Indigenous Healing Practices among the Deori Tribe of Majuli, Assam

Abstract

Ethnic communities in general have their own ideas and opinions about health and has multifarious knacks to overcome the diseases. The overall health status of the tribal community is the outcome of the several interacting factors. The health of the ethnic people is invariably connected with socio-cultural and magico-religious practices since ancient times. They have developed indigenous ways of healing practices to protect their health against various kinds of diseases. There is a popular belief prevalent among them, that some of the diseases are caused by evil spirits as well as malevolent deities for which they observe specific rituals to appease them. Again, the pristine method of curing diseases and ailments in general are done by application of varieties of wild roots, herbs, plant as well as animal parts. However, with the establishment of modern Medicare facilities within the rural tribal areas, they avail the benefits of the same along with integrally sticking to their pristine medicare system. In this present endeavour a humble attempt has been made to examine the continuity and change of the ethnomedicinal practices related with health care system among the Deoris of two homogenous Villages of Majuli District of Upper Assam.