INTRODUCTION

Pregnancy is an important phase in a women’s life. Proper nutrition and care is

essential as eating a nutritious diet is linked to good fetal brain development,
healthy birth weight and it reduces the risk of many birth deaths. Women who eat
well and exercise regularly along with regular prenatal care are less likely to have
complications during pregnancy. There are also most likely to successfully give
birth to a healthy baby. A balance diet will also reduce the risk of anemia as well
as other unpleasant pregnancy symptoms such as fatigue and morning sickness.
Good nutrition is thought to help balance mood swings and it made improved labor
and delivery as well. Well balanced pregnancy diet includes –

 Protein
 Vitamin C
 Calcium
 Fruits and vegetables
 Whole grains
 Iron rich foods
 Adequate fat
 Folic Acid

Most nutrients needed during pregnancy come from food, but prenatal vitamin
supplements play an important role. Folic acid is a B vitamin that is very important
for pregnant women Folic acid supplements taken several weeks prior to
pregnancy. Making good life style choices will directly impact the health of a
growing fetus. It’s important to cut out smoking, drug and alcohol and
consumption. These have been linked to serious complications and risk both
mother and baby. Alcohol consumption during pregnancy can also lead to
complications such as – miscarriage, pre mature labor and delivery, stillbirth.

Care of the expectant mothers should be of great concern. Personal and

environmental cleanliness are very essential to keep the mother away from harmful
infections. In the Kakojan Village when a women is found that the continuation of
menstruation has stopped and starts vomiting and feeling weak, than they became
sure that the women has got pregnant. There are certain taboos regarding food and
movement of the pregnant women. The women is restricted to go out in certain
places like funeral ground, forest, house of a deceased person etc. as they believed
that the negative forces can harm them. The pregnant woman is also restricted to
consume pork, papaya, and sour foods etc. for the fear of abortion. In all the cases
the new born were immediately given breast milk. Prevalence of pre-lacteal feed
was found. Majority of mother applied some material to the naval of the baby for
early healing. When the child cries the mother, father or the elder used to sing
lullabies. This song is sung to pacify the weeping child. The karbi child is always
under the watchful eye of the mother, grandmother and other immediate members
of the family.

MICROFIELD AND THE PEOPLE

The village was first named as Teron gaon. In Assamese the village is named as
Kakojan. Later the village was known as ‘Kaipholangso’ Kakojan name has
derived from two words i.e., ‘Kako’ which means ‘Kako baah’ and ‘Jan’ which
means stream. The significance of the name of the village comes from the waterfall
Kaipholangso which is the main source of water for the village people.

In the beginning, the Teron people came to the village and named it as Teron gaon.
Around 150 years ago the people came from Boithalangso and settled in the
village. The British people introduced Christianity among the villages during the
19th century. The total number of household in the village is 87 and the total
population is 505 of which 276 were males and 229 were females.
 OBJECTIVE
The present study have been carried with the following objectives –

1. Care of the mother during pregnancy

2. Care of the expectant mother and baby after birth.
3. Changing trends in the Kakojan Village.
4. Lullabies
5. Feeding practices of the child.
6. Traditional health care practices of the child and mother.
7. Special diet during pregnancy and after the birth of the child.
8. Preparation and arrangement during labor.
9. Instruments used for cutting umbilical cord.

10. Disposal of placenta after birth.

11 Care during post –natal period.

12. Food after delivery.

13. Post delivery food restrictions.

14. Rest and seclusion period.

15. Disease and treatment of children.

16. Abortion.

17. Name giving ceremony.

 METHODOLOGY
To prepare project report fill work is essential. Fill work requires first hand
observation, recording or documenting what one sees and hears in a particular
setting, whether that be in rural context. There are different methods and technique
of field investigation. The value of field work was realized at the beginning of 20 th
century with the development of anthropological knowledge in various aspects,
particularly in changing socio cultural perspective. It was understood that
anthropologist should face the situation by themselves in order to get accurate and
relevant data so that they may suggest remedial and welfare measures. There are
different methods and techniques of field investigations. Following are some of the
techniques used for collecting data in the field-

