Modern medicine still a far cry for Gonds

Since Independence, we have been talking about bringing indigenous tribes into the mainstream. They have certain beliefs regarding supernatural world, as such they are happy in their own environment and view others with suspicion. The supernatural beliefs and down-to-earth living help them offer readymade and stereotyped reaction to events.

The supernatural world plays a part in almost every activity, whether it be economic pursuits, family life, gender relations, power relations, conflicts and feuds as well as health practices affecting events that occur in the everyday life. The Gonds of Adilabad district in Telangana, is a known indigenous community of this region. Gonds generally believe that displeasure of evil spirits and gods' cause most diseases and misfortunes.

Instead of approaching medical officers, they go to soothsayers and diviners of their community to find out causes as well as remedies. They believe powerful divine beings can influence the course of nature and that man’s fate depends largely on their favour. The traditional gods/goddesses who are created out of their cultural beliefs have a definite relation with their festivals, agricultural output, gathering of food from forest, disease, ill-health and ailments prevailing in that area.

In different cases of ailments or diseases, tribals resort to various methods of treatment for recovery, mainly categorised into: Disease caused by natural factors and treated with herbal medicine; Supernatural causes and magico-religious measures; and both these methods simultaneously.
Herbal medicine is an important part of treatment in Gonds community.

The Bhaktal (Traditional Herbal Doctor), a priest-sum-magician-cum-doctor for this community, is approached for all types of sickness, ill-health or diseases. Bhaktal spends most of his time in giving the patient psychological morale with humane touch. Tribal’s belief in the efficacy of herbal medicine prepares them psychologically to receive treatment confidently. This tradition is passed on from one generation to another. They have specific herbal ingredients to treat diseases like Typhoid (Madhana Meemari Kafsi Avval), Jaundice (Kondu/Pandu), Asthma (Dam Dhukh), Tuberculosis (Davral Dhatu), Viral Conjuctivitis (Dukta), Paralysis (Vadi-Sotha), etc.

Gonds believe in their gods and goddesses such as Jangubhai, Bhim, Mahakali, and Nagoba etc. They worship sculpted images of gods made out of wood such Persa Pen, Akipen etc. They have about 12 important festivals and they worship gods/goddesses in traditional way. They install the image of god; keep a large post with a white flag.

Gonds also believe that by worshipping different gods such as ‘Bara Savval Pen’ they can save their crops from insects, pests, floods and drought, Pochavva Pen/ Avval Pen that if they worship this goddess, to avoid epidemics or chronic diseases such as diarrhea, smallpox, chickenpox, paralysis, hysteria, psychiatric problems, Kapilabhim Pen to bless childless couples with children, and also for economic benefits and good crops etc.

An exorcist who practises black magic does not have social acceptability, the same holds true for tribal community. However, they fear the person who exercises the black art and obey his will and wishes due to their unwarranted fear. A sorcerer performs the rituals on any new moon night especially on Saturdays and Sundays. Gonds revealed that they would be victimized by the black magic, whenever they refuse to give foodgrains, money etc., to the sorcerer or have altercation with him effecting a disease, sickness or even some times the death in that family.

Where there is a PHC, the culture gap between the indigenous people and the modern medical officers is a hurdle for the adoption of modern medicine. However, with the understanding of native culture, the doctors should be able to reach out to these natives to quite an extent. Wherever this happened, Gonds have taken a liking to the modern medicine.

At a recently international conference at Harward University, a Nigerian scientist suggested that these indigenous tribes have the knowledge of natural herbs, which the modern world has accepted to have cure for several life-threatening diseases. They should be encouraged to produce these medicinal herbs, so as to help them develop financially. (Writer is from Department of Sociology, Kakatiya University, Warangal. He works in the field of Social Anthropology)

By Prof T Ramesh