Traditional aspects of Bamboo, with special reference to the Meitei community of Manipur (India)

The contradiction between poor man's timber and green gold when referring to bamboos is quite apparent.In fact, bamboo is an enduring, versatile and highly renewable natural resource with huge economic potential.It has played an integral role in the socio-economy of the tribal and rural people throughout history.Bamboo resources are cheap and plentiful to meet the needs of rural poor and frequently referred to as 'poor man's timber'.With the fast-changing face of science, many new dimensions are added to bamboo.Innovative methods of processing bamboo to create building material in substitute of wood, bamboo fibre and fabrics, bamboo oil and gas, bamboo charcoal may be mentioned.Bamboo have traversed a long path with a change in perception from it being termed as poor man's timber to being acknowledged as green gold.In this era of patent regime, documentation of traditional knowledge at community level is the call of the hour.Keeping in view, the present paper attempts to document the ethnobotanical aspects of bamboo species in the traditional life of the Meitei community of Manipur (India), a North-Eastern state bordering Myanmar.Manipur is the repository of bamboo and bamboo is deeply ingrained in the rich culture and tradition of the Meitei community.The usage of bamboo made it an indispensable commodity for the rural people.They use bamboo for house construction, making tools, musical instruments, agricultural implements, household items, in handicrafts, as food, and in religious ceremonies.In fact, the age-old tradition is crucial to livelihood and sustainable utilization of bamboo resources.