AGROBIODIVERSITY & AGROECOLOGY | 01(01) NOVEMBER 2021

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ISSN 2564-4653 | 01(01) Nov 2021
M – 00257 | Research Article

Importance of the Indigenous Plant Knowledge: Study of Selected Plant Species

Culturally Used by the Karbi Community of Karbi Anglong District, North-East India
Kliret Terangpi
Department of Botany, Assam Don Bosco University, Tapesia Gardens, Kamarkuchi, Sonapur-782402, Assam, India.
Email: [email protected] | ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5578-334

How to cite this paper: Terangpi, Abstract

K. (2021). Importance of the
Indigenous Plant Knowledge:
The North-East region in India is recognized as a major hotspot of biodiversity with a
Study of Selected Plant Species vast range of flora and fauna. The region extends from the plain areas such as the Barak-
Culturally Used by the Karbi Brahmaputra Valley of Assam to the mountainous regions of Nagaland and Arunachal
Community of Karbi Anglong Pradesh. The population in the region is just as diverse as its biodiversity with people
District, North-East India. residing in plain areas as well as in the hilly and mountainous areas. The vast forest area
Agrobiodiversity & Agroecology,
01(01): 65-78. Doi: and availability of forest resources provide food, medicine, and, to some extent,
https://doi.org/10.33002/aa010104 livelihood for the different Indigenous people residing in the region; and hence their
dependency and relationship with forest resources are tight knitted. The Karbi tribe is an
ethnic community residing in the Karbi Anglong district in Assam state of the NE region.
Received: 15 September 2021
Reviewed: 05 October 2021
Their knowledge of forest resources, familiarity with the intricacies associated with it,
Accepted: 10 October 2021 utilization of various plants is found in the natural habitats for everyday purposes along
Published: 10 November 2021 with owning small and micro-farms have made them quite adaptable to the hilly
Copyright © 2021 by author(s) environment. In the past, the Karbis mainly resided in the mountainous and hilly areas;
but to access better facilities, most of the people have migrated and settled in the plains.
The era of connectivity and urbanization has affected the forest areas that have gradually
Publisher’s Note: We stay neutral led to the loss of plants in their wild natural habitat, some of which hold a significant
with regard to jurisdictional claims cultural identity and religious beliefs. In the present day, the younger generation has
in published maps, permissions shifted from old ties and traditions, which might have contributed to the loss of
taken by authors and institutional
knowledge about plants used for various purposes and certain Indigenous practices.
affiliations.

Keywords
North-East India; Karbis; Cultural and religious beliefs; Medicinal plants
License: This work is licensed under
the Creative Commons Attribution
International License (CC BY 4.0).
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/b
y/4.0/ 1. Introduction

For centuries, plants have contributed to fulfilling the different needs of humans
for their food, protection, medicines, and livelihood representing the tightly knit
relationship of human interaction with nature and its resources. In developing countries
like China and India, plants are used as medicines by the Indigenous peoples, especially
those residing in rural areas. They incorporate the various parts of plants in their
traditional medicines and practices to treat minor injuries and ailments. There are several
Editor-in-Chief:
Dr. Didier Bazile (France)
traditional systems of medicine practiced in India, but among them, the most widely
Deputy Editors-in-Chief:
accepted and recognized systems are Ayurveda, Siddha, Unani system (Shakya, 2016;
Dr. Habil. Maria-Mihaela Antofie Chauhan, 2020). Ayurveda, which means the science of life, has originated in India
(Romania); Dr. Gordana Đurić through folk medicine, and is believed to be a complete medical system because the
(Bosnia i Herzegovina) well-being of the human body from physical, psychological to spiritual is taken into
Technical & Managing Editor:
Dr. Hasrat Arjjumend (Canada)
ISSN 2564-4653 | Agrobiodiversity & Agroecology | vol.01, No.01 (November 2021): 65-78 | Doi: https://doi.org/10.33002/aa010104

