INDIGENOUS CHILD CARE PRACTICES OF TRIBAL MOTHERS IN SANTAL TRIBE OF MAYURBHANJ, ORISSA*

Pritishri Parhi**
INTRODUCTION  Indigenous knowledge is local knowledge, that is unique to a  given culture and society.  This knowledge is the information  base for the society.  Codified in the language of the  society, it facilitates communication and decision making.   Indigenous knowledge is dynamic, it changes through  indigenous creativity innovativeness as well as through  contact with other knowledge system.  Indigenous knowledge is  passed down from generation to generation usually by word of  mouth.  Today because of its oral tradition, as well as the  introduction of new technologies, the preservation of  indigenous knowledge is at risk unless it is documented.   Being inspired by the uniqueness of the indigenous knowledge,  the author tempted very much to collect some of the  indigenous practices prevailing among the tribals of Santal  tribe in Mayurbhanj District of Orissa, relating to child  care practices because of the following considerations.   Parents the world over are interested in the well-being of  their children. Almost every phase of family living affects  the child. Child care must be considered as an important part  of total programme for improved living .     * Lecturer, College of Home Science, Orissa University of  Agriculture & Technology, Bhubaneswar.  ** Paper presented in National Seminar on "Indigenous  Technologies for sustainable Agriculture" organised by  National Council of Development Communication, Varanasi, in  collaboration with Division of Agricultural Extension,  I.A.R.I., New Delhi.          But large number of children die every year from causes that  could be prevented by the parents if they had been taught the  healthful way to care for their children. Child care begins  with the mother when she isn't pregnant, what she eats and  how she cares for herself affects her chances to have a  healthy strong baby. She needs to know how to feed and care  for the infant now and when to wean the child and how to  properly feed and care for the toddler after weaning.   The mortality rate in children between the ages of two years  and four or five is great in many areas. When the children  are no longer given breast milk, they are often fed only a  diet of starchy gruel with no protein for which protein  deficiency in preschool children is one of the great  nutritional problems with which Government around the world  are now concerned.   Child care emphasizes good nutrition in relation to progress  of the child in school. It includes children's needs and how  to meet these leads from infancy to adolescence. Parents need  to understand that to give their children better living, both  the home and the community must increasingly become healthful  places to rear children. If there is not proper food to eat,  houses have no windows, if they are unsanitary, if they have  no latrines, if water for their family is unsafe and scarce,  if there are flies and mosquitoes everywhere, the children  have little chance to grow healthy and strong.   Whether the mother is categorized as tribal or non-tribal,  urban or rural, she is constantly attempting to keep her  child healthy either through conventional child care  practices.   Since the tribal mothers have better opportunities and  greater exposure to indigenous child care practices over  conventional methods the location for the study was selected  through purposive sampling technique and the data were  collected through participant observation method and key  informant technique. Some of the practices which seem to be  conspicuous and interesting were collected which are as  follows:   1.  FOR EASY DELIVERY  a) Wearing of the root of a young tamarind plant uprooted by  hand around waist region of the body of the mother at the  time of delivery pain hastens easy delivery.   b) Applying the flower/plant of Gloriosa superba (Family  Liliaceae) after properly ground in a paste form at the time  of delivery pain on the belly portion of the mother relaxes  the muscles promoting easy delivery.   c) When the delivery pain is acute, the castor oil is  massaged gently on the belly which causes easy delivery and  immediately relieves the pain.   d) It is also adopted by some women folk that tightening the  belly portion by means of a cloth in a gentle manner and then  swinging the belly lightly relieves all complications and  pain during delivery.   2.  