Title : Baiga ethnic healers and their enduring legacy of traditional medicine in Madhya Pradesh, India
Abstract:
The Baiga tribe, recognized as a Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group (PVTG) in Madhya Pradesh, possesses a rich heritage of ethno-medicinal knowledge and traditional healing practices centered around the dense forests of the Maikal Hills. This study examines the traditional medical systems, ethno-botanical expertise, and cultural practices of Baiga folk healers (Ojha, Dewar, Gunia) in the Anuppur district (Pushprajgarh block). It explores how their ancestral knowledge functions within an ethno-anthropological framework and evaluates its contemporary relevance.
This study explores the rich ethnomedicinal heritage and traditional healthcare systems of the Baiga tribe, a particularly vulnerable tribal group residing in the forested tracts of Madhya Pradesh, Central India. Relying on an ethnographic approach combining participant observation, semi-structured interviews with indigenous healers (Baigas and Gurias), and botanical field surveys, this research documents the complex intersection of indigenous pharmacology, ritualistic healing, and ecological knowledge. The findings catalogue frequently utilized medicinal flora, detailing specific plant parts, preparation methods, and therapeutic applications for common ailments, alongside the cosmological frameworks that govern their administration. Modernization, deforestation, and inadequate knowledge transfer to younger generations threaten the survival of these ethno-medicinal practices. Furthermore, the paper examines the socio-cultural dynamics shaping the transmission of traditional ecological knowledge, the pressures of modernization, and the integration of folk medicine with contemporary public health infrastructure. By highlighting the empirical validity and biocultural significance of these healing traditions, this research underscores the urgent need for community-based intellectual property protection, biodiversity conservation, and culturally sensitive healthcare policies in tribal regions.
