Contribution of Tribal Society to Modern Medicine – “Tribes In Transition-II: Reaffirming Indigenous Identity Through Narrative” (National Conference)

Read the inaugural Speech by Dr. Ivy Hansdak: “Is tribal identity relevant in today’s world?” delivered during the conference titled “Tribes In Transition-II: Reaffirming Indigenous Identity Through Narrative” | Conference report | Video presentation “Tribes in Transition III” (September 2021): Inaugural Session & Keynote Speech by Prof. Anvita Abbi >>

Abstract 4: Contribution of Tribal Society to Modern Medicine
Paper presented for “Tribes In Transition-II: Reaffirming Indigenous Identity Through Narrative” (National Conference) – New Delhi
ARUN KUMAR ORAON
Centre for Indo-Pacific Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi
KEYWORDS: TRIBE, INDIGENOUS KNOWLEDGE, AYURVEDA, FOREIGN MARKETS, MINING
Tribal society still lives in the villages and large sections of this society have still not been exposed to allopathic medicines. Even today, while the government is growing and developing in areas where mineral extraction is limited to tribal areas, it is seen that diseases are still healed by the use of herbal medicine in these areas. Through these herbs it has been able to treat some of the Asagy diseases. Besides eating fruits and flowers, it is also used for the treatment of minor ailments. For example, the Adhul fruit-flowers provide great relief during abdominal pain. Despite the importance of these herbs, most of the flowers and trees are not considered suitable for scientific research. Yet, they continue to be used by tribal society. If scientific studies were made regarding these fruit-flowers, plants and trees, it could be very helpful in fighting diseases and drugs could be available at low cost to the public.
This paper will examine the role of the upcoming foreign markets in their research on indigenous medicine. In is unfortunate that forests containing these herbal plants are being destroyed by mining companies, hence indigenous knowledge, which is usually preserved in oral form, is also being destroyed and most people do not get to know the medicinal plants which are quite beneficial. Deviprasad Chattopadhyay in his book, Science and Society in Ancient India, rightly acknowledges that Ayurveda itself mentions that primitive tribes scattered in all corners of the world have knowledge of herbs as drugs for medical treatment. Hence, tribal knowledge of medicine which is found in a considerable amount of material availability in fauna is useful for therapy and healing.
BIONOTE: Arun Kumar Oraon is pursuing his PhD at the Centre for Indo-Pacific Studies, School of Social Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi. He may be contacted at the email ID: [email protected]

Source: Book of Abstracts for the ICSSR-sponsored Two-Day National Conference Tribes In Transition-II: Reaffirming Indigenous Identity Through Narrative organised by The Department of English & Outreach Programme Jamia Millia Islamia (New Delhi, 27-28 February 2017)

Courtesy Dr. Ivy Hansdak, Assistant Professor, Department of English, Jamia Millia Islamia University New Delhi (email 4 October 2017)

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[*] Some clarifications on caste-related issues by reputed scholars

Understanding “caste” in the context of Indian democracy: The “Poona Pact of 1932”
“Mahatma Gandhi and BR Ambedkar differed over how to address caste inequities through the electoral system. Their exchanges led to the Poona Pact of 1932, which shaped the reservation system in India’s electoral politics. […]
Two prominent figures who have significantly contributed to this discourse are Mahatma Gandhi, Father of the Nation, and Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar, Father of the Constitution. The two stalwarts of Indian politics, while revered equally by the public, had contrasting views on the caste system. Their subsequent debates have shaped the course of Indian society and politics. While Gandhi denounced untouchability, he did not condemn the varna system, a social hierarchy based on occupation, for most of his life. He believed in reforming the caste system through the abolition of untouchability and by giving equal status to each occupation. On the other hand, BR Ambedkar, a Dalit himself, argued that the caste system disorganised and ‘demoralised Hindu society, reducing it to a collection of castes’. […]
And yet, despite their differences, they developed an understanding to work for the betterment of the marginalised.” – Rishabh Sharma in “How Ambedkar and Gandhi’s contrasting views paved way for caste reservation” (India Today, 6 October 2023)
URL: https://www.indiatoday.in/history-of-it/story/ambedkar-gandhi-caste-system-poona-pact-1932-reservation-2445208-2023-10-06

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“That upper caste groups should declare themselves to be OBCs [Other Backward Castes] and want to avail of the reservation policy is a pandering to caste politics of course, as also are caste vote-banks. It is partially a reflection of the insecurity that the neo-liberal market economy has created among the middle-class. Opportunities are limited, jobs are scarce and so far ‘development’ remains a slogan. There’s a lot that is being done to keep caste going in spite of saying that we are trying to erode caste. We are, of course, dodging the real issue. It’s true that there has been a great deal of exploitation of Dalit groups and OBC’s in past history; making amends or even just claiming that we are a democracy based on social justice demands far more than just reservations. The solution lies in changing the quality of life of half the Indian population by giving them their right to food, water, education, health care, employment, and social justice. This, no government so far has been willing to do, because it means a radical change in governance and its priorities.” – Romila Thapar (Emeritus Professor of History, Jawaharlal Nehru University) interviewed by Nikhil Pandhi (Caravan Magazine, 7 October 2015)
URL: https://caravanmagazine.in/vantage/discipline-notion-particular-government-interview-romila-thapar

