Indian Journal of Traditional Knowledge Vol.16 (4), October 2017, pp. 638-647 Traditional knowledge and zootherapeutic use of different animals by Bhotiya tribe: A case study from Uttarakhand, India Tripti Negi1 & LS Kandari2* 1Department of Biological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Knowledge City, PO- Manauli, SAS Nagar, Sector-81, Mohali-140 306, Punjab, India; 2College of Agriculture and Rural Transformation, University of Gondar, Gondar, Ethiopia E- mails: [email protected]; [email protected] Received 23 June 2016, revised 28 October 2016 The present zootherapeutic study describes the traditional knowledge related to different animals and animal-derived products used as medicines by the Bhotiya tribe inhabited in three districts (Pithoragarh, Bageshwar and Chamoli) of Uttarakhand, India. A field survey was conducted by performing questionnaire and inventory based interviews with 150 selected respondents. A total of 39 animal species were recorded which were used for more than 40 ethnomedical purposes including fever, cough and cold, weakness, asthma, tuberculosis, eye ailments, rheumatism, etc. From this study, it was found that Bhotiyas are using 39 animal species for the treatment of over 40 different kinds of ailments. Mammals (n = 21, 53.85 %) exceeded invertebrates (n = 8, 20.51 %), aves (n = 5, 12.82 %), reptiles (n = 2, 5.13 %), fish (n = 2, 5.13 %) and amphibian (n = 1, 2.564 %), respectively. Animals as a whole or their by-products were used in the preparation of traditional medicine and flesh accounted the highest proportion among different by-products. In the present study, among 39 animals, 20 animals (51.3 %) were listed in IUCN Red Data List, were used for medicinal purposes. From the current study, it is concluded that this kind of traditional knowledge which is only confined among Bhotiyas need to be properly documented and also design strategies for the conservation and management of the valuable faunistic resources. Further, studies are required for experimental validation to confirm the presence of bioactive compounds in these traditional remedies and also explore the ways for sustainable use of these resources. Keywords: Conservation, Bhotiya tribe, Ethnomedicine, Faunal biodiversity, Traditional knowledge. IPC Int. Cl.8: A61K, A61D, A61D 7/00, A61K 36/00 Along with the floral diversity, faunal resources have long tradition in India and mostly used by the tribal been found to play a great role in human life. communities inhabited in around the forest. Their use Evidences show that human beings are familiar with in traditional medicines has also been documented in use of animals and plants for food, cloth, medicine, Ayurveda and Charaka Samhita. A large number of etc., since ancient times1,2. The dynamic relationship animals are also mentioned in Ayurvedic system8. The between human culture and animal resources in their knowledge about animals and their medicinal values environment is termed as ethnozoology3. The most is mainly enriched among tribal and ethnic important aspect in this context ramifies on traditional communities dispersed all over the country. The tribal mode of the healing of various kinds of human and rural communities are almost totally dependent on ailments using animals and/or animal products as local traditional medicinal system for their healthcare medicines, generally called zootherapy4. The needs as they generally reside in remote and far-flung zootherapeutic resources constitute the essential areas where modern health and medical facilities are ingredients in different traditional systems5. not easily available9,10. Thus, they use their traditional According to World Health Organization (WHO), knowledge for medical purpose and keep on passing most of the World’s population relies primarily on this knowledge from generation to generation in the plants and animals based medicines6. WHO reported family11. Nearly 18.5 % of total tribal populations in that about 8.7 % of 252 essential chemicals used in India are represented by the Indian Himalayan region various medicines come from animal origin7. The (IHR). Out of 573 schedule tribes of India, more than history of using animals and plants in medicines is 175 inhabit IHR12. However, the central Himalayan ____________ region (Uttarakhand) is inhabited by five major *Corresponding author schedule tribes such as the Jaunsaries, the Tharus, the NEGI & KANDARI: ZOOTHERAPEUTIC USES OF DIFFERENT ANIMALS IN UTTARAKHAND, INDIA 639 Bhotiyas, the Buxas and the Rajis or Van-Rawat13. In and close association with the alpine and sub-alpine spite of rich cultural and biological diversity in forests, these indigenous populations of high altitudes Uttarakhand, ethnozoological study is still in its utilize