 Observation Method- Observation is one of the methods of getting

information and collecting primary data while studying a community. It
makes possible to record facts in actual form.
 Interview Method- This is a method where question are prompted to the
informants of the topic concerned. It is considered as one of the most
important methods of collecting data. It was extensively used during the
field study.
 Case Study Method- The case study method is defined as the
investigation of an individual of a group in which the variables are
measured and whose imperial relation explored are the characteristics of
the individual or group. It is a form of quantitative analysis and involves
a very careful and complete observation of a person, a situation or an
institution. This is generally used to study culture change and it has
proved its worthiness in collecting data particularly for cases like birth,
marriage and death.
 Genealogical Method- This method is considered to be essential
technique of sociological investigation. In this method the informant
provides the names of all those who stand in relationship with him.
Genealogical method plays an important role among the illiterate people.
It helps in understanding the nature of clan, the regulation of marriage,
inheritance of property and its pattern, succession of chieftainship etc.
The intended study is based on aspects related to pregnancy and child birth of the
Karbi people of Kakojan village, Karbi Anglong, Assam. The data for this study
has been collected during the months of February from 12 th to 22nd, 2020. Data
have been collected from elderly women of the village, Dai buri who have
experience and knowledge about pregnancy and child care.

Primary data has been collected by applying standard anthropological field

methodology like non- participant observation, interview method, case study
method etc. Observation method was applied to collect information regarding their
day-to-day life activities. Information regarding the delivery, name giving
ceremony etc. was also collected by applying interview and case study method.

Thus the above methods have been applied to gather data regarding the topics.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS

CONCEPTION AND CARE DURING PREGNANCY: Pregnancy is an important
phase in a woman’s life. At the initial stage of pregnancy of a woman certain
symptoms could be seen like fatigue, nausea with or without vomiting, food
aversions or cravings, mood swings etc. When the conception takes place, the wife
breaks the news to her husband and then the family members and the relatives are
informed. At the time of pregnancy nutritional care is required to attain a healthy
baby. Moreover a well-nourished woman will be able to overcome the minor
ailments of delivery if any. Meat especially pork was avoided from the conception
till delivery with the belief that these are hot foods. Egg was also considered as hot
food so it was also avoided for the first three months for the belief that it will cause
bleeding. Twin banana is also avoided because it leads to birth of twin babies. The
Karbi women mentioned that duck and pork contain high fat. Avoiding pork during
pregnancy maybe beneficial as if pork is not cooked properly it may affect the
intestines and may cause stomach disorders. Fish like Borali (Aspidoparia Morar),
Mirika (Cyprinus Mrigala), Kusia (Synbranchus Marmoratus) were avoided up to
three months of pregnancy because of vomiting tendency but all other fishes are
included. The Karbis have a habit of including dry fish everyday which fulfills the
requirement of protein among pregnant women. Salt was avoided for the belief that
it increases blood pressure. Alkali (Khar) is used by Karbis in almost every dish.
Moreover, all pregnant women avoided it for the belief that it increases the BP and
reduces the nutrients found in food. The Karbi pregnant women also avoid Bottle
gourd (Jatilao) Ash gourd (Kumura), and bitter vegetables especially bitter gourd.
Bottle gourd and white gourd are avoided up to delivery for fear of or to get rid of
cough and cold. Sugarcane was avoided for the first two months of pregnancy for
fear of miscarriage. It was avoided because it may induce hyperglycemia which
may hamper the leading to miscarriage.

Non-vegetarian foods and indigenous green leafy vegetables were included by the
Karbi women during pregnancy period and believed that these foods were
beneficial for the mother as well as the baby. A special food containing chicken is
prepared by adding ginger (henso), garlic (harso), norek joksu leaf,mempo (til) is
cooked or steamed in a bamboo pipe. This dish was mentioned as very nutritious
and healthy and is given to the mother so as to get strength. Iron and folic acid
supplements are also taken by the women during pregnancy. Egg was included
after 1st trimester till delivery. Eggs may be boiled and this destroys the salmonella
bacteria and makes it safe to eat. So these proteins rich animal foods are included
which helps in proper growth and development of the fetus. All types of green
leafy vegetables which are good sources of vitamins, minerals are included
everyday in Karbi pregnant women meals. Biscuits and cakes were also consumed
by the Karbi pregnant women. Thus, food plays a very important role especially
during physiological changes which happens in a women’s life. People also select
food which is culturally acceptable. Inclusion and exclusion of certain foods during
pregnancy period leads them to remain healthy. On the other an undernourished
woman may suffer from various ailments, infection, and complications during pre-
partum period. In such cases, abortion, pre-mature birth or even death of the fetus
may occur. Poor health of the mother affects the growth of the fetus and in such
cases the newborn may be of low-birth-weight (LBW), anemic and susceptible to
various infections. Maternal under-nutrition is one of the most several causes of
LBW babies. In addition to those, poor maternal nutrition increases the risk of
stillbirth and death of baby within few weeks after birth and also causes some
congenital deformities of the baby. Therefore, realizing the close relationship
between mother’s diet and the baby in her womb, the expectant mother should take
an extra amount daily in addition to her normal diet. Her diet should be balanced to
meet the extra demand of the fetus as well as her own health. Such kind of diet
should include cereal, pulses, milk, meat, fish, egg, green leafy vegetables, fruits,
etc.

