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2 Ethnomedicinal Matrix 1

3 EDUCREATION PUBLISHING RZ 94, Sector - 6, Dwarka, New Delhi Shubham Vihar, Mangla, Bilaspur, Chhattisgarh Copyright, Authors All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form by any means, electronic, mechanical, magnetic, optical, chemical, manual, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written consent of its writer. ISBN: Price: Rs The opinions/ contents expressed in this book are solely of the authors and do not represent the opinions/ standings/ thoughts of Educreation or the Editors. The book is released by using the services of self-publishing house. Printed in India 2

4 Ethnomedicinal Matrix Healing Practices Among Tribes By Pulucheru Vishnu Dev EDUCREATION PUBLISHING (Since 2011) 3

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6 This Book is Dedicated to My Father PULUCHERU SAYILU (My father belonged to an Indigenous Tribal community and dedicated his entire life in serving Tribal and Non-Tribal communities. He healed and cured many diseases through his invaluable expertise in Indigenous Tribal medicinal practices) 5

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8 Preface Health care in India presents a complex scenario that is shaped significantly by colonial and post colonial history and politics, and is enhanced by a vibrant and thriving medical pluralism. The emergence and arrival of different medical systems, their acculturation into various communities, as well as the way they syncretised and contested with the indigenous are quite unique to Indian medical and cultural history. The concept of health, illness and disease varies from culture to culture. Ideas and perceptions about health, disease, aetiology and treatment of illness are found to be framed principally in cultural terms in traditional societies. Cultural practices of tribal societies are generally analyzed through the perspectives that are conventionally adopted while studying their society. Culture as conceptualized as closely entangled with politics and economy in tribal societies; and to their health and healing practices. Telangana state is very rich in the variety of cultures that represent all stages of human progress. We have the Chenchus, as primitive as those who lived in Stone Age and at the same time such as Gonds who are in no way inferior to their neighbours. Tribal communities in Telangana state live in various ecological and geo-climatic conditions ranging from plains and forests to hills. They are generally found living in inaccessible areas of forest. The present study made a modest attempt to understand the very basics of what constitutes the Indigenous nature of Tribal medicine in Telangana. This study provides a documentation and detailed description of the procedures of medicinal and healing techniques among them. The basic idea is to unearth and foreground what constitutes the convergence and divergence of indigenous medicinal practices among Tribes in Telangana. LLLLL 7

9 Acknowledgements During the course of this study, I have received encouragement, help, and inspirations from several personalities without whom, I am sure this work would not have been completed. I owe my sincere gratitude and take this opportunity to acknowledge their personal and intellectual support in writing this book. I profusely thank: Prof. C. Ganesh, Head, Department of Sociology, Osmania University, for his genuine sense of academic commitment, theoretical insights and analytical abilities, exhorted me to do the best ever since I joined the Department. Dr. N. Venkateshwarlu, University College of Law, Osmania University, for his critical engagement and diligence, has been always my source of strength and achievements. Dr. Kandikonda, a well Known Poet, Writer and Film Lyricist, for his constant encouragement and unending faith in me. Finally, the Tribal communities in Telangana state, without their help and co-operation, the study would not have been made possible. - DR. P. VISHNU DEV 8

10 Content List S. No. Content Page 1. Introduction Tribal Communities in India Tribal Communities in Telangana Indigenous Tribal Medicine in Telangana: Towards Documentation Tribal Medicine in Telangana: Issues and Challenges Conclusion Bibliography 260 9

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12 Ethnomedicinal Matrix 1 Introduction In ancient times, health and illness were interpreted in a cosmological and socio-anthropological perspective. Medicine was dominated by magical and religious beliefs which were an integral part of ancient cultures and civilizations and to a certain extent is still a part of many known culture. Every culture had developed a system of medicine and medical history is one aspect of the history of culture. There is an organic relationship between medicine and human advancement and any account of medicine at a given period should be viewed against the civilization and human advancement at that time i.e. philosophy, religion, economic conditions, form of government, education, science and aspirations of the people. Medicine was conceived in sympathy and born out of necessity. Medicine in the pre-historic times about 5000BC was intermingled with superstition, religion, magic and witchcraft. The primitive man attributed disease and in fact all human suffering and other calamities to the wrath of gods, the invasion of body by evil spirits and the malevolent influence of stars and planets. This is known as the "supernatural theory of disease". Their treatment were based on appeasing gods by prayers, rituals and sacrifices driving out evil spirits from the human body by witchcraft, using charms and amulets and administration of certain herbs or drugs. The rudiments of primitive medicine still persist in many societies. Medicinal plants are important as an integral part of traditional therapy of local people and as a possible source of valuable phytochemicals. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has estimated that 80% of the people in developing countries rely on plant based drugs (Farnsworth, ). Moreover, the resurgence 1 Farnsworth, N. R. (1988): Screening plants for new medicines, Biodiversity, Wasinhgton, DC, National Academy Press, pp