consideration under this science (Ravishankar and Shukla, 2007). The earliest use of
plants for medicinal purposes was documented in the Vedas around 4,500-6000 BC
representing the oldest repository of human knowledge comprising 67 plant species (Pei,
2001). Chauhan (2020) stated that the country has a rich flora and fauna cover and, hence
is an inventory for more than 20,000 plant species having different medicinal properties.
But 7% of the flora are on the verge of extinction. However, in recent years, there has
been renewed interest and ongoing research about the pharmacological traits found in
medicinal plants leading to the rediscovery of new drugs or medicines for the treatment
of illnesses (Shakya, 2016). The majority of the population worldwide is gradually going
back to their roots of using by-products such as medicines or cosmetics sourced from
nature. Such by-products are stated to have lesser harmful side effects compared to the
synthetic drugs and cosmetics widely available in the markets.
The North-East region of India contributes significantly to the medicinal plants'
repository of India, and, hence, it is recognized as one of the major hotspots of
biodiversity. This region comprises eight states and is inhabited by more than 180 major
Indigenous communities out of the total 427 tribal communities existing in India (Sajem,
Rout and Nath, 2008). The different Indigenous people of the region have a close
relationship with plants and are dependent on plants to augment their daily lives in the
form of food, medicines, livestock feed, and livelihood; therefore, the plants have both
economic and medicinal values. Apart from using plants for commercial and medicinal
values, each tribe in the region has its unique interpretation of utilizing plants following
the local traditions, customs and culture, religious rituals and ceremonies or festivals.
Karbi Anglong is a hill district situated in Assam state. The geographical area covered
by the district is 10,434 sq. km situated between 92°10´-93°50´ E and 25°33´-26°35´ N.
The district comprises two different areas – the western part, which is also known as the
Hamren sub-division, and the eastern part, which comprises Diphu and the Bokajan sub-
divisions (Basumatary, Teron and Saikia, 2014). Many tribal communities reside in the
district, but the Karbi tribe is the major ethnic community in the district. Karbi is the
local dialect spoken by this particular ethnic group. These people are deeply embedded
with nature and its resources to meet their daily requirements contributing to their vast
knowledge of wild and medicinal plants. Their traditional medicines are used to treat
minor injuries and ailments, especially by those inhabiting the rural and hilly areas that
do not have immediate access to modern facilities and modern medicines. Originally,
the Karbis are animists in nature, and are known as Aron Ban, as they offer their prayers
to unseen and territorial spiritual beings because they believed that everything in the
universe can be seen and felt. According to them, the sun, moon, sky, forest, rain, wind,
stream, hill, fire, or house all have spirits in it. The Karbi tribe is widely spread over the
East Karbi Anglong district as well as in the West Karbi Anglong district of Assam.
They are said to be the worshippers or followers of 'Hemphu-Mukrang-Rasinja',
and, hence, preferably called themselves as 'Hemphu-Mukrang Aso' meaning the child
of Hemphu and Mukrang. Both plants and animals play an essential role in most of the
religious rituals and ceremonies of the Karbis (Timung and Singh, 2019). Slash and burn
or Jhum cultivation is widely practiced by this tribal community, especially by those
residing in the hilly areas. In the past, the majority of the Karbis inhabited the hilly
regions with easy accessibility to forest resources. Traditional attire also represents the
cultural identity of a person belonging to a particular group in a region or a country, and
the Karbis also have their own traditional attire as well. The Karbi woman attire usually
consists of four parts of cloth, the first being the pekok, a blouse known as jiso, and
lastly, the pini tied around the waist with the help of a vangkok. In the past, most of the
cloth wore by the Karbis were usually dyed with the colors obtained from natural
sources, and the pekok and the pini received their rich dark indigo color from the dye

