DOCSLIB.ORG

Health Seeking Behavior for Garo Children of Madhupur, Bangladesh

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Health Seeking Behavior for Garo Children of Madhupur, Bangladesh Faculty or Humanities, Social Sciences and Education Health Seeking Behavior for Garo Children of Madhupur, Bangladesh Tahura Enam Navile Thesis Submitted for the Degree of Master of Philosophy in Indigenous Studies November 2016 Health Seeking Behavior for Garo Children of Madhupur, Bangladesh A Thesis Submitted by Tahura Enam Navile Master of Philosophy in Indigenous Studies Faculty or Humanities, Social Sciences and Education Supervised by Rachel Issa Djesa Cand. Polit. Centre for Sami Studies November 2016 i Acknowledgements The successful completion of this project is achieved as a result of the contributions of various individuals and organizations. First, I would like to thank the people of Sanamari village, who gave me their valuable time during my fieldwork. The host Linu Simsang and her family not only provided me accommodation but also introduced me to the Garo community members. I also thank my research assistant and interpreter Glory Ruram for her cordial help in fieldwork. I am grateful to Abdullah Al Sayem for his voluntary support with video recording and documenting the visual data during fieldwork. I would like to acknowledge the contribution of Clinton, Rimjhim and Antony who helped me with the translations of interviews after fieldwork. My deepest gratitude goes to my supervisor, Rachel Issa Djesa, who supported me affectionately through the process of my thesis work. Her comments and questions helped me to take the research towards a focused direction. My gratitude goes also to all my professors for their inspiration and standing by me during my two years long Master’s in indigenous studies. Thank you for the continuous support. I also wish to acknowledge and thank the Center for Sami Studies (SESAM) for their financial support of my fieldwork. My gratitude goes also to the Norwegian State Education Loan Fund (Lånekassen) for the scholarship that enabled my study and make my dream to research this issue of health seeking behavior comes true. Finally, Special thanks to my friends who gave me support at all stages of my thesis work and believed me. The last, thanks to my family who was by my side. ii Abstract This master’s thesis explores the health seeking behaviors for children in the Garo indigenous community of Bangladesh drawing on medical pluralism theoretical framework. The thesis is based on one month-long fieldwork in a northern village of the country, Sainamari. In this village, different health care systems co-exist: the scientific medical system (missionary clinics, pharmacist, hospitals, village doctors, clinics), the traditional herbalists (Kabiraj), the spiritual healer (Khamal), and the use of household treatment system like home-remedies. This study analyzes how the parents define illnesses and seek therapies for their children’s health and use their indigenous cultural practices to health maintenance for their future generation. Although bio- medicine became the dominant model in terms of health care practices around the world, the Garo indigenous community still highly depends on self-treatments, like home-remedies and folk healers like the Kabiraj and the Khamal. The findings of this thesis contributes to the understanding of how the Garo people’s child healthcare in Bangladesh works. Keywords: health seeking behavior, Garo, children iii TABLE OF CONTENTS Acknowledgements ..................................................................................................................... ii Abstract ...................................................................................................................................... iii List of Tables ............................................................................................................................... viii List of Figures ............................................................................................................................ ix Glossary ...................................................................................................................................... x CHAPTER ONE ............................................................................................................................. 1 INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................................................... 1 1.1 Background to the Study ....................................................................................................... 1 1.2 Problem Statement ................................................................................................................ 2 1.3 Objective and Research Questions ........................................................................................ 4 1.4 Relevance of the Study ......................................................................................................... 5 1.5 Thesis Outline ....................................................................................................................... 5 CHAPTER TWO ............................................................................................................................ 6 CONCEPT, THEORY AND REVIEW OF RELEVANT LITERATURE .................................... 6 2.1 Concept of Health-Seeking Behavior ................................................................................... 6 2.2 Medical Pluralism ................................................................................................................. 7 2.3 Related literatures ................................................................................................................. 8 2.4 Summary: ............................................................................................................................ 11 CHAPTER THREE ...................................................................................................................... 12 iv RESEARCH METHODOLOGY.................................................................................................. 12 3.1 Initial Preparation and Accessing the Community ............................................................. 12 3.2 Building Up Relation with the People Sainamari Village .................................................. 13 3.3 Methodological Approach .................................................................................................. 15 Sample Household Survey .................................................................................................... 