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“Casteism is the investment in keeping the hierarchy as it is in order to maintain your own ranking, advantage, privilege, or to elevate yourself above others or keep others beneath you …. For this reason, many people—including those we might see as good and kind people—could be casteist, meaning invested in keeping the hierarchy as it is or content to do nothing to change it, but not racist in the classical sense, not active and openly hateful of this or that group.” – Book review by Dilip Mandal for Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents (The Print, 23 August 2020)
URL: https://theprint.in/opinion/oprah-winfrey-wilkerson-caste-100-us-ceos-indians-wont-talk-about-it/487143/

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“The theoretical debate on caste among social scientists has receded into the background in recent years. [However] caste is in no sense disappearing: indeed, the present wave of neo-liberal policies in India, with privatisation of enterprises and education, has strengthened the importance of caste ties, as selection to posts and educational institutions is less based on merit through examinations, and increasingly on social contact as also on corruption. There is a tendency to assume that caste is as old as Indian civilization itself, but this assumption does not fit our historical knowledge. To be precise, however, we must distinguish between social stratification in general and caste as a specific form. […]
From the early modern period till today, then, caste has been an intrinsic feature of Indian society. It has been common to refer to this as the ‘caste system’. But it is debatable whether the term ‘system’ is appropriate here, unless we simply take for granted that any society is a ‘social system’. First, and this is quite clear when we look at the history of distinct castes, the ‘system’ and the place various groups occupy within it have been constantly changing. Second, no hierarchical order of castes has ever been universally accepted […] but what is certain is that there is no consensus on a single hierarchical order.” – Harald Tambs-Lyche (Professor Emeritus, Université de Picardie, Amiens) in “Caste: History and the Present” (Academia Letters, Article 1311, 2021), pp. 1-2
URL: https://www.academia.edu/49963457

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“There is a need for intercultural education. We all need to work together to bridge these divides not only between religions and castes but also regions. It is not correct to think that one part is better than the other. Some of the limitations of India as a whole are due to our common heritage, say the one that has restricted women from having a flourishing life for themselves.” – Prof. V. Santhakumar (Azim Premji University) in “On the so called North-South Divide in India” (personal blog post in Economics in Action, 13 April 2024)
URL: https://vsanthakumar.wordpress.com/2024/04/13/on-the-so-called-north-south-divide-in-india/

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Companies keen on milking the country’s biodiversity must adhere to the law not only in letter but also in spirit | Read the full article in The telegraph (1 January 2019) >>
Fairness is integral to economic and political welfarism. It is only apt that those who provide a service are compensated adequately for their knowledge and labour. […]
The Uttarakhand High Court had to remind this ‘patriotic’ firm of the letter and the spirit of the legislation concerned. Fair and Equitable Benefit Sharing of the Biological Diversity Act — it was passed in Parliament in 2002 — makes it clear that the nation’s biological capital must be shared in a manner so that the benefits accrue to all stakeholders. […]
Recognizing the traditional knowledge of indigenous people as a ‘property right’, the court stated that the nation is not the only legitimate owner of such resources; local and tribal communities, many of whom function as repositories of such ancient wisdom, have a valid claim on them. It is thus imperative for commercial enterprises, be they Indian or otherwise, to make payments in return for their right to make use of this knowledge and the resources. […]

Source: “Ayurveda and the narrow contours of nationalism: Companies keen on milking the country’s biodiversity must adhere to the law not only in letter but also in spirit”, Editorial, The Telegraph (Calcutta), 1 January 2019
URL: https://www.telegraphindia.com/opinion/uttarakhand-court-case-on-ayurveda-company-highlights-the-narrow-contours-of-nationalism/cid/1680453
Date visited: 22 May 2022

“The practice of religious rituals, ceremonies and sanctions by specific cultural groups allow such sacred landscapes to be maintained, emphasizing that humans are intrinsically part of the ecosystem. Taboos, codes and customs specific to activities and community members restrict access to most sacred groves. […] The inclusion of local people’s needs and interests in conservation planning is increasingly accepted as essential, both to promote the well-being of human populations, and to ensure that biodiversity and conservation needs are met in the long-term.” – Nazir A. Pala, Ajeet K. Neg and N.P. Todaria in “The Religious, Social and Cultural Significance of Forest Landscapes in Uttarakhand Himalaya, India” (International Journal of Conservation Science, Vol. 5, Issue 2, April-June 2014) | Sacred groves | Biodiversity and development – Himalaya >>

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