Influence of Custom and Cultural Practices on Religio-Symboilc Treatment (RST) among Muria Tribal Peoples of Bastar

Abraham K.¹, Ashok Pradhan² and M.M. Ganvir³

¹Research Scholar, School of Studies in Anthropology, Pt. Ravishankar Shukla University, Raipur C.G. ²Associate Professor, School of Studies in Anthropology, Pt. Ravishankar Shukla University, Raipur, C.G. ³Professor, Social Work, Raipur, C.G.

*Corresponding Author E-mail: pradhan.akp@gmail.com

ABSTRACT:

The health care culture of the Muria tribe is developed totally from their animistic religious world view. Sickness for them is an essential threat and it is not under their control. So it is considered as device instituted by God to call man back to his abode. Therefore, to know the will of God, as per the custom and belief, Muria take their patients first to the pujari/ religio-symbolic health care practitioner for treatment. Useful information has been generated on various aspects of primitive health care devices among tribes. On the contrary, very limited work has been done to develop professional health culture among tribes inculcating the Religio-Symbolic Treatment (RST). In view of the above mentioned facts the present investigation entitled “Influence of custom and cultural practices on Religio-Symbolic Treatment (RST) among Muria tribal peoples of Bastar” was conducted to see the influence of custom and cultural practices in their preference of treatment measures and to check the role of personality on the same. The study was under taken during the months of October to November at Geedam Development Block of Bastar. By making use of purposive sampling method, 40 tribal patients, one each from both sexes from 20 villages, those who were above 20 years were selected as respondents. The interview schedule has been the main instrument used for study. The type and design of the study was descriptive type, which is combined with the explorative type based on triangulation approach, a combination of both qualitative and quantitative methods.

For 50% of the respondents, hospital is available only beyond 5 kms where as RST are available in their own vicinity (100%). For 72.5% of the respondents’ first preference of the treatment is RST. T hey find relaxation and cure from RST (65%). 70% of the respondents have strong belief in supernatural power. A majority of ‘reserved’ type respondents prefer RST whereas ‘active’ type respondents prefer modern scientific treatment (20%). Among the reserve type of respondents (79%) of them get relaxation and cure from RST.

KEYWORDS: Muria tribe, Custom and cultural practices, Religio-Symboilc Treatment

general order of existence and (4) clothing these conceptions with such an aura of factuality that (5) the moods and motivations seem uniquely realistic".¹

The health care culture of the Muria tribe is developed from their animistic religious worldview. Sickness is an essential threat and it is not under their control. So it is considered as device instituted by God to call man back to his abode. Therefore, to know the will of God, as per the custom and belief, Muria take their patients first to pujari/ religio-symbolic health care practitioner for treatment. In very many such cases without getting proper physical ailment, many of the patients die.

Useful information has been generated on various aspects of primitive health care devices among tribes. On the contrary, very limited work has been done to develop professional health culture among tribes inculcating the Religio-Symbolic Treatment (RST). In view of the above mentioned facts the present investigation entitled “Influence of custom and cultural practices on RST among Muria tribal peoples of Bastar” was conducted to see the influence of custom and cultural practices in their preference of treatment measures and to check the role of personality on the same.

In speaking of the envy of the Gods, and of the dead, it is well to remember that we are dealing with phenomena of quite a different order than when we speak of the envy of humans.⁴ The envy of the gods, and of the dead, are psychological projections, extensions of man's cognitive orientation, eloquent testimonials to his generic and all-embracing fear of envy.⁴

Karan(1987), explains that the impressive nature of RST attract the people to them for treatment.⁵ Majority of the respondents perceive cause of disease as witchcraft, wrath of God and evil eye in which supernatural power is seen as cause.⁵ The body of rituals is an expression of interiorized and confirmed world view and values of particular culture.⁵ This is what seen in the Muria culture too. Therefore, admitting the cultural patterns of thinking, behaving and acting of Muria tribe, one must approach them positively to bring gradual changes among them. It is quite visible that the attitude of the tribes towards the modern medicine has gone very positive. Since they are ‘reserved’ in type, health care term must regenerate an atmosphere in which tribal people can move freely. Simultaneously abilities of ‘active’ and ‘self esteemed’ people may be utilized for the whole process of health care drive. A search for alternative models has, thus, been on and dedicated individuals and agencies have obtained excellent results. It is in and through this perspective.

