for honey extraction. According to the honey hunter Chhantyal, Ghayaspur is the tallest and most awkward of the beehives and honey is also produced mostly from the beehives of this beehive. Tied a rope around our waists, we cover our mouths with a simple handkerchief, there is no need to bite the bees, we have to save our lives by hanging on to the bees, we have learned the skill from our ancestors and started climbing the hill .
After extracting the honey from the hill, the honey is collected in a basket woven from choya and dropped down to the bottom with the help of choya rope. Honey hunters play the ropes at the head of the beehive, the jammers at the foot of the beehive communicate loudly, drop the beehive, and bring the basket back to the beekeeper. Traditionally, in Gurja, it is customary for four groups to take turns to extract honey every year. Extracting honey from a hive of bee hives in a mountainous area that is less waterlogged and less affected by wind is very risky. Bee Hunting
The 230 households in Gurja are divided into four groups. To manage honey hunting for generations, four groups take turns to extract honey. The turn of a group comes only in four years. This year’s group of honey hunters includes 37 households. At least one person in each household is engaged in honey hunting. Gurjali has not only preserved honey hunting as a ancestral profession, they have also worked collectively for income generation. Some climb the hill, some sit at the foot.
Some prepare food and snacks, while others carry the collected honey to the village. After spending more than a month, they cook and collect the honey collected from the hills and sell it in a traditional way. It is customary for the person who climbs the hill to share the honey twice and the other person equally. For at least a month after the honey hunt, a team of honey hunters stays in the forest and herds. Bee hunting .
Before extracting honey on every hill, flags are offered in remembrance of the gods and goddesses with the wish of protecting life. Choya’s pollen is dropped on the hill by tying it in such a way that it does not blow away. Honey hunters on the slopes carry a bag containing honey extraction equipment and climb the parang with the sticks of Nigalo. As the bee’s hive approaches, the hunter strikes Nigalo’s laurel at the foot of a steep hill, tying the beetle to keep it in balance.
Allies at the foot of the cliff and at the head of the cliff carry the flames from the base to the hunter with the help of a choya rope. The hunter draws the flames closer to the beehive. The smoke from the fire is used to scare away the bees. When the bees are unable to bite, the hunters begin to extract honey.
Income from 30 thousand to 80 thousand
Honey can be found burning in the white bee hive after the bees leave the beehive. The sight of honey being extracted with the help of a rope on the Akkare hill looks horrible.For easy communication between the hunters on the top of the hill, the helpers on the top of the hill and the honey collectors on the foot of the hill, they look at the deal in front of the hill. the scene between the three places and the work to be done was reported in a loud voice .In Gurja, honey has become a strong source of income for the locals. Honey hunting, which has continued as a ancestral profession, collects up to 400 liters of honey on a single hill. Raw honey extracted from bee hives is processed in villages and sold in local and national markets. earn 15 to 20 lakh . A household earns a minimum of Rs 30,000 to a maximum of Rs 80,000 every year.Bee Hunting Business .
Bee honey, which is sweet and delicious when put in the mouth, is used as medicine. Since bees make honey from the juices of various herbs in the forest, bees have been used as herbs. Along with the locals, the demand for honey is also coming from the international market. Citizens of China and South Korea especially take honey from Nepal. The honey, which is considered to be disease-resistant and tonic, used to be used only at home but now it is difficult to meet the market demand. According to him, honey is now being sold at Rs 1,500 per liter from the village.Bee Hunting .
Ancestral profession
Along with Gurja in Myagdi, honey is hunted every year in Mudi, Malkbang, Lulang, Niscot, Baranja, Kuinemangale, Chimkhola, Histan and other areas. Although honey is extracted from the slopes of the valley in the month of Chait, it is also extracted in the hills of high mountain areas till Asar. As the bees migrate to the lake after the onset of summer and to the valley after the onset of winter, there is a possibility of bees in both areas. As the grazing area of the bees is wide and they also eat the juice of various fruits and herbs, the honey of the bees is hard .Bee Hunting .
The Dhawalagiri village municipality has decided a strategy to make honey hunting safe and systematic, to preserve the ancestral profession of the locals and to link it with tourism. Modern methods and styles of honey hunting should be modernized, attention should be paid to security sensitivities and new technology should be explored for processing.Honey hunting is the ancestral occupation of the locals here, it is very risky in terms of security, we have taken necessary initiatives on how to make it systematic and safe.
There is a provision to collect revenue by paying Rs 100 per liter through the Division One Office for honey hunting, while the Dhawalagiri village municipality has also set an export tax of Rs 15 per liter. The village municipality has a plan to protect and manage the very adventurous honey hunting by linking it with tourism Bee hunting .
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