WORK LOAD DURING PREGNANCY: Adequate rest and sleep are very
important for maintaining good health, whereas excessive rest and work are
harmful for the expectant mother. Some amount of light exercises in the form of
daily household work should be performed but the pregnant women should not lift
heavy things, mop floors, and wash heavy clothes. The pregnant women of
Kakojan village are reported of performing their daily routine work throughout
their pregnancy. However some of their routine work responsibilities whenever
needed was shared by the family members. They believe that the hard physical
work is helpful to ease the delivery. The normal routine work for the respondents
are such as cooking, washing utensils, clothes, sweeping, mopping, weaving,
looking after children, carrying water, collecting woods, etc.

TABOOS DURING PREGNANCY: Various taboos relating to pregnancy are

prevailing in many societies. These are mainly food, movement and certain acts.
The tribal communities of Assam also have their own customs and beliefs
regarding pregnancies of women. According to the Karbi customs many a times
pregnant women’s food and movement are restricted. There are not enough
scientific to support these taboos, but these are very rigidly followed. Avoidance of
some food during pregnancy is common all over the world. The pregnant women
of Kakojan village are restricted to take pork due to a belief that the child might get
spotted skin. They avoided papaya especially raw papaya for the fear of abortion.
Besides that, the pregnant women avoid to go to funeral ground, forest, house of a
deceased person, etc as they believe that the negative forces or evil forces can harm
them. Restrictions regarding food are not found much. Some of them followed the
restrictions regarding food but some of the pregnant women did not follow.
Obeying and following the taboos, gives them mental peace and satisfaction to the
mothers.
BIRTH: Like pregnancy delivery is also a natural process. If everything is normal
no problem occurs but certain difficulties or complication may arise during the
process and therefore precautions should be taken before-hand. The numbers of
home deliveries were more than hospital deliveries in Kakojan village as reported
by them. Majority of the respondents did not go for hospital deliveries because
they thought it as natural phenomena and did not feel necessary to go to the
hospital. Also lack of awareness about the importance of hospital deliveries led
them to neglect it.

In Kakojan village, before delivery when the labor pain of the expectant mother
starts, she is taken to the sleeping room where she is made to sit on the floor.
During pregnancy the pregnant women can feel when the baby’s head is up and
when it is in downward position, they reported that when they experience
discomfort under the ribs and feel kicking in the lower belly it means that the head
is in upward direction and when the baby is in head down position they feel
kicking higher up in the belly, feel discomfort or pressure in the pelvis rather than
the upper belly. The Dai can also feel the head position because it feels a lot harder
than a butt or feet. The Dai give gentle oil massage over the pregnant women’s
belly to correct the position of the baby if it is not towards the downward position.
A strong chord is firmly tied to one of the bamboo posts of the room. The
expectant mother holds on the chord firmly by both of her hands so that she could
put stress in expediting delivery easily. In case twin babies the process is similar to
that of giving birth to a single baby. Once the first baby is born the Dai buri checks
the position of the second baby by feeling the abdomen and if it is in good position,
the baby is born soon after the first one and if the position is not right direction
then massage is given and after a couple of minutes or hour apart the second baby
is born. The expectant mother in such a situation is normally attended by a trained
Dai buri along with some elderly lady of the village. After the birth of the baby the
Dai cuts the umbilical cord with bamboo splinter which is known as ‘terno’ in their
local language. She does not demand any reward in return, but if something in cash
or kind is offered she does not refuse. In some cases when the mothers face some
complications during pregnancy or at the time of delivery they approach to the
civil hospital and take the help of physicians. At present some of the villagers are
aware of the maternity service provided by hospitals or health centers. Not only the
expectant mother with complicacy is sent to the hospital but also very conscious
person prefer to send the expectant mother to the hospital or seek the help of
doctors at home for safe delivery. But the old practice is still in vogue. However,
literacy is not only cause responsible for not attending medical personnel. But also
distance to the health care center, medical personnel and poor economic condition
of the family and lack of experienced family members also influenced greatly on
this aspect.

