Indigenous Knowledge of Healing among the Tribes of Nilambur Valley A Study of Cross cultural Landscape across Ethnic Boundaries

Abstract

The health and healthcare systems are a synthesis of various types of knowledge that newlineinclude lived knowledge, experiential knowledge, and performed knowledge. In this newlineperspective, the determinants of health are the body, history, and culture, which include newlinebeliefs, perceptions, behaviours, and worldviews. In India, the healthcare sector has a newlinelong-standing history of codified medicinal knowledge, such as Ayurveda and Siddha. newlineHowever, in addition to the codified traditional medicine, several other traditional noncodified newlinesystems of medicine exist, which are regarded as the quotfolk sectorquot or Local newlineHealth Traditions (LHT) . This diverse healthcare system has become a subject of newlineinterest for researchers who are keen to understand the healthcare models of different newlinecommunities and cultures. newlineThis thesis focuses on one such non-codified knowledge tradition that is practiced by newlinethe tribal community of Nilambur valley, Kerala, India, specifically Cholanaickan (C), newlineKattunaickan(K), Kattupaniyan/Paniyan(P), and Aranadan (A). These communities are newlinepredominantly foraging communities, and their knowledge of health and healing is newlineacutely embedded in their cultural practices, subsistence models, and lifestyle. The newlinestudy examines various aspects of the STCs perception of health and healing practices newlineand how the underlying systemic structure of healing functions and effectively delivers newlinehealthcare to its members in the absence of modern medicine. It also delves into the newlineethno-epistemology of Indigenous Knowledge of healing of Selected Tribal newlineCommunities in Nilambur, Kerala (STCs) and provides a theoretical understanding of newlinethe Indigenous model of healing. newlineFurthermore, the thesis highlights the characteristics of STCs healing knowledge, newlineincluding the process of knowledge management, which includes knowledge newlineacquisition, knowledge development and storage system, knowledge transmission, and newlinedistribution system. It also discusses the challenges associated with healing knowledge newlinemanagement, including the role of gender in this process