ANUSANDHAN - A Peer Reviewed Multidisciplinary Research Repository Volume-1 pp 162-172
Editors: Dr. Shamim Ahmed Shamim Khan Barbhuiya. Dr. Saurabh Sarma.
Dr. Kowser Alam Laskar. Dr. Atiqur Rahman Laskar. Dr. Gulenoor Islam Barbhuiya (2026)
ISBN: 978-93-94174-56-6
Chapter 18
Ethnozoological Practices Among the Traditional Healers and Indigenous Communities of Golaghati village of Sipahijala District, Tripura, Northeast India
Rumki Nath Sen1*, Parichita Ray Choudhury1 and Sahil Singha2,
1 Department of Zoology, Holy Cross College, Agartala, India.
2 Department of Anthropology, Sikkim University, Gangtok, India.
Abstract
From time immemorial animals and their products have been used by traditional healers and indigenous people for treating different types of human diseases which forms the basis of zootherapy or ethno-zoology. Sepahijala district of Tripura, a biodiversity hotspot region in north- eastern part of India is a home to many of the indigenous communities of Tripura, who have been for long dependent on traditional medicines for their overall health and wellbeing. These indigenous communities possess a wide range of traditional knowledge that is transmitted orally from one generation to the next. This study is based on surveys conducted in Golaghati village of Sipahijala district and information gathered from traditional healers and indigenous communities regarding animal species, their body parts, and products utilised for therapeutic purposes, as well as the methods employed to prepare remedies for various ailments. The animal parts namely blood, excreta, meat etc. are used for relief from many health problems like asthma, fever, jaundice, skin infection to count a few. Preserving these orally transmitted indigenous knowledge systems is crucial for cultural continuity and faunal resource protection. The ethnozoological practices of these indigenous communities and traditional healers lack proper documentation, thus justifying the need of documenting this rich traditional knowledge to prevent its loss amid the rapid advancements of modernisation and globalisation.
Keywords
Ethnozoology, Indigenous communities, Sipahijala, Traditional knowledge, Zootherapy.
Cite this Chapter: Rumki Nath Sen, Parichita Ray Choudhury and Sahil Singha. 2026. Ethnozoological Practices Among the Traditional Healers and Indigenous Communities of Golaghati village of Sipahijala District, Tripura, Northeast India. In: Dr. Shamim Ahmed Shamim Khan Barbhuiya. Dr. Saurabh Sarma. Dr. Kowser Alam Laskar. Dr. Atiqur Rahman Laskar. Dr. Gulenoor Islam Barbhuiya (Eds.), ANUSANDHAN-A Peer Reviewed Multidisciplinary Research Repository. Excellent Publishers, India. pp. 162-172. doi: https://doi.org/10.20546/978-93-94174-56-6_18