Eliade’s theory of this new humanism is most clearly articulated in his essay ‘A New Humanism’ in the Quest: History and Meaning in Religion (Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 1969), pp 1-11.³ His practice of gathering the symbols is best exemplified in Patterns in Comparative

Religion (trans Rosemary Sheed; New York: Sheed and Ward, 1958).³

Ragunathan M, Tadesse H, Tujuba R. carried out a cross-sectional study pertaining to the practices and perceptions of modern and traditional health practitioners on Traditional Medicine (TM) from February 25 to April 4, 2008.The results of the study showed that almost all the practitioners in both systems expressed their willingness to collaborate among each other to promote the positive elements of TM. As traditional healing knowledge is still being handed over from one generation to the next, mainly through word of mouth, which will lead to distortion or a total demise of the original knowledge.⁷

Herbalists are not spirit mediums. They are people who have learned the different herbs and herbal treatments through association with the Gombwe, or Sadzinza, or

Tateguru, or N’anga, as they help them collect and prepare

herbal medicines and perform other duties. Generally, the training of people to become herbalists is different from that of N’angas, who approach spirit mediums for the purpose of training and cleansing; the herbalist trainees approach spirit mediums and N’angas for traditional treatment. If this treatment takes long, the patients spend their time doing very little, and often partaking in the general activities that take place there, end up knowing a lot about the activities of their hosts.⁸

The study also seeks to find out the views of African traditional medical practitioners about the way traditional medicine should develop: i.e., independent development, or integration, or assimilation into the conventional system. N’angas and herbalists had mixed feelings about the course of action to follow, but all, including maGombwe, agreed that there is need to develop traditional medicine.

Apart from the observation and short interviews of the people, the researchers prepared an interview schedule, which was subjected to a pilot test/ pre-test in some other villages before doing it in the target group. During the pilot test/ pretest, the researchers could understand the shortcoming of the schedule, which were finally corrected and modified in order to gain the perfect response from the samples.

OBJECTIVES:

Main objectives of the study are -

1. To analyze the impact of the religiosity of tribal on the choice of treatment and its impact (Religio-symbolic treatment and modern scientific treatment).

2. To find out diseases prone habits among tribal and their preference for treatment.

3. To find out whether Religio-symbolic treatment is conducted with conviction or as a part of custom.

SCOPE OF THE STUDY:

Researchers make an attempt to appreciate the religiosity of the tribal people as a religious phenomenologist and tries to impart the knowledge and to establish the validity of

modern scientific treatment for each and every health hazards to them. Admitting the important role of religio-symbolic health care tradition in keeping up the welfare and well being of the tribal people, the medical and psychiatric researcher further aims to explain the specific role of science, especially that of modern scientific treatment, for the welfare of humanity. Thus through research programme, researchers attempt an awareness making-effort that the religio-symbolic treatment and its approach to sick person itself will not totally serve the purpose but the modern scientific medical treatment also will have to be required for the patient’s curing, well-being and welfare.

MATERIAL AND METHOD:

Since methodology is central to the science of social research and it plays an important role in the gained result, it is quite reasonable to pay attention to the method assumed in this research. From the viewpoint of ‘triangulation’ approach, in this research, the researcher had applied the “purposive sampling method” behind descriptive and explorative research design. At the beginning of the research, the researchers visited the locality and conducted interviews with the people. Also the researchers had many opportunities to listen the feeling and thinking of the Muria people.

The visits to each villages and family of these people helped the researchers to observe the people, their way of treatment, the environment and cultural background in which they lived. From short interview, the researchers could collect the total trend of tribal’s method of treatment and noted down them in short terms. The findings of these interviews are not explicitly included in this research but they do help to understand the interpretation of data which otherwise can be misleading or reduce the real fact into nothing.

Target Area:

The target area of the study is limited to the Development Block of Geedam, which comes under Dantewada Tahsil in Bastar District. Geedam Development Block comprises four head quarters spread within radius of 30 kms. They are Geedam, Barsoor, Chinthanar and Bade Thumnar.

Techniques of Data Collection:

Even though the personal interview schedule format, which was prepared and translated in to local vernacular, will constitute the main instrument of research, it would be necessary to mention the other methods also used to supplement this chief instrument. Three significant instruments were used for this research, interview schedule, observation and case study.

ANALYSIS AND FINDINGS:

1. Data embodied in Table No. 1 shows that majority of respondents participated in research programme are illiterate (67.5%). 70% of them do not know the language Hindi.75% respondents belong to nuclear family structure. Very high majority (85%) follow the traditional life style pattern.

2. 100% respondents suffer from physical illness which is caused by super natural powers. (Table No.2)

3. In the case of sickness and treatments, 83.3% of them express deep religiosity (Table No.3)

4. The impact of religiosity leads by 72.5% respondents to religio-symbolic treatments (Table No. 4)

5. Though 27.5 % of the respondents find modern scientific treatment as more effective, an equal percent 72.5% of them admit that religio-symbolic treatment, too, gives them cure and relaxation (Table No. 5)

6. 72.5% are “reserved” type of personalities in comparison with the rest (27.5%) of the “active” type respondents (Table No. 7)

7. 62.5% samples are of psychologically low self esteem where as rest (37.5) are of high esteem (Table No. 8)

8. Thus Religio-socio-economic-literacy background, humanitarian approach of ‘Waddai’ through the cultural patterns, and his establishment of report without abandoning client’s hope etc are causes for the continuity of religio-symbolic treatment.