13 in natural systems of cure all over the world has again brought medicinal plants into forefront. Thus, many people continue to rely on traditional medical practice, using plants, which by trial and error over a period have proved to be effective, safe, cheap and readily available. The history of evolution of medicine is a long story stretching from prehistoric to modern times. The art of healing began thousands of years ago with the primitive man trying to provide relief with his limited knowledge, to the kindred in sickness and suffering. In the absence of explanation, diseases and calamities were attributed to wrath of gods, the invasion of the body by evil spirits or malevolent influence of stars and planets (Park and Park, ). It is thus, obvious that the art of healing in the prehistoric era was combined with superstition aided by administration of herbal remedies available in the vicinity. As Sinha ( ) notes that the elements of primitive medicine are still practiced in many societies, both in the less developed and advanced regions, in one form or the other. The tribals in India believe that most of the diseases, specially the epidemics, are caused by evil spirits. Similarly, Majumdar (1958) argues that the tribals associate the diseases to sorcery, breach of taboo, object intrusion, spirit intrusion and soul loss. In case of diseases, supposed to have been caused by evil eye, sorcery- witchcraft, they seek the help of the traditional magician-cum-witch-doctor in the community. Health care in India presents a complex scenario that is shaped significantly by colonial and post colonial history and politics, and is enhanced by a vibrant and thriving medical pluralism. Multiple medical systems such as biomedicine, ayurveda, unani, siddha, homeopathy, naturopathy, yoga and a variety of folk traditions, all contribute to providing health care in contemporary India. Of these, unani medicine came from West Asia eight hundred years ago while homeopathy, naturopathy and biomedicine entered about 2 Park, J.E. and Park, K. (1977): Textbook of Preventive and Social Medicine, Banarasidas Bhanot: Jabalpur. 3 Sinha, U.P. (1994): Traditional Tribal Medicine and Modern Health Care System, in Tribal Health in India, (ed) Salil Basu, Manak Publications: New Delhi. 12

14 Ethnomedicinal Matrix two hundred years ago from Europe and became part of the medical traditions in India. The emergence and arrival of different medical systems, their acculturation into various communities, as well as the way they syncretised and contested with the indigenous are quite unique to Indian medical and cultural history. The term medical pluralism was introduced by the social sciences in the mod-1970s to characterize the situation in the Third world in which people were resorting to multiple options for health care outside the government health care system based on biomedicine. State sponsored medical pluralism is now admitted as a reality of health care (Cant and Sharma ; Scambler, ; Turner, ). Medical pluralism has been defined as the coexistence of several medical systems and the relatively greater choice available for everyone. However, a key issue in medical pluralism in India is the existing unequal power relations between different medical systems as well as between providers and receivers of healthcare. In post-independent India, efforts to deliver modern healthcare in terms of institutional structures, qualified practitioners, and health policies at national level have been well documented (Prasad, ). Ayurvedic and Unani medical system s trained practitioners as well as folk practitioners have been further marginalized during the colonial rule since the interests of the colonial rulers as well as the Indian elite worked diametrically opposite to indigenous systems of medicine. The British imposed western medicine on the colonised people of India, as part of their civilizing mission. As several scholars have pointed out, whenever there were pressures on the British to recognise ayurveda and unani, they insisted on scientific evidence of safety and efficacy and privately they 4 Cant, Sarah and Ursula, Sharma. (1999): A New Medical Pluralism?: Alternative Medicine, Doctors, Patients and the State, UCL Press: London. 5 Scambler, Graham. (2002): Health and Social Change: A Critical Theory, Buckingham: Open University Press. 6 Turner, Bryan. (2004): The New Medical Sociology: Social forms of Health and Illness, New York: W.W.Norton and Company. 7 Prasad, Purendra. N. (2007): Medicine, Power and Social Legitimacy: A Socio-Historical Appraisal of Health Systems in Contemporary India, Economic and Political Weekly, August

