Paper short abstract:

This paper tries to explore the major aspects of how traditional and indigenous medicinal knowledge is surviving among the Soliga tribe in Karanataka.

Paper long abstract:

Over the last decades, awareness has increased about the phenomenon of medical knowledge and its importance of integrating biomedicine and other forms of health care. The broad variety of healing cultures existing alongside biomedicine is called complementary or alternative medicine in industrialized countries and traditional medicine in developing countries. Indigenous communities throughout the world have 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 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. According to the ethno-medical systems of Indigenous peoples various diseases and health disorders are vaguely categorized into infections, nutritional deficiencies, malfunctions of bodily organs and accidental attacks. Though all these 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.