The Folklore of the Perceived Environment in Bihar

The peasant farmers of Bihar have a collective store of traditional information relating to farming practices and the behaviour of the physical environment. This paper reports on a project undertaken to discover the kind of information they hold, the way in which it is stored, and the way in which it relates to the environment. The differing knowledge of four cultural groups—Bihari, Bengalis, Hos, and Santhalis—is investigated, and particular attention is paid to the time frameworks of their local calendars. The implications of this study for agricultural extension are reviewed.