Editors Notion Press Old No. 38, New No. 6 McNichols Road, Chetpet Chennai - 600 031 First Published by Notion Press 2017 Copyright © Tribal Cultural Society and Respective Authors 2017 All Rights Reserved. ISBN 978-1-948230-92-6 This book has been published with all reasonable efforts taken to make the material error-free after the consent of the author. No part of this book shall be used, reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission from the author, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews. The Author of this book is solely responsible and liable for its content including but not limited to the views, representations, descriptions, statements, information, opinions and references [“Content”]. The Content of this book shall not constitute or be construed or deemed to reflect the opinion or expression of the Publisher or Editor. Neither the Publisher nor Editor endorse or approve the Content of this book or guarantee the reliability, accuracy or completeness of the Content published herein and do not make any representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied, including but not limited to the implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose. The Publisher and Editor shall not be liable whatsoever for any errors, omissions, whether such errors or omissions result from negligence, accident, or any other cause or claims for loss or damages of any kind, including without limitation, indirect or consequential loss or damage arising out of use, inability to use, or about the reliability, accuracy or sufficiency of the information contained in this book. Editorial Team: Amit R Tirkey, Ahammad Kabeer, Dr. Ambika Prasad Nanda CONTENTS Foreword �������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� vii Introduction ix Section I Continuity and Changes in Tribal Health System Child Malnutrition and Dietary Choices: Narratives from Tribal Families, Families of HD Kote Taluk, Mysuru 3 Healthcare Accessibility of the Multidimensional Poor Migrant Households: A Study of Ranchi District (Jharkhand) ������������������������� 21 Rethinking Health: From Jadoo Tona to Health; An Account of Tribal Health Practices in Dindori, Madhya Pradesh ��������������������������� 35 Tribal Health Practices and Its Challenges in Thuamul Rampur, Kalahandi, Odisha ������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 51 Undernutrition among Tribal Children – a Study of HO Tribes, Jharkhand 60 Chronic Pain and Health Seeking among the Bhils of Udaipur District 74 The Shift – from a Sustainable to Non-Sustainable Approach in Tribal Diet Food Habits ����������������������� 88 Section II Aspects of Tribal Health Policy A Study on Alcoholism and Design of a Health Education Programme in a Tribal Context ����������������������������� 103 An Overview of Tribal Nutrition Policy in India ������������������������������������������������������������� 116 vi | Contents Scenario of Food Insecurity among Tribal Villages: A Study Conducted in Latehar, Jharkhand 129 Section III Ethno-Botany of Tribal Healing Practices Assessment of Anti-Malaria Program Using Herbal Medicine 145 Cultural Use of Medicinal Plants among the Santhal of Jharkhand 160 Ethno Medico Botanical Studies in Selected Hill Ranges of Southern Rayalaseema of Andhra Pradesh ����������������������������������������� 173 Healing Practices among Oraon People in Brambe Village 183 Indigenous Diet and Culinary Practices among the Nicobarese 190 Traditional Knowledge on Nutritive Values of Indigenous Foods from Local Biodiversity Is a Potential Resource for Food and Environmental Security 201 Essence of Our Life: Our Belief and Our Culture 218 Social Exclusion and Health with Special Reference to the Health of Women Working in the Brick Kiln Industry ��������������������� 236 Understanding the Impact of Tribal Caste Panchayat and Marriage System on the Reproductive Health of Gond Tribal Women in Gadhchiroli, Maharashtra ����������������������������� 251 List of Contributors ������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������259 FOREWORD The idea of “Samvaad: A Tribal Conclave” emerged from Tata Steel’s belief that private enterprise must exist not for the sake of generating wealth for a few but they must also contribute towards the well-being and happiness of society as a whole Tata Steel’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) focuses on improving people’s lives through initiatives in education, health, livelihoods, sports and ethnicity A significant proportion of people residing in Tata Steel’s operational areas are from the numerous tribes indigenous to Jharkhand and Odisha and a number of initiatives of our CSR focus on empowering these communities One such initiative is Samvaad Born in 2014, the conclave encourages dialogues, discussions and dissent and celebrates the very essence of being tribal Every year, this event commences on the 15th of November, the birth anniversary of Birsa Munda, the legendary tribal hero who is revered as Bhagwan Birsa across the tribal belt of the country This conclave is a forum for communities to come together; bring collective wisdom under one roof so as to stimulate an exchange and cross-pollination of ideas; document a body of knowledge and a world-view that runs the risk of being obliterated; understand the issues and the angst of tribal communities, and sensitize non-tribal towards the same, thereby creating empathy and understanding, and removing prejudices; and highlight success stories of individuals and organizations that can inspire and create a sense of hope and positivity In the first edition of Samvaad, more than 1500 tribal from across the country proudly showcased their cultural heritage to the world Buoyed by its success, Tata Steel hosted Samvaad 2015 with a specific theme of ‘Tribal Languages’ to celebrate the beauty and richness of various languages, their literature and the wisdom ingrained in them and to underline the need to preserve the same Both editions of Samvaad met with resounding success with participation of scholars, thinkers, artists, development practitioners, viii | Foreword activists – both from the tribal as well as non-tribal communities – from more than 20 states across the country The theme for Samvaad 2016 was ‘Tribal Health Systems’ 22 scholars from reputed institutions across the country presented their papers, out of these three best papers were awarded Policies and Practices: Assessing Indian Tribal Health System brings forth these extensively researched papers in the form of an edited book, so that tribal causes find larger audience On behalf of Tata Steel I thank the editorial team for their efforts and wish the book a grand success – Biren R. Bhuta Chief, CSR Tata Steel INTRODUCTION Samvaad: A Tribal Conclave, 15-19 November 2016, saw the conglomeration of around 1300 delegates across 20 states and 40 tribal communities Besides them, ethnobotanist, researchers, scholars, NGO workers etc working on tribal issues also got an oppourtunity to meet and share under the same roof The theme for Samvaad 2016 was ‘Tribal Health Systems’ Like in the previous years, a host of events were organized on the theme this time too: lectures and panel discussions on various facets of tribal health, stalls by traditional tribal healers displaying their medicines, enabling visitors to learn and even try them out, vibrant cultural events, film screening etc were held Among these was scholarly paper presentation on various aspects of tribal health Research scholars and students from reputed as well as budding institutions across the country took part in it 22 papers were presented that brought forth a variety of issues related to tribal health, like: diseases afflicting tribal populations, indigenous knowledge on tribal medicine and healing, tribal nutrition, innovative models in tribal health-care, role of Shamans in tribal health, role of government and NGO activities etc Both academic as well as researches done by NGO entail extensive and rigorous study over a long period of time However, they differ in some stark ways, most prominent among them is that while in one theory looms large in the other, practices do That is, methodologies differ The researches presented in Samvaad by scholars from academic institutions and NGOs represented these differences This book Policies and Practices: Assessing Indian Tribal Health System brings together these research papers to thread a story about contemporary tribal health in India Divided into four sections: Continuity and Changes in Tribal Health System, Aspects of Tribal Health Policy, Ethno-Botany of Tribal Healing Practices and Sociological Dimensions of Tribal Health, the book attempts to organize the x | Introduction papers in a meaningful way, so that the readers get an accurate impression of the current scenario of tribal health Local indigenous knowledge develops as result of sustained interaction with the immediate nature They might not be “scientific” in the way we understand the term today, but they carry the essence of deep understanding of living in harmony with nature Under the dual impact of modernization and widespread development, while at one hand tribal indigenous knowledge