Western Medicines Impact on the Traditional Beliefs of the Kaliai

A detailed Summary of Western Medicines Impact on the Traditional Beliefs of the Kaliai

The people of the Kandoka village, located in Papua New Guinea, have quite a unique way of life that differs from that of Western civilization in several ways. They are essentially a simple society based on subsistence horticulture and occasional hunting. With a population of approximately four hundred people, the Kandoka village is "the largest of the five coastal villages of Lusi-Kaliai speakers. Travel between these different communities is achieved by foot or sea and usually requires a substantial amount of time. This can be quite problematic in cases of medical emergency. Although a registered nurse is located at an Aid Post a few miles from the village, more serious cases are often referred to hospitals quite far away. The Kaliai have now been in contact with Western culture for over a century and with Western medicine for almost fifty years. They have still managed to maintain their strong cultural beliefs and practices while at the same time integrating certain aspects of Western culture into theirs. In this essay I will discuss how the availability of Western medicine has affected how the Kaliai perceive and explain causes of illness and methods of treatment, when they seek this type of treatment, and how they ex

Western Medicine's Impact on Perceptions of Illness

It is because traditional medicine is generally approached after Western medicine that it is harder for the Kaliai to explain what happened when it fails. One explanation for why their traditional method did not work involves Paul. Loa's attempt to cure him was unsuccessful therefore it was claimed that he had waited too long to seek her assistance. Similarly, Christy's retardation is said not to have been the result of her spirit being caught in Bou's kisinga but because it remained inside for so long.

It generally appeared that this method of treatment was selected over traditional medicine especially when symptoms were recognized as being similar to ones that had been cured through Western medicine in the past. Examples of this involve the infection of Paul's thumb, Tina's high fever, and Nathan's swollen face. Shortly after the symptoms appeared, Paul approached the Counts for first-aid treatment. With this infection continuing to worsen, his next action was to travel to the mission clinic to see if they could heal him. In Tina's case her parents wanted to take her to the Health Centre but bad weather prevented them from travelling there. They, like Paul, then approached the anthropologists for help. In Nathan's situation he was administered treatment at the Kaliai Health Centre and was then paid a visit by the Counts. "The anthropologists, and their pills, were credited with predicting the time of his recovery and with his cure." These cases suggest a high level of confidence in Western medicine's ability to heal. Unfortunately, in Paul's case he was unable to get to a better medical facility in time and ended up needing to have his thumb amputated. Drs. Dorothy and David Counts were often consulted both because of their close proximity and because they were highly respected by the villagers. The other common place travelled to for treatment was the Kaliai Health Centre staffed by trained nurses.

The Kaliai's traditional beliefs relating to illness and healing have been culturally embedded into every member of society over countless generations. The Kaliai are highly spiritual people who believe in the presence of "powerful extra-human intelligent spirits." Certain members within the village are known to practice sorcery and witchcraft. These people have the ability to cast spells and inflict harm on others. The reverse is also true for they are often approached by the ill or injured seeking a cure for their ailment.

Another case relating to the spiritual world involved the young infant Tina. The child's sudden and mysterious illness seemed unaffected by Western medicine, which prompted her mother to take her to another woman in the village for traditional treatment. The woman, Cookie, decided it was necessary to contact the spirit of ginger to determine what was wrong with Tina. With the assistance of Leo, "who was known to be on good terms with the spirit," they concluded that her recently deceased uncle had possession of her spirit and was unwilling

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Approximate Word count = 2064
Approximate Pages = 8 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: Science