INSTRUMENTS USED FOR CUTTING UMBILICAL CORD: Clean and sterile

instrument should be used for cutting the umbilical cord to avoid infection. New
blades which are easily available in the market or shop are used now-a-days.
However, use of certain traditionally used instruments is bamboo splinter or
sometimes they also use blade, this information was only in case of home delivery.

DISPOSAL AFTER BIRTH: All the respondents who delivered their babies at
home reported of disposing the placenta with great care. They buried the placenta
in a secured place away from the reach of animals and birds. The Karbis of
Kakojan village mostly informed of burying it in a safe place in their backyard.
They usually tie it with a piece of cotton cloth and bury it. The pit is dug by the
husband of the respondent and he only buries the after birth product. In some of the
cases, the birth attendant, the mother-in-law or the village ladies used to bury it.
The old section of people believed that if animal or bird or any ghost or evil spirit
reaches the placenta, it is bad for the baby and may cause illness and disturbed life.
After the birth of the baby the people of Kakojan village as they are Christian they
do not follow any other ritual for purification after birth like sacrificing hen, goat,
etc like the Hindu Karbis. Instead they organize prayer meetings at home for the
blessings of the God Almighty where the pastor comes and reads the holy Bible
and then gave feast to the relatives and the community members as per their
capacity. The guests are served with refreshments consisting of sweets, snacks, tea
etc.

CARE DURING POST-NATAL PERIOD: Care of post parturient (pregnant)

mother should be of great concern. Personal and environmental cleanliness are
very essential to keep the mother away from harmful infection. Likewise, balanced
diet and nutrition helps the mother to regain strength and re-establish maternal
depletion at the early phase. Therefore the family members should take proper care
along with providing adequate rest to the parturient mother until and unless she
becomes normal to carry on her normal routine work. The parturient mother of the
Kakojan village is taken care of by providing rest and giving her nutrition during
post-natal period. The daily routine work is shared among the family members so
that adequate rest and care is given to the parturient mother until she becomes fit
and gains enough strength to carry on with the normal routine

FOOD AFTER DELIVERY: During the early period soon after labor the mother is
not given a large amount of meal. Instead she is fed with soft and easily digestible
mixed diet. Giving a special diet to the mother immediately after the delivery is
very common in many societies. In the Kakojan village also the mother received a
special curry with rice. It is a kind of soup and generally prepared with chicken by
adding ginger (henso), garlic (harso), a leaf which is used to provide strength
which is known in their local language as norek jorsu leaf, mempo (til) is cooked
or steamed in a bamboo pipe. Norek joksu because of its medicinal value it is
believed that it heals the internal organs of the mothers that had ruptured during
delivery and provide strength to the mother. After delivery the mother is advised to
eat papaya as it is believed that papaya increases the milk production of the
mother. They also take catfish (Magur) curry with papaya. Along with these green
leafy vegetables milk, etc are also given to the mother in order to gain strength.
Although, the period of receiving these special food ranged between 2-3 days and
then for 1 week.

POST DELIVERY FOOD RESTRICTIONS: In many societies certain foods are

restricted by the post-parturient mothers. The women of the Kakojan village avoid
consumption of chilies and very spicy food as they believed that it would make the
breast milk indigestible to the child and cause stomach problem to them and hence
it is restricted by the mothers. Items like pumpkin, bottle gourd, ash gourd and
brinjal are restricted for the mother after delivery. Bottle gourd, curd, previous
day’s left over rice, citrus fruit, etc are believed to be ‘cold foods’ that may cause
cough cold to the new born and thus these items are avoided. But some of the
women of Kakojan village do not follow these restrictions.

REST AND SECLUSION PERIOD: There is no kind of seclusion period and thus
they return to their normal routine work soon as they get strength to carry on their
daily work. They don’t have any other purification ceremonies unlike that of the
Hindu Karbis. They only organize prayer meetings where the pastor come and
reads the Bible at home for the blessings of the Almighty God and then give light
refreshment to their relatives and community members as per their economic
capacity.

ABORTION: Deliberate abortion is socially forbidden and is consider as a sin. But

the force of circumstances may sometime compel someone to resort to such
practices which, however is practiced with care and utmost secrecy. For merely, in
some society’s herbal medicine was generally used for abortion. The people of the
Kakojan village do not have any herbal medicine for abortion but if circumstances
compel them to do so they visit civil hospital and take the help of physician.

