The guardian of forest and forest-dwelling communities in Sundarban: An ethno-photographic account of the Bon Bibi worship and livelihood struggle

Abstract

Sundarban is the largest continuous mangrove forest and one of the richest biodiverse regions, which provides many critical ecosystem services from local to global level. Throughout human and non-human interaction in the region, a unique syncretic eco-centric culture has evolved centred around the local forest goddess, the Bon Bibi. This ethnographic article elucidates the emergence of Bon Bibi as the guardian of forests and forest-dwelling communities. Through a series of photographs, the article portrays different traditional livelihood practices, struggles of local forest/river-dwelling communities, belief systems, and rituals that played pivotal roles in adaptive strategies to avoid human-tiger conflict and foster community-based forest conservation in uncertain times of changing climate. The legends of Bon Bibi further teach several ecological virtues, from coexistence between humans and non-humans to avoiding conspicuous natural resource consumption. The Pantheon belief system played a prominent role in unifying diverse communities to foster resilience and provide moral strength while venturing into challenging mangrove landscapes.