Centurion women and diverse knowledge systems

Abstract

The present study based on anthropological participant observations has been conducted on selected centurion women of Gujarat. Forty old women (80 yrs or more) were selected to study diverse indigenous knowledge systems used to cure various human and animals ailments. Personal interview schedule with the set of open-ended questions and focus group discussion with the relatives and family members of these women were adopted as tools to record the data. The study indicates that with passage of age, indigenous knowledge systems get more strengthened and refined. They have developed specific ethnomedicinal practices based on years of experience, which are ecofriendly, with no side effects, cost effective, locally available and provide first hand remedies. In curing the diseases of human and animals, various locally available plant parts are utilized. In spite of availability of modern veterinary services, these women still follow ethnoveterinary medicines to cure their animals; similar cases exist for the healthcare of human being. Even they have developed food packages to cope up the food and nutritional security of their family especially during drought. With regards to conservation of indigenous biodiversity, domestication of local medicinal plants were found to be the mean for sustainable management of natural resources by these women.