Search for other papers by Asem Tomba Meetei in
Current site
Google Scholar
Abstract
This paper highlights the enduring presence of traditional medicine in Manipur, India, particularly among the Meetei people. Their healthcare practices, informed by generations of oral and textual knowledge, demonstrate a fascinating synergy between indigenous and contemporary approaches. Meetei bonesetters adeptly employ readily available resources such as bamboo for splinting while simultaneously integrating modern diagnostic tools like x-rays. This unique blend caters to the needs of both rural and urban communities facing sprains and bone injuries, offering a culturally embedded and geographically accessible solution. Further research into mainstreaming these practices could not only ensure the preservation of this valuable cultural heritage but also potentially contribute to the enrichment and diversification of the modern healthcare system within the Indian subcontinent.
Purchase
Buy instant access (PDF download and unlimited online access):
Institutional Login
Log in with Open Athens, Shibboleth, or your institutional credentials
Personal login
Log in with your brill.com account
-
Abdullahi, Ali Arazeem. 2011. “Trends and Challenges of Traditional Medicine in Africa.” In “Reviews of Modern Tools in Traditional Medicines,” special issue, African Journal of Traditional, Complementary and Alternative Medicines 8, no. 5S: 115–123.
-
Agarwal, A., and Rachna Agarwal. 2010. “The Practice and Tradition of Bonesetting.” Education for Health 23, no. 1: 1–8.
-
Chaturvedi, Himanshu K., Jagadish Mahanta, and Arvind Pandey. 2009. “Treatment- Seeking for Febrile Illness in North-East India: An Epidemiological Study in the Malaria Endemic Zone.” Malaria Journal 8: 1–10. https://doi.org/10.1186/1475-2875-8-301.
-
Chi, Chunhuei. 2004. “Integrating Traditional Medicine into Modern Health Care Systems: Examining the Role of Chinese Medicine in Taiwan.” Social Science & Medicine 39, no. 3: 307–321.
-
Deb, Lokesh, Surbala Laishram, Nongalleima Khumukcham, Dhaneshwor Ningthoukhongjam, Surjit Singh Nameirakpam, Amitabha Dey, Dinesh Singh Moirangthem, Narayan Chandra Talukdar, and Tombi Raj Ningthoukhongjam. 2015. “Past, Present and Perspectives of Manipur Traditional Medicine: A Major Health Care System Available for the Rural Population in North-East India.” Journal of Ethnopharmacology 169: 387–400. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jep.2014.12.074.
-
Debbarma, Jaba, Dipankar Deb, Sourabh Deb, and B. K. Datta. 2016. “Traditional Bone Setting (TBS): An Ethno-orthopedic Healing Practice of Tripura, NE India.” An International Journal of Environment and Biodiversity 7, no. 2: 45–48.
-
Devi, Khundongbam Gyanabati. 2022. “Socio-cultural Factors in Health Care Practices of Women among the Lois of Manipur: An Anthropological Study.” Man, Environment and Society 3, no. 2: 303–316. https://www.arfjournals.com/image/catalog/Journals%20Papers/MES/2022/No%202%20(2023)/6_Khundongbam.pdf.
-
Fang, Hsien-chih, Yun-Wu Ku, and T’ien-Yü Shang. 1963. “The Integration of Modern and Traditional Chinese Medicine in the Treatment of Fractures: A Simple Method of Treatment for Fractures of the Shafts of Both Forearm Bones.” Chinese Medical Journal 82, no. 8: 493–504.
-
Hardiman, David, and Projit Bihari Mukharji. 2013. Medical Marginality in South Asia: Situating Subaltern Therapeutics. London: Routledge.
-
Karlsson, Bengt G. 2003. “Anthropology and the ‘Indigenous Slot’ Claims to and Debates about Indigenous Peoples’ Status in India.” Critique of Anthropology 23, no. 4: 403–423.
-
Khumancha, Oinam Teresa, and Oinam Ghanashyam Khumancha. 2020. “Understanding the Mechanism of Tribal Community Inclusion to Scheduled Tribe List in India: Meitei Tribe Plea.” International Research Journal of Multidisciplinary Studies 6, no. 10: 1–7.
-
Lambert, Helen. 2012. “Medical Pluralism and Medical Marginality: Bone Doctors and the Selective Legitimation of Therapeutic Expertise in India.” Social Science & Medicine 74, no. 7: 1029–1036.
-
Lambert, Helen. 2013a. “Moral Narratives and Biomedical Critiques in the Accounts of Bone Doctors and their Clients.” In Multiple Voices and Stories: Narratives of Health and Illness, edited by Arima Mishra and Suhita Chopra Chatterjee, 27–45. Hyderabad: Orient Blackswan.
-
Lambert, Helen. 2013b. “Wrestling with Tradition: Towards a Subaltern Therapeutics of Bonesetting and Vessel Treatment in North India.” In Medical Marginality in South Asia: Situating Subaltern Therapeutics, edited by David Hardiman and Projit Bihari Mukherji, 109–125. London: Routledge.
-
Lambert, Helen. 2018. “Indian Therapeutic Hierarchies and the Politics of Recognition.” Asian Medicine 13, no. 1–2: 115–133. https://doi.org/10.1163/15734218-12341410.