15 Interviews .............................................................................................................................. 16 Participant Observation ......................................................................................................... 16 Focused Group Discussion ................................................................................................... 16 Key Informant Interview ....................................................................................................... 17 Use of Visual Data ................................................................................................................ 17 3.5 Secondary Data Gathering Method ................................................................................. 18 3.6 Data Management ............................................................................................................... 18 3.7 Reflexivity and Researcher’s Positionality ......................................................................... 19 3.7 Ethical Considerations ........................................................................................................ 20 CHAPTER FOUR ......................................................................................................................... 21 GARO COMMUNITY PROFILE ................................................................................................ 21 4.1 Geographical location of village ......................................................................................... 21 4.2 Sainamari Village Structure and Communication System ................................................. 23 4.4 Demography ........................................................................................................................ 25 4.5 Employment and Economy ................................................................................................. 27 v 4.6 Household Structure, Drinking Water and Electricity ........................................................ 28 4.7 Summary: ............................................................................................................................ 29 CHAPTER FIVE .......................................................................................................................... 30 BIRTH AND ILLNESS CATEGORIES ...................................................................................... 30 5.1 Birth Pattern and Choice of Different Health Care Providers During Birth Process ...... 30 5.2 Meeting with A Midwife ................................................................................................ 32 5.3 Birth Ritual and Homely Atmosphere ............................................................................ 33 5.4 Children Illness Categories and Selection of Health Care Providers ................................. 34 5.4.1 Natural Causes ............................................................................................................
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Tribal Healing Practices Theoretical Perspective on Folk Practices of the Tribals
    Tribal Healing Practices Introduction: Folk healing practices had its origin since time unknown. It is believed that human evolution had its origin in the tribal society. People in the traditional period were unable to explain the cause of natural calamity as well as the diseases that inflicted them. Therefore, men in the tribal societies started to create numerous ways and practices that were believed to heal the sufferers. The healers gained a superior position in the society and claimed to possess the power by which men could be healed from his suffering. Therefore, it is very important to study the tribal healing practices as it is from these practices that many contemporary healing practices are inspired to heal the people across the world. Theoretical Perspective on folk practices of the Tribals: Different theorists in the anthropological as well as sociological dimension did studies based on the tribal practices. These practices included the various life patterns, medical system, healing mechanisms, food habits, dressing patterns and so on. Theorists such as Edward Tylor introduced the concept of animism. According to the concept of animism, the non-material elements also contain spiritual essence. It is an indigenous tribal practice. In his 1871 book Primitive Culture, in which he defined it as "the general doctrine of souls and other spiritual beings in general." According to Tylor, animism often includes "an idea of pervading life and will in nature i.e., a belief that natural objects other than humans have souls. Animism focused on all approaches to healing which are connected with the soul. It promotes that we are answerable for each and everything.
    [Show full text]
  • Taking Root in Bangladesh
    The Newsletter | No.53 | Spring 2010 24 The Focus: ‘Indigenous’ India Taking root in Bangladesh Mymensingh, Chittagong and in particular Dhaka in ever Recently, a Garo friend of mine became increasing numbers. They leave their villages to look for work or to follow higher education (at colleges and universities). Exact a high-profi le adivasi representative. fi gures are not known but during my last visit I understood that ever increasing numbers of young people are leaving for Dhaka or other He’s considered by (non-Garo) donors, big cities, in search of jobs in domestic service, beauty parlours, or the garment industry. Each village that I visited had seen dozens politicians, academics and media to be of its young people leave. Villagers told me amusing stories about these migrants returning to their homes in the villages during an important spokesperson for indigenous Christmas holidays, with their trolley bags and mobile phones, as if they had come straight from Dubai. people(s) and is frequently consulted Only a minority of Garos are citizens of Bangladesh. The large on a variety of ‘indigenous’ issues. When majority live in the Garo Hills in India (and the surrounding plains of Assam). An international border has separated the Bangladeshi I visited Bangladesh last year, my friend Garos from the hill Garos since 1947. Partition resulted in a much stricter division than ever before. Although trans-boundary mobility and his wife asked me to stay with them. has never stopped, Indian and Bangladeshi Garos increasingly developed in diff erent directions. Bangladeshi Garos were more As a result of their generous off er, I gained oriented towards Dhaka, infl uenced by Bengali language and culture, and obviously aff ected by the distinct political developments before unexpected insights into current changes and after the independence war of 1971.
