TRADITIONAL HEALTH SEEKING BEHAVIOUR OF THE KHURKHULS OF MANIPUR

The present paper is based on anthropological field work conducted in Khurkhul village in Manipur. The people of Khurkhul now popularly known as the Khurkhuls have their own concepts of the causes and curing of diseases. As such, disease is viewed as a supernatural phenomenon governed by a hierarchy of vital powers beginning with the most powerful deity followed by lesser spiritual entities, ancestral spirits, living persons, animals, plants and other objects. There is a belief in the interaction between the spiritual and physical well being. Traditional healers, called maiba and maibi therefore, use a holistic approach in dealing with health and illness by providing treatment for physical, psychological, spiritual and other social symptoms. Their traditional healing practices maintain both aspects of physical well being and mental satisfactions.

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Keywords: Ancestral Spirits, Khurkhul, Maiba, MAIBI, Supernatural Phenomenon, Traditional Healers.


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