-
Lambert, Helen. 2022. “Health Care, Hierarchy and the Intracultural Politics of Recognition: Medical Pluralism and its Narratives as Ethnographic Objects.” Man Society Tradition Development 7, no. 1. https://rosa.uniroma1.it/rosa03/uomo/article/view/17987.
-
Li, Xi, Jiapeng Lu, Shuang Hu, K. K. Cheng, Jan De Maeseneer, Qingyue Meng, Elias Mossialos, et al. 2017. “The Primary Health-Care System in China.” The Lancet 390, no. 10112: 2584–2594.
-
Ningombam, D. S., S. P. Devi, P. K. Singh, A. Pinokiyo, and Bisheswori Thongam. 2014. “Documentation and Assessment on Knowledge of Ethno-medicinal Practitioners: A Case Study on Local Meetei Healers of Manipur.” International Journal of Pharma and Bio Sciences 9: 53–70.
-
Ningthoujam, Khelchandra. 1969. History of Ancient Manipuri Literature. Imphal: The Manipuri Sahitya Parishad.
-
Onuminya, J. E. 2004. “The Role of the Traditional Bonesetter in Primary Fracture Care in Nigeria.” South African Medical Journal 94, no. 8: 652–658.
-
Panda, Ashok Kumar, and Suvendu Rout. 2011. “Puttur kattu (bandage): A Traditional Bone Setting Practice in South India.” Journal of Ayurveda and Integrative Medicine 2, no. 4: 174–178.
-
Payyappallimana, Unnikrishnan. 2023. “Indian Plural Health System and Resilience: Lessons from COVID-19.” DIALOGUE: Science, Scientists and Society 4: 1–15. https://dialogue.ias.ac.in/index.php/dialogue/article/view/35/33.
-
Priya, Ritu. 2013. “The Status and Role of AYUSH and Local Health Traditions in Public Health.” The Newsletter of the International Institute of Asian Studies 65: 24–25.
-
Rao, Mohan, Krishna D. Rao, A. K. Shiva Kumar, Mirai Chatterjee, and Thiagarajan Sundararaman. 2011. “Human Resources for Health in India.” The Lancet 377, no. 9765: 587–598.
-
Reddy, Sunita. 2023. “Revival of Local Health Traditions from Healers Perspectives: Urgency of Recognition and State Support.” In Ethnomedicine and Tribal Healing Practices in India: Challenges and Possibilities of Recognition and Integration, 347–368. Singapore: Springer Nature Singapore.
-
Samanta, Arabinda. 2017. “Revisiting a Marginalized Community: The Bone-Setters of Bengal.” In Mapping the Path to Maturity: A Connected History of Bengal and the North-East, edited by Bipasha Raha and Subhayu Chattopadhyay, 255–268. London: Routledge.
-
Sanajaoba, Naorem, ed. 1988. Manipur, Past and Present: The Heritage and Ordeals of a Civilization. Vol. 4. New Delhi: Mittal Publications.
-
Sharma, Ch. Banikanta, and Lungsumpou Gonmei. 2019. “Traditional Bone Setters and Their Relevance in the Present-Day Orthopaedic Care: A Manipur Experience.” Annals of International Medical and Dental Research, 5, no. 6 (November): 14–17.
-
Singh, Harimohon Thounaojam. 2011. “The Evolution and Recent Development of the Meitei Mayek Script.” North East Indian Linguistics 3: 24–32.
-
Singh, Th. Priyokumar. 2019. “Agribusiness in Manipur and Strategies for Doubling Farmers’ Income by 2022.” Indian Journal of Agricultural Marketing 33, no. 2: 60–64.
-
Sujatha, V. 2007. “Pluralism in Indian Medicine: Medical Lore as a Genre of Medical Knowledge.” Contributions to Indian Sociology 41, no. 2: 169–202.
-
Varghese, Mathew, and Dinesh Mohan. 1990. “Occupational Injuries among Agricultural Workers in Rural Haryana, India.” Journal of Occupational Accidents 12, nos. 1–3: 237–244.
| All Time | Past 365 days | Past 30 Days | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Abstract Views | 130 | 130 | 21 |
| Full Text Views | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| PDF Views & Downloads | 4 | 4 | 0 |
Search for other papers by Asem Tomba Meetei in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed
Abstract
This paper highlights the enduring presence of traditional medicine in Manipur, India, particularly among the Meetei people. Their healthcare practices, informed by generations of oral and textual knowledge, demonstrate a fascinating synergy between indigenous and contemporary approaches. Meetei bonesetters adeptly employ readily available resources such as bamboo for splinting while simultaneously integrating modern diagnostic tools like x-rays. This unique blend caters to the needs of both rural and urban communities facing sprains and bone injuries, offering a culturally embedded and geographically accessible solution. Further research into mainstreaming these practices could not only ensure the preservation of this valuable cultural heritage but also potentially contribute to the enrichment and diversification of the modern healthcare system within the Indian subcontinent.
| All Time | Past 365 days | Past 30 Days | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Abstract Views | 130 | 130 | 21 |
| Full Text Views | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| PDF Views & Downloads | 4 | 4 | 0 |
