Hidden Treasury of the indigenous people

Reflections on the ethnomedicine of the Baiga tribes of Central India

Abstract

The tribes, Adivasi, are often termed as the nature protectors. India is home to more than 720 tribal communities, stretched across the south to north and east to west. Each tribe has its way of lifestyle and way of living style. Similarly, Madhya Pradesh is the largest tribal populated state of India where 42 tribal communities’ dwell upon in the state. The Baiga tribe is one among the 42 tribal communities of Madhya Pradesh. It is recognized as a Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Communities (PVTG) the literal meaning of Biaga refers as Vaidya,the traditional healer, which isa unique way of living. They have rich ethnomedicine practices. In the present study, a detailed account of the ethnomedicine practices of the Baiga was discussed. This paper is based on an ethnographic study. The study was carried out among the Baiga tribal community in the Maikal hills of M.P. The researcher adopts the qualitative approach for a better understanding of the subject. The descriptive study method was adopted for this paper. The data had collected through personal interviews, observation, focus group discussion, and content analysis. The study identifies 43 varieties of ethno medicines. These medicines are said to be great potential to cure many diseases, however, due to non-documentation, many are extinct, and there is a great need to preserve the hidden treasury of the Biaga knowledge.