I am interested in finding articles and books to cite for a book I am writing on medical intuition. I am interested in all Indigenous traditions: African, Native American, Asian, South American, Australian, etc.
Dear Jennifer,
thank you very much for your interesting question! I haven't written any large-piece treatises on traditional healing myself, but have from time to time come into contact with the field in my own ethnographic research area, Polynesia. Traditonal healers and medicine played a key role in Polynesian societies and cultures before the arrival of Europeans. Depending on locality and context, "indigenous"/"autochthonous" medicine is still being practised in some Polynesian islands to a certain extent. It is interesting that you use the term "intuition", though. Personally, I'd probably be cautious in using it in the traditional contexts I am familiar with - simple because the traditional doctors follow their own diagnostic methods, classification of dieseaes etc. Hence - given this complexity and oftentimes advanced stage of traditional medicine - I would probably not lable their practises and methods as purely "intuitive". But perhaps I am simply misreading you here. What precisely is your book about? Would be very interesting to learn more about it :-)
Thanks & greetings from Europe,
Julius
I have conducted research on traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) and written articles emphasizing the need for conservation of TEK with reference to Ethnobotany and homogeneity of tribal traditional healers in Western Ghats, India (one of the biodiversity hotspots with rich endemism in India).
Articles are accessible in my profile. I am happy to support.
Thanks.
I supervised a first degree project work on traditional medication processes and I think it addresses some of those issues among the Ewe people
You might look at the Caribbean as well. Its populations of African, East Indian and other ancestry have been known to use “bush” medicines, as teas or tonics, to treat many ailments; certain foods are said to have medicinal properties for particular problems. In addition, religious practitioners, of Obeah and Kali Mai Puja, for example, are looked to for their diagnostic and curing knowledge an de abilities.
I do have one publication that deals with your concerns and, if you can locate my email address, I will send you a PDF of it. The paper is:
Raybeck, Douglas, Judy Shoobe, and Jay Grauberger
1989 Women, Stress and Participation in Possession Cults: A Reexamination of the Calcium Deficiency Hypothesis. Medical Anthropology Quarterly 3:139-161.
The book deals deal with the perception and interpretation of illness as well as traditional methods of healing among the indigenous Kanaks of New Caledonia :
C. Salomon, Savoirs et pouvoirs thérapeutiques kanaks, PUF, Paris, 2000.
Yes I am halfway through writing up the traditional medicine of the Eastern pastoral Pokot of Kenya. This includes the diseases as recognised by the Pokot and their supposed causes of those diseases as well as traditional methods of healing. There is a great knowledge of herbal cures but only by our equivalent of G>P's and those are all women. The higher ranking specialists , who deal in magical cures and ceremonies are all men. Causes are all important i.e. a naturally caused disease is normally cured by herbs. If it isn't cured then the cause must be non-natural and is dealt with by specialists and the latter cause is more prevalent
I have not seen one nor read about any but this may be of help to you.
https://b-ok.africa/book/2850543/ccc017
https://b-ok.africa/book/947031/12058d
https://b-ok.africa/book/863567/3a9357
You may also read this
https://booksc.org/book/73410754/86e31a
https://booksc.org/book/9499819/d72002
https://booksc.org/book/77786177/b95e7d
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