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Cultural Analysis of Kuru Diseases in Australian Tribe

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Cultural Analysis of Kuru Diseases in Australian Tribe Imperial Journal of Interdisciplinary Research (IJIR) Vol-3, Issue-4, 2017 ISSN: 2454-1362, http://www.onlinejournal.in Bio - Cultural Analysis of Kuru Diseases in Australian Tribe Delliswararao. Konduru1 , Chongneikim Hangsang2 & Madhu Sudhanarao. T3 1M.COM, M.A, (P.HD), PROJECT SCIENTIST "B" (N.M), NIE (I C M R). 2M.A (ANTHROPOLOGY) 3M.Sc. (ANTHROPOLOGY) Abstract : From all over the globe Tribal’s are and fatal familial insomnia in biomedical science known for their unique culture and customs which due to resemblance of symptoms with kuru. Today makes them distinct from the main stream likewise the study of kuru has marked significant impact on South Fore of New Guinea exhibits a distinct medical research with an aim to eliminate the culture which lead them to obtained hereditary epidemic disease and also to prevent the people confusion by the practicing cannibalism . from getting the disease by spreading awareness and doing clinical test. However the incubation This paper aim to highlight the effect of cultural period may extend depending upon the person. factors (belief, sorcery, witchcraft etc.) in This incubation period is also called as preclinical determining the nature of prion and its implication or asymptomatic phase. The average incubation on human beings and also make an attempt to period is between 10–13 years or can be short as 5 understand hereditary and cultural variants in years and based on the record it has been estimated disseminating the prion infection. to last long for 50 years or more after initial Keywords: Cannibalism, Cultural factors, exposure and the youngest individual recorded to Genealogy, Genetic Disorder. have kuru among the South Fore was 12 years old girl. Definition: Methodology of study: The term’ kuru’ is derived from fore word’ kuria or Both primary and secondary data were collected guria’ which mean to shake, shiver, or trembling in fear. Kuru can be defined as a rare slow consisting of qualitative and quantitative methods. progressive neurological disease disseminated by In addition to that even case study was employed to practices of cannibalism rituals among the Fore examine and understand the phenomenon. Mode people of New Guinea. Sometimes kuru can also be of study involves Participation observation by known by different names such as laughing Death social scientist and scientific examination by or laughing Sickness or biomedical names like various biomedical researches. Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD), transmissible Cultural Description: spongiform encephalopathy etc. Introduction: According to the Dr. Cole studies early relatives of modern humans, and he is particularly interested in The identification and study of kuru disease began how ancient hominines’ behaved and the in 1950 by a medical researcher Michael Alpers complexities of their lives. Paleolithic cannibalism and some Anthropologist in collaboration with offers a way to study that complexity, he said. If Australian Government. At first it was reported by ancient hominines’ were similar to modern patrol officers as psychosomatic and thought to be humans, they may have practiced cannibalism for a caused by sorcery and witchcraft. It was not until variety of reasons, including ritual, cultural, social 1957 scientific investigation was initiated by and nutritional. A researcher studying cannibalism Gajdusek and his team to understand the cause of in the Paleolithic era estimated that a human body kuru and try to find out the solution for curing the would provide an average of 125,000 to 144,000 disease. However after conducting an experiment calories, if consumed. Below, average calorie in laboratory kuru was confirmed as counts for some body parts. Dr. Cole found that neurodegenerative disease resulting from an human thighs come in at a beefy 13,350 calories, infectious agent in the brain. Sometimes this while the calves are about 4,490 calories. The disease is also as known as Creutzfeldt-Jakob upper arms are around 7,450 calories, and the disease, Gerstmann Sträussler Scheinker disease, forearms about 1,660 calories. Within the chest Imperial Journal of Interdisciplinary Research (IJIR) Page 1546 Imperial Journal of Interdisciplinary Research (IJIR) Vol-3, Issue-4, 2017 ISSN: 2454-1362, http://www.onlinejournal.in cavity beats a heart that is about 650 calories. Kuru showed unusual epidemiological There are also the lungs, which come in around characteristics since women and children have 1,600 calories, and below them the liver sits at higher rate of getting the disease than men because around 2,570 calories. The kidneys total about 380 the women become the carrier and the affected calories together. genes are passed to the offspring through the mother from generation after generation. However He concludes that humans are not really worth Kuru is not prevalent among any tribes from eating purely for nutritional reasons. The meat on adjacent groups, even