TABLE No.1: EDUCATION STATUS OF THE RESPONDENTS AND THEIR FAMILY MEMBERS

Sl. No.	Education Level	Respondents (%)
1	Adult Education	3	(7.5)
2	Primary School	5	(12.5)
3	Middle School	0	(0)
4	High School	5	(12.5)
5	Illiterate	27 (67.5)
TOTAL		40100%)

TABLE No. 2: CAUSES OF THE DISEASES

Sl. No.	CAUSE	RESPONDENT	PERCENTAGE
1	Witchcraft	16	40
2	Wrath of God	3	7.5
3	Evil Eye	1	2.5
4	Natural	15	37.5
5	Don’t know	5	12.5
TOTAL		40	100

CONCLUSION:

A worldview, a system of values or patterns of behavior and a body of rituals, or patterns of action, make the culture of society. And it is culture that gives meaning to the world, life and society. The specific worldview of each culture organizes the material and the human world into a meaningful whole. These become guide to life and action. This system of values eventually conditions the individual’s behaviour. All share these values in mutual interactions in the community. The body of rituals is an expression of interiorized and conformed world-view and value of particular culture. This is what one sees in the Muria culture too. And it cannot be changed all of a sudden. Therefore admitting the cultural patterns of thinking, behaving and acting of Muria tribal, one must approach them positively to bring gradual changes among them. At present, it is quiet visible that the attitude of the tribal towards modern medicines has gone very positive.

TABLE No. 4: THE TRIBAL’S FIRST PREFERNCE FOR

TREATMENT

Sl. No.	Preference	Respondents	Percentage
1	Doctor	11	27.5
2	Waddai (Religio-	29	72.5
	symbolic health
	practitioner)
TOTAL		40	100
TABLE No. 5: THE REASONS FOR THEIR FIRST
PREFERENCE
Sl. No	Reason	Respondents	Percentage
1	Quick Cure from	11	27.5
	M.S.T
2	Custom and	29	72.5
	Etiology of
	Disease for R.S.T.
TOTAL		40	100

TABLE No. 6: TREATMENT – CHOICE OF ‘RESERVED’ AND ‘ACTIVE’ RESPONDENTS

	Reserved	Active			Total
M.S.T	3 (7.5%)	8 (20%)			11 (27.5%)
R.S.T	26 (65%)	3 (7.5%)			29 (72.5%)
TOTAL	29 (72.5%)	11 (27.5%)			40 (100%)
TABLE No. 7: DISEASE PRONE HABITS PREVELENT
Sl. No	Habits		Respondents			Percentage
1	Use of Tobacco		6			15
2	Use of Alcohol		7			17.5
3	Both the above		20			50
4	None		7			17.5
Total			40			100
TABLE No. 8: PREFERNCE OF TREATMENT BASED ON
SELF ESTEEM OF RESPONDENTS
	High Self	Low Self		Total		Percentage
	Esteem	Esteem
M.S.T	6 (15%)	5 (12.5%)		11		27.5%
R.S.T	9 (22.5%)	20 (50%)		29		72.5%
TOTAL	15 (37.5%)	25 (62.5%)		40		100%

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT:

Mr. Brajesh Gupta, my colleague who has given valuable insights and suggestions to improve the text. Author personally thanks all the respondents and Mr. Bomada Kowasi, Pagnu Kowasi, who made research programme successful.

REFERENCES:

1. Asad, Talal., “The Construction of Religion as an Anthropological Category”, Blackwell Publishing, 2002.

2. "District Census 2011". Census2011.co.in. 2011. Retrieved 2011-09-30.

3. Eliade, Mircea, Patterns in Comparative Religion, and Trans by Rosemary, Shed, and New York: Shed and Ward, 1958.

4. Foster, G.M., “The anatomy of Envy”: A study of symbolic behaviour” in Current Anthropology, 13 ,1972, p.p. 165 – 186.

5. Karan. D.N., Folk and Modern Medicine, New Delhi, New Asian Publication, 1987.

6. Preamble to the Constitution of the World Health Organization as adopted by the International Health Conference, New York, 19 June - 22 July 1946 (it entered into force on 7 April 1948).

7. Ragunathan M, tadesse H, tujuba R. “A cross-sectional study on the perceptions and practices of modern and traditional health practitioners about traditional medicine in Dembia district, north western Ethiopia.” Phcog Mag ,2010, 6:19-25

8. Kazembe, T. 2007. “Traditional Medicine in Zimbabwe.” Rose+Croix Journal 4: 56. http://www.rosecroixjournal. org/home.html (retrieved August 11, 2007)

Sl. No.	Mode of Devotion and belief	Yes	No	Do Not Know	Total
		Ab. No. (%)	Ab. No. (%)	Ab. No.(%)	%
1	Offering to God	40(100.00)	0 (0.00)	0(0.00)	100
2	Cure from God	20(50.00)	12(30.00)	8(20.00)	100
3	Disease as punishment of God	32(80.00)	5(12.5)	3(7.5)	100
Average Percentage		76.66	14.17	9.17	100