    [Show full text]
  • The State of Art of Tribal Studies an Annotated Bibliography
    The State of Art of Tribal Studies An Annotated Bibliography Dr. Nupur Tiwary Associate Professor in Political Science and Rural Development Head, Centre of Excellence (CoE) for Tribal Affairs Contact Us: Centre of Tribal Research and Exploration, Indian Institute of Public Administration, Indraprastha Estate, Ring Road, Mahatma Gandhi Marg, New Delhi, Delhi 110002 CENTRE OF TRIBAL RESEARCH & EXPLORATION (COTREX) Phone: 011-23468340, (011)8375,8356 (A Centre of Excellence under the aegis of Ministry of Tribal Affairs, Government of India) Fax: 011-23702440 INDIAN INSTITUTE OF PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION Email: [email protected] NUP 9811426024 The State of Art of Tribal Studies An Annotated Bibliography Edited by: Dr. Nupur Tiwary Associate Professor in Political Science and Rural Development Head, Centre of Excellence (CoE) for Tribal Affairs CENTRE OF TRIBAL RESEARCH & EXPLORATION (COTREX) (A Centre of Excellence under Ministry of Tribal Affairs, Government of India) INDIAN INSTITUTE OF PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION THE STATE OF ART OF TRIBAL STUDIES | 1 Acknowledgment This volume is based on the report of the study entrusted to the Centre of Tribal Research and Exploration (COTREX) established at the Indian Institute of Public Administration (IIPA), a Centre of Excellence (CoE) under the aegis of the Ministry of Tribal Affairs (MoTA), Government of India by the Ministry. The seed for the study was implanted in the 2018-19 action plan of the CoE when the Ministry of Tribal Affairs advised the CoE team to carried out the documentation of available literatures on tribal affairs and analyze the state of art. As the Head of CoE, I‘d like, first of all, to thank Shri.
    [Show full text]
  • 35 Chapter 2 INTER-ETHNIC CONFLICTS in NORTH EAST
    Chapter 2 INTER-ETHNIC CONFLICTS IN NORTH EAST INDIA India as a whole has about 4,635 communities comprising 2,000 to 3,000 caste groups, about 60,000 of synonyms of titles and sub-groups and near about 40,000 endogenous divisions (Singh 1992: 14-15). These ethnic groups are formed on the basis of religion (Hindu, Muslim, Sikh, Christian, Jain, Buddhist, etc.), sect (Nirankari, Namdhari and Amritdhari Sikhs, Shia and Sunni Muslims, Vaishnavite, Lingayat and Shaivite Hindus, etc.), language (Assamese, Bengali, Manipuri, Hindu, etc.), race (Mongoloid, Caucasoid, Negrito, etc.), caste (scheduled tribes, scheduled castes, etc.), tribe (Naga, Mizo, Bodo, Mishing, Deori, Karbi, etc.) and others groups based on national minority, national origin, common historical experience, boundary, region, sub-culture, symbols, tradition, creed, rituals, dress, diet, or some combination of these factors which may form an ethnic group or identity (Hutnik 1991; Rastogi 1986, 1993). These identities based on religion, race, tribe, language etc characterizes the demographic pattern of Northeast India. Northeast India has 4,55,87,982 inhabitants as per the Census 2011. The communities of India listed by the „People of India‟ project in 1990 are 5,633 including 635 tribal groups, out of which as many as 213 tribal groups and surprisingly, 400 different dialects are found in Northeast India. Besides, many non- tribal groups are living particularly in plain areas and the ethnic groups are formed in terms of religion, caste, sects, language, etc. (Shivananda 2011:13-14). According to the Census 2011, 45587982 persons inhabit Northeast India, out of which as much as 31169272 people (68.37%) are living in Assam, constituting mostly the non-tribal population.