PRACTICES FOLLOWED AFTER CHILD BIRTH  a) After the child is born, immediately normally an old lady  called Traditional Birth Assistant (Dhai) cuts the umbilical  cord of the child kept on a coin with the help of a barber's  knife (Khura) or by sharpen edge of a Samuka (Pandara). Then  ash of burnt goat cake (Chheli lendi in Oriya) is put on the  umbilical cord for its drying and immunization against any  attack by micro-organisms. It is done regularly two times a  day till the cord is fallen, thus separated from the body.  Contrary to the above, also hot fomenting by fire with the  help of oily thumb of right hand is done on the umbilical  cord for quicker drying and its separation from the body.  As long as the cord remains alive and intact with the body,  the bathing of the baby is strictly prohibited for the  Santals.   b) The child is not breast-fed for about two days thinking  that the milk is poisonous and concentrated. Instead the  child is fed a honey-water mix as its food. But after two  days the tribes encourage breast-feeding till next issue or  after three to four years of birth.   c) Massaging the baby by mustard oil boiled with garlic twice  a day is done -to strengthen muscles and to prevent against  cold and cough.   3.  PRACTICES FOLLOWED FOR HEALTH CARE OF SANTAL CHILDREN  i) Stem of Ocimum sanctum (Tulsi) with garlic petals and  purified Kochila seeds (Strychnos nux-vomica) are worn around  the neck or waist of Santal babies to prevent against cold,  cough and evil spirits. Juice of tulsi leaves with honey  given to children for cure against cold, cough and fever  (essential oil of garlic and alkaloid of Kochila seed  probably have the medicinal value against diseases of  children).   ii) Against the viral infections like chicken pox, small pox  and measles, seeds of Harida (Tarminalia chebula) and root of  Moti-saga and Cannabis sativa tied to left or right arm of  children in black thread during spring season particularly on  Saturday or Thursday as a preventive.   iii) The petiole of betel leaf smeared with caster oil and  applied to the anus of the constipative baby to facilitate  motion, i.e., passing of stool.   iv) Against severe headache, acute fever and for reduction of  body temperature, the paste prepared out of Dalchini  (Cinamomum xylanicum) is smeared on the forehead of the baby.  It gives an instant relief to the child.   v) Gall stone of a cow called "Gorochana" is used as a  medicine. It is added with mother's milk or honey and given  to the children to cure indigestion, hiccups, flatulence, and  liver malfunction. It is a very common practice.   vi) "Jastimadhu" i.e. stem part of Glycyrrhiza glabra is  roughed on a clear polished stone and given with "Gorochana"  for prevention against indigestion and used as a carminative,  improves vigour, voice and skin colour of Santal children. It  is also given with honey to cure jaundice. Decoction prepared  with milk and sugar given to weak babies and anemic babies  increases iron content of the blood.   vii) On an auspicious day namely, "Bata-Usha" the children of  the household and neighbourhood are given gentle strokes with  Bajramuli plants (Sida cordifolia). It gives as it is  believed, longevity and vigour to young child and delays the  aging process. The root powder, the seeds and the decoction  of the entire plant also if taken continuously with lukewarm  milk for a fortnight gives miraculous recovery of liver  weakness.  It was collected with a religious rite so that during "Bata- Usha" time it is cheaply available which we have perhaps  forgotten and currently it has been reduced to gentle stroke.   viii) A very useful plant to the tribals called "Puruni"  (Boerhovia diffusa) is used in different forms. The entire  plant especially the root are ground and given to the  children with food for rejuvenating the body cells. The leaf  juice with honey given to children against body weakness,  cough, jaundice and liver troubles.   ix) For the children suffering from the loss of memory, low  intelligence, sore throat, hoarse tone, an instant  improvement has been marked by chewing the rhizome of the  plant called "Bacha" (Achorous calamus) and taking its powder  with honey or lukewarm milk at the time of full lunar  eclipse.   CONCLUSION  The information as collected above are by interviewing and  observing the tribal women folk in Santal areas of Mayurbhanj  District. The informations have been gathered are based on  their age-old practices being followed. Some of the  cases/practices need further scientific analysis to establish  their authenticity by proper reasoning and further study.   REFERENCES:  1) Agricultural Extension - A reference manual, F.A.O, Rome,  1972.  2) CIKARD News letter, Vol-I, No. 1, Iowa State University.
Source:http://www.ciesin.org/kiosk/publications/94-0031.txt
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