15 believed that to place these systems on a scientific basis would be to destroy indigenous systems utterly (Jeffrey ). Although the cultural authority and hegemony of biomedicine over indigenous science and knowledge were initiated by the colonial state, they were extended by the mainstream national leadership and national government (particular social forces) with far more extensive and profound implications and less resistance (Arnold, ; Khan, ). As Arnold ( ) observes that, modern medicine forged powerful links between the imperial capitals and its colonies. By the beginning of 19 th century colonialists in India have brought Indian indigenous healing practices and systems under western medical scrutiny. In the closing years of the 19 th century medicine became demonstration of the superior political, technical and military power of the west and hence a celebration of imperialism itself. Medicine registered the imperial determination to reorder the environment and to refashion indigenous societies and economies in the light of its own precepts and priorities. Western medicine defined itself in opposition to the presumed irrationality and superstition of indigenous medicine. The social, cultural and economic context of disease was largely ignored by the modern medicine. Though it has indifferent attitude towards indigenous medicine, the presence of western medicine and the new discoveries made under its scientific orientation made the indigenous systems to look into their own lacunae and thus helped them to make a fresh start and equip themselves to cope with the demands of the modern times. The upper caste and class base of indigenous systems of medicine shifted to western medicine as well, and subsequently the interests of this social group were entrenched in healthcare policies rather than the health needs of 8 Jeffrey, Roger (1977): Allopathic Medicine in India: A Case of De-professionalisation, Social Science and Medicine, 11, pp Arnold, D (2000): Science, Technology and Medicine in Colonial India, Cambridge University Press: Cambridge. 10 Khan, Shamshad (2006): Systems of Medicine and Nationalist Discourse in India: Towards New Horizons in Medical Anthropology and History, Social Science and Medicine, 62(11), pp Arnold, David (ed) (1989): Imperial Medicine and Indigenous Societies, Oxford University Press: New Delhi. 14

16 Ethnomedicinal Matrix vast majority of the Indians. However, medicine s role as a tool of empire and as an instrument of social control that was part of the colonizing discourse has been well documented in the historiography of public health in British India, which led to the domination of western medicine over indigenous systems of medicine. Without much debate, British rule ensured that allopathic medical system became the mainstay of health services in post-independent India through the Sir John Bhore Committee recommendations (Prasad, ). When one is considered with the concept of health among the tribal people, it is perhaps as well appropriate to be clear about what we mean by health. Health is considered to be an essential pre-requisite for mankind to lead better quality of life, and also for balanced development of an individual who in turn responsible for the overall development of the society which he lives in. Various attempts have been made to define health. The World Health Organization (1948) defined health as a state of complete physical, mental and social wellbeing and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity. Park and Park ( ) defined health as health to a common man is a sound mind in a sound body in a sound family in a social environment. An individual can be identified as ill when he lacks the conditions which are specified in the definitions of health. Health and illness are two antagonistic concepts, one defined as the absence of the other. It can be said that, these two concepts of health and illness lie on two opposite poles of the continuum. Illness is a socio-culturally defined departure from health and it can be differentiated from disease, which is a biomedical category. Sociologists and Anthropologists concern more of illness rather than disease since illness is a subjective phenomena related to social and cultural factors, where as disease is an objective phenomena defined purely in bio-medical terms by medical professionals. 12 Prasad, Purendra. N. (2007): Medicine, Power and Social Legitimacy: A Socio-Historical Appraisal of Health Systems in Contemporary India, Economic and Political Weekly, August Park, J.E. and Park, K. (1977): Textbook of Preventive and Social Medicine, Banarasidas Bhanot: Jabalpur. 15

17 The concept of health, illness and disease varies from culture to culture. Ideas and perceptions about health, disease, etiology and treatment of illness are found to be framed principally in cultural terms in traditional societies. Ethno medicine comprises of the words "ethno" means people and "medicine". Literally it means medicine of the people. Ethno medicine is the study of ethnography of health and healing behaviour in various societies. Ethno medicine also refers to the study of traditional medical practice. It encompasses methods of diagnosis and treatment. Anthropologists, Sociologists and others have studied how beliefs, values, ideas, customs and practices are directly related to the phenomena of health and disease. Ethno medical studies are conducted to evaluate the efficacy of traditional health care practices; the prevalence of illnesses and the distribution of knowledge about illness attributes; the negotiations and instantiation of illness identities; the power of discourse to produce as well as cure affliction; discourse as moral commentary; linkages between medicoreligious institutions, models of self, power and the state (Bhasin, 2007: ). Ethno medicine has been defined "ethno medicine as a culturally ordered interrelationship of medical symbols and meanings which are associated with a community's notions of illness ideology, body image and the entire set of preventive, promotive, curative and destructive heafth rituals and/or therapeutic actions performed by the participant actors in various healing contexts, as a symbolic system there by representing the cultural whole (Hughes, 1968: ). The social and cultural aspects of health paved the way for the interaction of social sciences and medicines. The challenge to the biological orientation of medicine came in the 19th century when the growing interest in social and cultural dimensions of illness reached a peak as a result of public health problems associated with the Industrial Revolution. The diseases are related to economic, social, political and cultural factors, and the study of their inter relationship forms the important grist to the mill of social scientists, particularly to 14 Bhasin, V. (2007): "Medical Anthropology: A Review", Ethno-Med, New Delhi: Kamla-Raj; pp Hughes, C. (1968): Ethno medicine: International Encyclopedia of the Social Sciences, New York: Free Press/Macmillan, Vol. 10. pp

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