    [Show full text]
  • Land, People and Politics: Contest Over Tribal Land in Northeast India
    Land, People and Politics Land, PeoPLe and PoLitics: contest oveR tRibaL Land in noRtheast india Editors Walter Fernandes sanjay BarBora North Eastern Social Research Centre International Workgroup for Indigenous Affairs 2008 Land, People and Politics: contest over tribal Land in northeast india Editors: Walter Fernandes and Sanjay Barbora Pages: 178 ISSN: 0105-4503 ISBN: 9788791563409 Language: English Index : 1. Indigenous peoples; 2. Land alienation; Acknowledgements 3. Northeast India; 4. Colonialism Geographical area: Asia Publication date: January 2009 cover design: Kazimuddin Ahmed, Panos South Asia This book is an outcome of collaboration between North Eastern Social Research Centre (NESRC), Panos South Asia and International Published by: North Eastern Social Research Centre 110 Kharghuli Road (1st floor) Work Group for Indigenous Affairs (IWGIA). It is based on studies on Guwahati 781004 land alienation in different states of the Northeast done by a group of Assam, India researchers in 2005-2006. Some papers that were produced during that Tel. (+91-361) 2602819 study are included in this book while others are new and were written Email: [email protected] Website: www.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/ or revised for this publication. We are grateful to all the researchers for NESRC the hard work they have put into these papers. The study, as well as the book, was funded by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Government of International Work Group for Indigenous Affairs (IWGIA) Denmark. The study was coordinated by Artax Shimray. We are grateful Classensgade 11E DK-2100 Copenhagen to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Denmark for financial support for this Denmark book. We are grateful to IWGIA particularly Christian Erni and Christina www.iwgia.org Nilsson for their support.
    [Show full text]
  • Empire's Garden: Assam and the Making of India
    A book in the series Radical Perspectives a radical history review book series Series editors: Daniel J. Walkowitz, New York University Barbara Weinstein, New York University History, as radical historians have long observed, cannot be severed from authorial subjectivity, indeed from politics. Political concerns animate the questions we ask, the subjects on which we write. For over thirty years the Radical History Review has led in nurturing and advancing politically engaged historical research. Radical Perspec- tives seeks to further the journal’s mission: any author wishing to be in the series makes a self-conscious decision to associate her or his work with a radical perspective. To be sure, many of us are currently struggling with the issue of what it means to be a radical historian in the early twenty-first century, and this series is intended to provide some signposts for what we would judge to be radical history. It will o√er innovative ways of telling stories from multiple perspectives; comparative, transnational, and global histories that transcend con- ventional boundaries of region and nation; works that elaborate on the implications of the postcolonial move to ‘‘provincialize Eu- rope’’; studies of the public in and of the past, including those that consider the commodification of the past; histories that explore the intersection of identities such as gender, race, class and sexuality with an eye to their political implications and complications. Above all, this book series seeks to create an important intellectual space and discursive community to explore the very issue of what con- stitutes radical history. Within this context, some of the books pub- lished in the series may privilege alternative and oppositional politi- cal cultures, but all will be concerned with the way power is con- stituted, contested, used, and abused.