THE CHILD; INITIATION OF BREAST FEEDING AND PRE-LACTEL

FEEDS: All the children born at home were given immediate luke warm water
bath or they wipe the baby with a soft cotton cloth. In all the cases the newborns
were wrapped up mostly with washed old garments of women. Breast feeding
which is not only important for the growth of the infant but also helps the enlarged
uterus to contract easily and revert back to its normal position. In the Kakojan
village after the birth breast feeding was initiated immediately by majority of the
mothers. Nobody reported discarding colostrums. Prevalence of pre-lacteal feed
was found in some household of the Kakojan village. The pre-lacteal feeds are
given to the babies if mother’s milk is delayed. During the first time they provide
cow’s milk by diluting it with water, as it can make the babies stomach upset.
However, after initiating breast milk they have never given any other foods except
breast milk. They mostly use bowl and spoon to feed the baby. Use of feeding
bottle is not so common among the village people. Majority of the mother applied
some material to the navel of the baby for early healing like mustard oil, baby
powder etc. Except for cradles, separate bed for the newborn was not found
anywhere. The newborn of the Kakojan village sleeps with the mother in the same
bed. Pillows stuffed with mustard seeds were reported by majority of the mothers
to give proper shape to the head of the baby. Lack of cleanliness of the baby’s
linens was observed. Majority of the mothers prolonged breast feeding beyond 1 ½
years of the child. Incase mother’s milk is not available immediately i.e. initially
when the mother’s milk secretion is not there then the cow’s milk diluted with
water is given to the baby. Introduction of semi-solid or supplementary food to the
majority of the babies was in their right age. However, some mothers initiated very
early. Rice is the main food item that was given by majority of the mothers. Next
to sticky rice is cerelac, the readymade market food, was found giving to their
babies. Boil foods are given to them. In addition, bananas, apple, grapes, biscuits
soaked in water etc. were also reported.

WEANING: Weaning in an important event in the children’s life. It is the process

that refers to the manner in which the infant is departed or weaned from the
mother’s breast. It is reported that at first the mother introduces an alternative food
to the children. Gradually they give other supplementary food to the child. The
women of the Kakojan village reported of using some bitter substances like neem
leaves (Azadirachta indica), chili powder, paracetamol, black peeper etc. in the
nipples of the mother’s breast for the weaning of the child. In some cases the
mothers do not use any measures to wean away their children as the children
themselves gradually refuse to suckle mother’s breast. The reason may be due to
pregnancy of the mother or birth of the younger one as when the mother become
pregnant again, their milk becomes watery and the babies are not found of it and
stops taking it.

Rice is the main food item which is used as first solid foods for the children.next to
rice some people give cerelac to them. The mothers also mentioned of giving
roasted rice flour and bhimkol (a variety of banana) mixture. Feeding children by
most of the mothers as well as encouraging them to eat on their own from early age
was also reported.

SLEEPING: Sleeping is also a necessary action for proper growth of the baby. It is
equally important for the baby to take proper rest. The mothers of the Kakojan
village are also concerned about their baby’s good health. They reported that in the
first three months the baby sleeps most of the times and gets up on at the time of
feeding or when he is disturbed. As the baby grows his sleeping tendency becomes
less and he wakes up more frequently to play with his own hands and feet. By the
end of one year of age the baby gradually takes two naps a day. Pillows are stuffed
with mustard seeds for making the head of the newborn round in shape as and
when it sleeps.
TEETHING: Teething is marked between six to eight months. However the first
three years of a child is very important for his teeth. But the eruption also depends
on the health, heredity, nutrition, diet during pregnancy etc. The women of the
Kakojan village reported that the eruption of the teeth in the children takes after six
month and in some cases eruption is delayed. Some babies even suffer from fever,
cold, diarrhea at the time of teething it is due to the sleeplessness during the
teething process.
LULLABIES: The children songs sung either to make a baby sleep or to pacify the
weeping child are known as cradle songs or lullabies. These songs are characterized with
the humming or repetition of sounds and are sung softly until the baby goes to sleep. The
song sung to coax the babies to sleep again begins with ‘Tu-va-e’ while the song meant to
pacify the weeping child. These songs are short and musical, rhyming and rhetorical.
Repetition, rhetorical questions, conversation and mood etc. are other features related to
the form of karbi cradle songs. It is also found from the study of the Kakojan karbi cradle
songs and its performance that generally the karbi cradle song are sung by the mother
and the elder sister of the baby or the grandmother or the female baby sitter. Of course a
male taking the baby in his arms sings a lullaby. The lullabies show that how comforting
the mothers presences and enough for a karbi child to feel secure and go to sleep. The
woman have to perform task like cooking, gathering food items, cooking, cleaning,
washing, bringing water, collecting woods etc. The ‘Tu-va-e’ song is lulled to put the
baby to sleep so that the mother can collect wood, bring water, cook meals and finish all
her household works.
The song sung by the karbi people of the Kakojan to make a baby sleep is:

Tu-va-e

Mek so jang non de bong

Ae-ah-do non de

Mek so jang non de bong

Translation:

Baby go to sleep

Honey go to sleep

Don’t disturb I have lot of work to do

Baby don’t cry go to sleep

The prime objective of a lullaby i.e. either to pacify the weeping child or to lull them to
sleep is sustained in the karbi lullabies through a simple narration of their understanding,
close association and experiences with nature and its relation to their folk life.

