Indigenous Knowledge and Ethno-medicine as an Effective Source of Treatment: A Study on the Karbis of Karbi Anglong, A

Abstract

The healthcare system of the tribal people is immensely associated with their religious beliefs, along with the interference of soul, spirit and deity. Their daily livelihood is dependent upon a number of natural resources. In this regard, the traditional healthcare practice of the concerned people deserves special attention. The present study has been done on the Karbi tribal group of Karbi Anglong, Assam. The Karbi people had a strong belief on different supernatural powers and its impact on their health. Meanwhile, particularly in the cases of reproductive mother-child health, a number of faunal resources are also used by them. Thus a number of locally available plant and animal resources bear a special resemblance in the context of their traditional medical practices. It has the prime objective to reveal the relationship between traditional cultural practices, environmental resources and indigenous knowledge of the healthcare system among the Karbi people.