    [Show full text]
  • Conflict Mapping and Peace Processes in North East India Conflict Mapping and Peace Processes in Northeast India
    Conflict Mapping And Peace Processes in North East India Conflict Mapping and Peace Processes in Northeast India © North Eastern Social Research Centre 2008 Published by: North Eastern Social Research Centre 110 Kharghuli Road (1st floor) Guwahati 781004 Assam, India Edited by : Tel. (0361) 2602819 Fax: (91-361) 2732629 (Attn NESRC) Lazar Jeyaseelan Email: [email protected] Website : www.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/NESRC Cover page designed by: Kazimuddin Ahmed Panos South Asia 110 Kharghuli Road (1st floor) Guwahati 781001 Assam, India Printed at : Saraighat Laser Print North Eastern Social Research Centre Guwahati III IV Dedication Acknowledgement Dr. Lazar Jeyaseelan who had accepted the responsibility of edit- ing this book phoned and told me on 12th April 2007 that he had done what he could, that he was sending the CD to me and that This volume comes out of the efforts of some civil society organisations that wanted to go beyond relief and charity to explore I should complete this work. He must have had a premonition avenues of peace. Realising that a better understanding of the issues because he died of a massive heart attack two days later during involved in conflicts and peace building was required, they encouraged a public function at Makhan Khallen village, Senipati District, some students and other young persons to do a study of a few areas Manipur. of tension. The peace fellowships were advertised and the applicants were interviewed. Those appointed for the task were guided by Dr Jerry Born at Madhurokkanmoi in Tamil Nadu on 24th June Thomas, Dr L. Jeyaseelan and Dr Walter Fernandes.
    [Show full text]
  • Nisms Among the Khasi and Garo Tribal Groups: an Ethnographic Observation
    ! Challenges of Aging and Coping Mecha- nisms among the Khasi and Garo Tribal Groups: An Ethnographic Observation Faisal Ahmmed Shahjalal University of Science & Technology Drawing upon qualitative evidence from the Khasi and Garo communities of Bangladesh, the pre- sent study focuses on the problems of older people of these tribal groups and identify and explain some of the coping mechanisms used by the elders. Findings indicate that high status and support is extended to elders by family and community as part of tribal tradition and culture. Nonetheless, these elders still face problems that are largely a function of their age and economic and social cir- cumstances. Lack of access to mainstream services is one of the major concerns among the older Khasi and Garo people. In addition with problems related to aging, the tribal older people experi- ence negligence, exclusion, and the violation of rights. Although the tribal older people have their own system to encounter problems, they are sensitive to the fact that their community does not al- ways have the financial capacity to provide the required support. Old age is a critical phase of life. There is a tendency among researchers to view all older peoples as a homogenous group and for which age is a leveler of all other characteristics. Along with age, however, other factors including sex, soci- oeconomic background, family relationship and support, living situation, physi- cal condition, cultural practices, and more can influence how a person will enjoy later life (Gelfand, 1982). This is particularly true if the older person is a member of a visible minority group, and particularly so in the case of non-conventional minorities such as tribal and indigenous peoples whose cultures tend to be treat- ed as quaint and ancient (Manuel, 1982).
    [Show full text]
  • Adivasi and Tribes of India
    International Journal of Innovative Research and Advanced Studies (IJIRAS) ISSN: 2394-4404 Volume 7 Issue 1, January 20 20 Adivasi And Tribes Of India Dr. Manju Sarkar MIL & LS, Delhi University Abstract: India is home to around 573 tribal groups and communities. The Adivasis are indigenous peoples and are believed to be the first inhabitants of India. In India the "original inhabitant" contention is based on dubious claims and that the adivasi - non adivasi divide that created is artificial. It should also be noted that in Northeast India, the term Adivasi applies only to the Tea-tribes imported from Central India during colonial times, while all tribal groups refer collectively to themselves by using the English word "tribes". Many smaller tribal groups are quite sensitive to ecological degradation caused by modernization. Besides that, Adivasi the word is used in the same sense in Nepal as is another word janajati (janajāti). The term "Scheduled Tribes" refers to specific indigenous peoples whose status is acknowledged to some formal degree by national legislation. A collective term in use locally to describe most of these peoples is "Upajati" (literally"clans/tribes/groups"). The Scheduled Tribe groups who were identified as more backward communities among the tribal population groups have been categorized as 'Primitive Tribal Groups' (PTGs) by the Government at the Centre in 1975. This societies are present in the Indian states of Kerala, Orissa, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Mizoram and other northeastern states, and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. We will discuss about their location & lifestyle in this article.
