Medical Anthropology and Healing Through Orality: A Study on Kapherem

Abstract

Every culture, irrespective of its simplicity and complexity, has its own beliefs and practices concerning diseases. Every culture evolves its own system of medicine in order to treat diseases in its own way. Northeast India and particularly Assam is a rich zone of ethnic diversity and the Karbis are the early settlers of Karbi Anglong. They can redress their ailments through different medicinal plants which are available in their locality and forest, and also through rituals like se karkli and vurkamatha and also by an art of chanting known as Kapherem. Kapherem is the process where they heal the illness like Gastritis, infection, fractures and also to ward off the malevolent effect by chanting. It is an oral tradition which is being carried forward through generations. The present paper will discuss on the importance of Kapherem (chanting) related to various health issues and treatment of various malevolent effect of the Karbi people. Data were collected through empirical fieldwork by applying appropriate anthropological research methods.

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