Sacred Spirits and Community Health: A Socio-Historical Analysis of Medicinal Fermentation among the Oraon Tribe of India and its Alignment with the Indian Knowledge System

Abstract Book of the 12th International Conference on Social Sciences, Humanities and Education

Year: 2026

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Sacred Spirits and Community Health: A Socio-Historical Analysis of Medicinal Fermentation among the Oraon Tribe of India and its Alignment with the Indian Knowledge System

Shashwat Dixit

ABSTRACT:

This research investigates the bio-cultural ontologies of traditional fermentation among the Oraon tribe of East-Central India, framing these practices as a sophisticated synthesis of spiritual ecology and indigenous pharmacology. Often marginalized by colonial biopolitical frameworks as mere intoxication, these traditions are deeply embedded in the Lok Swasthya Parampara of the Indian Knowledge System (IKS). This paper offers a socio-historical analysis of medicinal fermentation, exploring how ethanol from Madhuca longifolia (Mahua) acts as a phytochemical bio-solvent to optimize the bioavailability of therapeutic compounds. Employing a Mixed-Method Convergent Design, the study first uses diachronic archival analysis to interrogate the marginalization of Oraon practices under colonial excise regimes. Second, Community-Based Participatory Research (CBPR) in Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh utilizes relational accountability to map fermentation cycles against IKS concepts of Bheshaja (therapeutic agents) and Satmic (biocompatibility). Third, ethno-pharmacological validation via metagenomic profiling of Ranu starter cultures demonstrates how indigenous intelligence facilitates microbial transformation—a process aligned with the IKS principle of Agni (metabolic transformation). Finally, these datasets are integrated through a Decolonial Ethical Framework. By critiquing the systematic stigmatization of these Sacred Spirits, the study argues for Decolonial Cognitive Justice. It asserts that synthesizing Oraon fermented wisdom with probiotic science offers a sustainable, decolonized public health model, emphasizing the necessity of preserving indigenous intellectual property within global ethno-medicine to foster healthcare paradigms that are both scientifically rigorous and culturally congruent.

Keywords: Ethnopharmacology; Bio-cultural Ontologies; Decolonial Cognitive Justice; Metagenomics; Social History