NAME GIVING CEREMONY: In every society the child is named to give him or
her identity in the society. Organizing function or ceremony in the occasion of
giving a name to the child is very common in many societies of India. The parents
or the family members along with their relatives give the name to the baby. Among
the karbis, though they believe in rebirth and think that the children are the
reincarnations of their ancestors and thus names of the newborn are kept after their
departed soul, but the present study in the Kakojan village did not show any such
cases following their traditional culture. In fact, the name of the children is given
by their parents, relatives, according to their wish. In the Kakojan village the name
of the baby is given within one month by their parents or family members and
relatives. When they decide the name of the baby they do not directly disclose the

name to other people instead they keep it as a secret until it is reveals by the pastor
in the church on the name giving ceremony. The parents write the names which
they have decided for their baby in a sheet of paper and that sheet is given to the
pastor on the name giving ceremony day which is held on Sunday at 9am. All the
people of the village gather at the church and the pastor read the holy Bible and
give blessings to the baby and tell the parents their responsibilities and duties
towards their baby and then the name of the baby is revealed in front of all the
people of the village and the baby is then considered as the member of that
community. As in many of the societies it is seen that a secret name is given to the
newborn baby by their parents which remains as a secret and is not revealed to
anyone. it is believed that if anyone comes to know about the secret name of the
baby they might practice some black magic and cause harm and create disturbance
in his/her life. But in the Kakojan village no such secret name is kept for the
newborns. They do not believe in giving secret names to the baby to secure or
prevent them from the evil forces instead they pray to God to protect their babies
from all evil and negative forces. The names of the children are given according to
the likeness of the parents, relatives and other family members.

Some of the names given by the Kakojan people to their children’s along with their
meanings are as follows:
NAMES MEANINGS
Malingso Sky’s small star
Mercy Terrangpi Showing mercy and
bleasings
Shampri Beli/Hurjo, Sun
Thenghom Puhor/jyoti, Light
Mirlong Karbi king
Manai Moon

NAMES MEANINGS
Malongding Moon
Malongso Twinkling little star
Malin night
Serdihun Golden
Serlin Sweet honey
Mirdan Foxtail Orchid
Homsero orange

Mirmili Flower
Birbi Earth
Monjir Pleasant wind
Kanghan love
Basopi Intillegent

PRAYERS RELATED TO NAME GIVING CEREMONY

‘Hemphu Arnam do-an chari aBang,

Thur-ra lunnang:thur-ra lunnang

Alang kengri do-an la pardomnang

Ronang eRecho aphan’

Translation: Praise Him, praise Him, Jesus our blessed Redeemer,
Sing, O earth, His wonderful; love proclaim.
Hail Him! Hail Him! Highest archangels in glory,
Strength and honor give to His holy name,
Like a shepherd, Jesus will guard His children…
In His arms He carries them all day long

O ye saints that dwell on the mountain of Zion,

Praise Him! Praise Him! Ever in joyful song.

DISEASES AND TREATMENT: The people of the Kakojan village are not found much
concerned about the scientific protective measures of children by any means. Their
modes of protection of the children depend on traditional health care practices. Some of
them first treat at home with home remedies and later approach to the doctors if not
cured. Besides, some of the herbs, fruits, leaves and other measures etc as home
remedies for various illnesses were found. These home remedies and local medicines
show tremendous result in treating ailments of children as reported by the mothers.