a wide range of biological resources in diverse infancy. Stray data/scattered information do exist in a ways. The extreme ecological conditions of high number of journals, books and reports but altitude terrains have shaped their life styles and comprehensive scientific zoological study is still cultures (Fig. 1). lacking. A large number of studies have been conducted in order to document the ethnobotanical or Survey methods ethnomedical knowledge of plant practices of Bhotiya The questionnaires survey and open ended tribe of Uttarakhand12,14-17 but the comprehensive interview/methods were employed to collect scientific ethnozoological study is still lacking. To information about animals and their products in best of our knowledge the only study reported on traditional medicines. Extensive surveys were traditional uses of animals in medicine and rituals by conducted from September 2014 to April 2015. Shoka tribes of Pithoragarh18. They have documented 38 animals species used for curing15 different diseases Ethnozoological study or disorders. Therefore, the present study is an The ethnomedicinal data including local name of attempt to undertake in-depth study as well as animals, mode of preparation, administration and use document ethnozoological uses of different were collected from Bhotiya people. The selection of animals/faunal species practiced by Bhotiya informants was based on their experience, recognition community for traditional healthcare system in central as expert and knowledged old aged person concerning Himalaya, Uttarakhand. traditional medicine. A total of 150 (90 male and 60 female) people were selected to collect Methodology ethnozoological information. We interviewed 90 (60 %) informants within age group of 55 yrs old and above, Study area and socio-economic profile of the people 2 followed by 38 informants (25 %) with 45 to 54 age Uttarakhand state encompasses an area of 53,483 Km , group and 22 (15 %) with 35–44 yrs age group. Two accounting 1.69 % of the total geographical area of basic approaches were adopted to obtain information. the country and nearly 15.5 % of Western Himalayas. First, interviews done based on asking questions Bhotiya tribal communities inhabited in higher about the prevalent human diseases, their diagnostic altitudinal region of Chamoli, Pithorogarh and knowledge of curing the diseases, and animals, their Bageshwar districts of Uttarakhand. Families are of parts and products used in the treatment. They were both joint and nuclear types and both the males and females have equal right on the affairs and decision making system of the family. These people are monogamous. They have two settlements, the upper or summer settlement where they stay from May-June to October-November and cultivate limited varieties of crop under rainfed condition and lower or winter settlement where they stay for rest of the year. In lower settlement they have limited land holding and cultivate wheat (Triticum aestivum), paddy (Oryza sativa), maize (Zea mays), potato (Solanum tuberosum), etc. They also rear livestock which mostly include pack animals like sheep (Ovis aries), goat (Capra ageagrus hircus), mules (Equus asinus x Equus caballus), etc. The three main pursuits traditionally followed by Bhotiyas are the trade, pastoralism and agriculture. Traditionally, the cross- border trade with the Tibet is the main source of income for these people, before it was banned in 1962, after the Indo-China war. Due to their constant Fig. 1 Map of the study area 640 INDIAN J TRADIT KNOWLE, VOL. 16, No. 4, OCTOBER 2017 also asked about different purposes of animals, viz. animal species are used by large number of people medicinal, rituals, sacredness, etc. The second while a low value show that the respondents disagree approach was inventory based which involved priority on that spices to be used in the treatment of ailments. prepared list of animals being encountered in the region and subsequently interviewing the informants Results for name and use. As stated by them, their traditional The large number of tribal and traditional ethnozoological acquaintance was mainly attained communities of different parts of the country make through parental heritage and experience about use of animals and their products in human healthcare medicinal value of animal to heal their families or system and it has been well documented by various themselves. workers time to time (Table 1). The present study documents the traditional medicinal knowledge of Data analysis curing various kinds of ailments using different For the data analysis, fidelity level (FL) that animals and their products by the Bhotiya people demonstrates the percentage of respondents claiming inhabitants of Pithoragarh, Bageshwar and Chamoli the