    [Show full text]
  • Garo to English School Dictionary and the Graphical Law Abstract
    Garo to English School Dictionary and the Graphical law Anindya Kumar Biswas∗ Department of Physics; North-Eastern Hill University, Mawkynroh-Umshing, Shillong-793022. (Dated: September 8, 2020) Abstract We study a Garo to English School Dictionary. We draw the natural logarithm of the number of entries, normalised, starting with a letter vs the natural logarithm of the rank of the letter, normalised. We conclude that the Dictionary can be characterised by BP(4,βH = 0:02) i.e. a magnetisation curve for the Bethe-Peierls approximation of the Ising model with four nearest neighbours with βH = 0:02. β is 1 where, T is temperature, H is external magnetic field and kB T kB is the Boltzmann constant. ∗ [email protected] 1 I. INTRODUCTION Garo people comes from Garo Hills of Meghalaya, India. The people are referred to as Garos, their language is known as Garo. "Bachi?" meaning where, "cha.a ringa?" meaning to eat and drink, "da.al nama?" meaning "are you fine today?", are the commonest way of conversations among them. A common man smiles as he talks. They laugh profusely. There are twelve clans. Am.beng, A.we, etc; four surnames; plenty of middle names, each referring to one ancestral place in the Garo Hills. Each clan has their respective places. A.we comes from Rishibelpara. The dialects vary as one goes from one region to another. The Rishibelpara dialect is the ”official” version. In this language, "Balgito" means a lily, "Miktoksi" means a white flowering small tree, "boka" means white, "salanti" means everyday, "salaram" means the east, "janera" means a mirror, "grit" means a sugarcane, "matcha" means a tiger, "matchu" means a bull.
    [Show full text]
  • Tribal Peoples Development Plan
    LOCAL GOVERNMENT ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT SECOND RURAL TRANSPORT IMPROVEMENT PROJECT (RTIP-II) TRIBAL PEOPLES DEVELOPMENT PLAN MAY 2017 Tribal Peoples Plan, Draft Report 1 Tribal Peoples Development Plan (TPDP) Second Rural Transport Improvement Project TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................. 1 1.1. Project Background ..................................................................................................... 1 1.2. Project Area ................................................................................................................. 2 1.3. Objectives of the Tribal Peoples Plan ......................................................................... 2 1.4. Contents of the TPDP .................................................................................................. 3 1.5. Approval and Disclosure ............................................................................................. 3 2. PROFILE OF TRIBAL COMMUNITIES ........................................................................ 5 2.1. Tribal Communities in Bangladesh ............................................................................. 5 2.2. Tribal Peoples in the Project Area............................................................................... 7 2.3 Tribal People in the Subproject Area ........................................................................ 10 2.3.1 Subproject Area ................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Paper Download
    Culture survival for the indigenous communities with reference to North Bengal, Rajbanshi people and Koch Bihar under the British East India Company rule (1757-1857) Culture survival for the indigenous communities (With Special Reference to the Sub-Himalayan Folk People of North Bengal including the Rajbanshis) Ashok Das Gupta, Anthropology, University of North Bengal, India Short Abstract: This paper will focus on the aspect of culture survival of the local/indigenous/folk/marginalized peoples in this era of global market economy. Long Abstract: Common people are often considered as pre-state primitive groups believing only in self- reliance, autonomy, transnationality, migration and ancient trade routes. They seldom form their ancient urbanism, own civilization and Great Traditions. Or they may remain stable on their simple life with fulfillment of psychobiological needs. They are often considered as serious threat to the state instead and ignored by the mainstream. They also believe on identities, race and ethnicity, aboriginality, city state, nation state, microstate and republican confederacies. They could bear both hidden and open perspectives. They say that they are the aboriginals. States were in compromise with big trade houses to counter these outsiders, isolate them, condemn them, assimilate them and integrate them. Bringing them from pre-state to pro-state is actually a huge task and you have do deal with their production system, social system and mental construct as well. And till then these people love their ethnic identities and are in favour of their cultural survival that provide them a virtual safeguard and never allow them to forget about nature- human-supernature relationship: in one phrase the way of living.
    [Show full text]