Some the diseases and ailments and their medicines are:

LOCAL NAME ENGLISH SYMPTOMS LOCAL MEDICINES

 EQUIVALENT
Sameket Jaundice Fatigue, abdominal pain, i)‘Lokong Korong’
fever, pale stools etc. which is a big leaf
found in their hillside.
That leaf is boiled and
kept in a bottle and
taken by the affected
patient for two to three
days.
ii)Madhuri kumoliya
paat which leaf of the
guava tree.This soft leaf
is boiled and kept in the
water bottle. Dosage:
two to three days each
after one hour.
iii)Rohor gosor paat: the
leaf is boiled in half
liter of water and stored
in a air tight bottle and
is consumed by the
patient for three to four
days. The recovery stars
to take place in two to
three days.
Aphukisu Fever Shivering, shaking and ‘Lokong Korong’ is
chills, headache, body boiled and kept in bottle
aches etc. and is taken by the
patient for two to four
days each after one
hour.
Achithevenguneadet Asthma Difficulty in breathing, ‘Longdaksu‘which is a
chest pain or small insect found in the
pressure,cough,wheezing hillside of the Kakojan
etc. village is used for the
treatment of asthma. it
is grinded with dried
banana leaf. Five drops
are given to the girls
and women and for the
males six drops are
given.

Thus the people of the Kakojan village mainly rely on the local medicine which is found
abundantly in their surroundings.

FAMILY PLANNING: The people of the Kakojan village were aware of the
natural birth control measures and remain far from sexual intercourse when they do
not want child. Presently, the using of contraceptive pills to maintain the gap
between the children is being given to the karbi women. The ASHA karmi hand
over contraceptives only to the women and not directly to the male. They give
them in absence of the males. The married couple aware about the family planning
measures which they learn from the sources like medical personal, internet and so
forth. Some of the women adopted birth control measures by taking contraceptives
and other measures from the doctors.

MODERN HEALTH CARE RESOURCES: In the Kakojan village the ASHA

(Accredited Social Health Activist) worker provide information to the village
people. This health activist counsels about the modern health care measures of the
mother and child care to the villagers. In the Kakojan village the health activist
provide information about the services of the mother which includes T.T.
vaccination, immunization, prevention and treatment of anemia, delivery by
trained personnel, institutional delivery and birth spacing. These again include the
steps like-early registration of pregnancy, promotion of institutional deliveries, use
of contraceptives, promotion of exclusive breast feeding for the first 4-6 months,
proper weaning, and infant immunization, care of both the pregnant mother as well
as the newborn. The ASHA worker themselves visit the houses and provide polio
to the children from each and every household and they hand over the
contraceptives only to the women in the absence of the male family members. The
primary health center has not been opened yet in the village. They visits the
Nahorjan hospital and Bokakhat hospital for medical purpose. They also have
ICDS center which also provides them with essential things like rice, pulses etc.
The health activist gives all the information like T.T. vaccine, iron and folic acid
supplements etc. children are also given polio and all types of vaccines. Thus they
provide great role to encourage the karbi women to take medical treatment during
pregnancy and provide them health related information about various facilities and
benefits allotted by the government.

CASE STUDIES
Case study: 1
Name: Sintu Bey

Sex: female

Age: 49 years

Date: 18th February, 2020

Place: Kakojan

When asked about the pregnancy phase and newborn care after birth the informant
replied that there was some restrictions regarding food habits like meat specially
pork was avoided from the conception till delivery as these are hot foods.egg was
also avoided for the first three months. Papaya, khar (phelo) bottle gourd, ash
gourd, sour foods are avoided during this period due to the fear of getting abortion
and cough and cold. After the birth of the baby the mother is given special curry
for fast recovery and gaining strength. All types of green leafy vegetables which
are good source of vitamins and minerals are also included in her diet. Some
taboos regarding movement of the pregnant women was reported by her. She was
not allowed to go to the funeral ground; forest, house of a deceased person etc. as
they believe that negative forces might harm them. Her delivery took place at
home and was attended by Dai buri and some of the village ladies. The newborn
baby was given warm water bath and wrapped in cotton cloth. Breast feeding was
initiated immediately after birth. Within one month the name giving ceremony of
the child took place at church and her name was given as Birbi which means earth.
On that day the pastor reads the Bible and gives blessings to the child and from
that day onwards the baby is considered as the member of the community. The
guests are served with light refreshment consisting of sweets, snacks and tea. The
pastor is given a small token of gift as gratitude.

Case study: 2
Name: Prisili Lekthepi

Sex: Female

Age: 28 years

Date: 18th February

Place: Kakojan

When asked about the pregnancy phase and newborn care after birth, the informant
replied that there were some restrictions regarding food habits like eating of
papaya, khar (phelo) bottle gourd, ash gourd, sour foods are avoided during this
period due to the fear of getting abortion and cough and cold. In this case there was
no restrictions seen regarding eating of pork and egg. After the birth of the baby
the mother is given special curry for fast recovery and gaining strength. All types
of green leafy vegetables which are good source of vitamins and minerals are also
included in her diet. Kolful, fruits like jahaji kol, apple was also included. Some
taboos regarding movement of the pregnant women were reported by he. She was
not allowed to go to the funeral ground; forest, house of a deceased person, cross a
rope etc. as they believe that negative forces might harm them. Her delivery took
place at home and was attended by Dai buri and some of the village ladies. The
newborn baby was given warm water bath and wrapped in cotton cloth. Breast
feeding was initiated immediately after birth. Within one month the name giving
ceremony of the child took place at church and his name was given as Prokash
which means light. On that day the pastor reads the Bible and gives blessings to the
child and from that day onwards the baby is considered as the member of the
community. A small feast is organized by the parents of the baby and the pastor is
given a small token of gift as gratitude.
 Case study: 3

