Short Abstract:

The panel focuses on the indigenous knowledge and medicinal knowledge among indigenous people and their magico-religious rites to get cure the sickness by using herbs and other products.

Long Abstract:

Indigenous communities throughout the world have traditional medical systems which are heavily based on surrounding nature, supernatural beings and belief systems. With globalization and economic liberalization these medical systems are exposed to other medical systems, including modern bio-medicine. The medical system is a complex one in the sense that it encompasses a variety of practices that employ magic, religion, physical pressure, plant and animal products and even the allopathic medicine representing medical pluralism. During the course of history Indigenous people have evolved various mechanisms to overcome ill health and disease based on traditional and Indigenous knowledge. Though all the diseases are believed to have been caused due to various mystical reasons, the diagnosing practices clearly indicate they are still in search of ascertaining the actual cause of diseases. This can be well established by the fact that the Indigenous people not only observe magico-religious rites to ward off sickness, but they also use traditional knowledge to get cured by using herbal and animal products.

This panel invites papers on traditional knowledge and indigenous medicinal knowledge system among the indigenous communities and their health conditions and different curing methods in different environmental conditions are taken in to consideration.