Abstract:

The present work is an attempt to understand the indigenous knowledge regarding tribal health care system, disease and treatment on one hand and traditional cultural, heritagein the form of traditional medicines as well as medicine men on the other. The present study conducted among the Santal tribes, at Balarampur and Baghmundi Blocks in Purulia District, West Bengal, India. The Santals are one of the major tribes in West Bengal'State. The Santal covers 51.8% of all the Schedule Tribes in West Bengal (Census, 2001). Among all Schedule Tribes, the Santals constituted 64.44% in Purulia District. In the above, two studied blocks the Santals are the majority among all the Schedule Tribes. The major objectives of the present research are i) to examine the socio-cultural, environmental and socio-economic dimensions of tribal health, ii) to examine the health care practices, perception of health, disease and treatment both traditional and western system of medicine and interaction between the traditional and western system ofhealth care, iii) in this context it is also examine how deforestation, forest degradation, commercial afforestation and mono plantation affecting their livelihood and health care system.