Name: Sabena Lekthepi

Sex: Female

Age: 29 years

Date: 19th February

Place: Kakojan

When asked about the pregnancy phase and newborn care after birth, the informant
replied that during her pregnancy period she did her regular household works as she
believed that it was her duty to look after her in-laws and husband. So, after four
months she had a miscarriage. Next after one year she again becomes pregnant and at
that time she took special attention of herself and her baby. She went for regular health
check-up and took iron tablets daily. Her delivery of the first child took place at
government hospital and was attended by trained doctors and nurses and she gave birth
to a baby girl and her name was given as Malingso which means sky’s small star. Later
after three years when she conceived again, she didn’t take any medical check-up or
medicines and her second child was delivered at home. Rest of her children was
delivered at home.
Case study: 4

Name: Tado Terrangpi

Sex: Female

Age: 42 years

Date: 20th February

Place: Chekso

When asked about the role of ASHA karmi towards the pregnant women and how
they advice them regarding their diet, proper nutrition, medical care, promoting
medical institution, proper sanitation and immunization. It was reported that they
counsel about the modern health care measures of mother and child care to the
village women’s. They provide information about the service of the mother which
includes the TT vaccination, polio, BCG and Pentavalent vaccine, treatment of
anemia, institutional deliveries, birth spacing, early registration of pregnancy,
provision of family planning, use of contraceptives, promotion of exclusive breast
feeding, proper weaning, creation of awareness about essential real born care
among the pregnant women and mother of the new born. They supervise and help
the people of the village by providing adequate knowledge to them.
CASE STUDY: 5

Name: Munginti Terrangpi

Sex: Female

Age: 37 years

Date: 21ST February

Place: Kakojan

When asked to the informant about the pregnancy history. She reported that she
has three children. Her first child was born at home. During her first pregnancy
there were no complications but when she conceived for the second time, she had a
miscarriage. She felt excessive pain in her abdomen. When visited to the hospital
she came to know that she had miscarriage. It was due to her nutritional negligence
and heavy lifting. Again, she conceived for the third time, this time she had twin’s
babies. She took special care of herself as advised by the doctors by increasing her
diet, nutrition, taking additional vitamins, calcium capsule and folic acid tablets
provided by the ASHA karmi workers. She gave birth to the baby at home which
was attended by trained Dai buri along with experienced elderly village women.
Breast feeding was initiated immediately after the birth of the baby. At the time of
interaction with the informant, it was found that both the mother and the baby were
in good condition.
CONCLUSION: From the above discussion, it is found that, when the
conception takes place the woman first breaks the news to her husband and then to
the family members. During the pregnancy period a restriction regarding food and
movement was reported to prevent the baby and the mother from harmful negative
forces. The mother is taken care during as well as after the birth of the baby.
Majority of the mother prolonged their breast feeding and incase the women
conceives again then the breast feeding is discontinued. Time of introduction of
solids or semi-solid food was in their right age. Nevertheless, it can be stated that
although the mothers shows a positive figure in case of feeding practices of the
child, personal cleanliness is still a matter of great concern among the Karbis of
Kakojan village. Lack of cleanliness of baby’s linens was observed. Though
traditionally, the village women were not aware the scientific knowledge of
application of breast feeding within 12 hours of delivery and its advantages in child
health. But now a days due to the availability of modern health care facilities all
the women becomes conscious and feed their child immediately after birth as this
milk contain colostrums. Nobody reported of discarding the colostrums. Most of
the women feed their child by a fixed schedule. Some of them follow demand
schedule to feed their child when the child cries. Others follow mixed schedule to
feed their child. They feed the child more than 10 times in a day before 6 months
of the child. At night also they feed the child when they awake from sleeping and
sometimes when the child cries. A mother with her first child is not always familiar
with the whole process of feeding. In the study area, the women who delivered her
child at the hospitals learnt more about the process of breast feeding from the
nurses of the respective hospitals.