after having a good deal of one human’s body could have provided a group of contract nor it has been passed to European 25 modern adult males with enough calories to countries and thus due to this distinct features kuru survive for only about half a day, he found. In appears to be a rare disease in medical science. contrast, that same tribe during Paleolithic times could have feasted on a mammoth, which with 3.6 Cultural Factors for Kuru Disease: million calories would have provided enough sustenance for 60 days. Even a steppe bison would The Study of kuru disease does not only limit to offer 612,000 calories, enough for 10 days of biomedical research but also contributes to cultural nourishment. He said that because humans offered barriers in understanding the disease and this way such a comparatively low amount of calories, his contribution of social scientists like anthropologists findings suggested that some examples of came into existence. Anthropologists like Robert Paleolithic cannibalism that had been interpreted as and Shirley Glasse had done ethnographic field “nutritional” may have occurred for social or worked on South Fore groups highlighting the cultural reasons. impact of local tradition in determining the nature of kuru disease. They also worked on establishing Silvia Bello an anthropologist from the Natural the genealogy of the Fore tribe and try to History Museum in London who has also studied understand the rituals associated with cannibalism ancient cannibalism, agrees with the paper that and how cannibalism has form as an important part Paleolithic cannibalism was probably practiced of their culture. Based on the research it has been more as a choice than as a necessity. However, she found that the practice of cannibalism has emerged said finding the motivation behind those choices from 1910 as per as the local record and how this would be difficult. tradition has been a continuous process among the South Fore .The finding of the research also give a Coming to the kuru diseases, it is one of the most clear indication about the existence of acculturation distinct features of south Fore culture is the process with the neighboring tribal group in division of labour and pattern of residence where disseminating the practice of cannibalism. Thus, men sleep in the house engaging themselves in due to the practice of this custom, a rare kind of legal disputes feuds, raids and ceremonies. While disease known as kuru has developed which results women stay in small hut along with their children, to death among them. Initially this ritual was doing agricultural works and nurturing the pigs. carried out for showing their love and affection to One of the unique features of their culture was the deceased which involves eating of brain by the rituals associated with cannibalism signifying the women and children and remaining parts by the their affection and loves t o their death kin’s thereby males. Since the brains was already affected and at consuming their death bodies on which brain was the same time were not thoroughly cooked, the eaten by the women and children and rest part of virus present in the victim brain does not die the body was consumed by the males .However the permanently leading to distortions of proteins degree of consuming the meat also varies causing malfunctioning and lack of coordination to depending upon their belief due to which each the human brain due to which brain does not portion of meet are distributed correctly based on function as it is intended to coordinate for various f the gender. As such men do not consumed the brain activities. Even after 50 yrs. of research still now because they believe that it will weaken the scientists does not a proper explanation on how strength during the course of fighting. On the other exactly prion has developed in the human brain and hand women consumed the brain because they what was the initial stage of inheriting the prion believe that the death kin are giving blessing to and how exactly it has emerged .Based on the their family which will led them to have prosperous record the last kuru to be reported in medical life and at the same time, giving indication that history was 2005 but still it does not give us a they are always present among them. Usually the confirmation that the disease has been entirely wipe meat is crushed and put inside the bamboo along out since the incubation period is long which can with some plants or other substances and then be emerged in the future generation. roasted or heated on the fire. Imperial Journal of Interdisciplinary Research (IJIR) Page 1547 Imperial Journal of Interdisciplinary Research (IJIR) Vol-3, Issue-4, 2017 ISSN: 2454-1362, http://www.onlinejournal.in Biological Factors of Kuru disease: be divided into acquired, sporadic and inherited forms. Over a decade scientific study of kuru disease has been a limelight in the field of research and many Acquired prion: experiment and research has been carried out by various biological and social scientists based on Kuru is the most well-known example of acquired laboratory and observation.
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