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obtained from the leaves of Sibu or Bujir ( Marsdenia tinctoria R.Br.). The leaves of
Sibu are allowed to soak overnight in warm water and then the thread is dipped into the
colored water for few minutes before it is hanged out to dry for a few days before it can
be woven. The yellow dye is obtained by boiling the peels of several Citrus grandis (L.)
called as Rui-bap in the local language. The traditional attire is woven using traditional
techniques including handloom, which consists of several components such as Har-pi,
The-ning, The-hu, The-langpong, Ah-hieh, Edoi, and Barlim. Almost all the components
are carved out from bamboo, except the Har-pi that is made from the wood of Caryo
taurens Linn. (known as Dok-kichu Arong in the local dialect).
Other than having a diverse culture and traditions, the Karbis also have a vast
knowledge of wild and medicinal plants that are widely used in traditional medicines
and practices as part of their primary healthcare. Traditional knowledge is the
accumulation of forefathers' knowledge, personal experiences with all the trials and
errors passed down orally from one generation to the next generation, and hence, there
are no proper written records or documents found. Most of the knowledge is either kept
in the family or shared only with a few selected people who wished to learn and practice
it later on. In this way, the knowledge is passed on in an unspoken way. At the same
time, the beliefs and traditional rituals, especially among the people in the rural areas,
have indirectly kept the traditional practices and medicines prevalent even in modern
times. In a way, the traditional ceremonies and rituals have been kept alive for a long
time. Nowadays, since there is a demand for natural medicines and products, this
knowledge can be unearthed and documented properly which can even lead to the
rediscovery of drugs. On the other hand, the human population is increasing worldwide
and the demand for more living spaces and food production are eventually leading to
more tampering and loss of natural habitats. Nowadays, medicinal plants are destroyed
or lost when the natural habitats are spoiled for building different infrastructure and more
emphasis is given on growing cash crops, such as wheat or sugarcane. Degradation of
the natural habitats due to farming and lack of awareness about the importance of the
plant is also one of the main reasons why the population of plant species has declined in
their wild habitats.

2. Methodology

The present study was undertaken among the Karbis residing in Diphu town
situated in Karbi Anglong district of Assam, whereas its adjacent areas such as
Rongjangphong, Lorulangso-II, Ram Teron Village, and Rongkhelan were visited
during June 2021-August 2021. From the adjacent villages of Diphu, a total of 25
respondents were interviewed (age between 27 and 56 years). They were randomly
selected consisting of 10 males (4 of them were traditional practitioners) and 15 females.
The sampling was snowball sampling wherein the information was gathered from
traditional healers, religious practitioners and local households through unstructured
interviews and personal observations. Unstructured interviews can be defined as the
interviews that are flexible and does not consist of a prepared questionnaire beforehand,
hence there are no specifications in the wording or order of the questions to be asked.
The questions in this type of interview are spontaneously asked depending on the interest
of the respondent in a specific topic and the said topic is explored in an unrestricted
manner (Ahuja, 2001). Before the interview, the purpose of the study was explained
along with the verbal consent from each of the informants was taken. The information
along with photographs of the selected plant species was documented along with
referring to relevant past articles and works of literature for their identification along
with the scientific names (Teron, 2006; Teron, 2008; Borthakur and Teron, 2012,

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Basumatary, Teron and Saikia, 2014; Singha and Timung, 2015; Timung and Singh,
2019). Few of the questions that were asked during the interview included:
1. What are some of the plants and their parts used in religious
rituals and ceremonies in Karbi culture?
2. Are there any taboos or beliefs involved when performing
the religious ritual?
3. What are the reasons that have caused the loss of traditional
knowledge and traditions among the Karbi youth?
4. Among the plant species mentioned, are there any plants
used in the preparation of traditional medicine?
5. Other than being used in Karbi traditions and customs, are
there any other uses of the selected plant species?

Fig 1: Map of Karbi Anglong district showing the block and sub-divisions headquarters

3. Results and Discussions

3.1 The Cultural Identity of the Karbi Tribe, Jambili Athon

The traditional symbol of the Karbi tribe is known as Jambili Athon, which is
usually made during the death ceremony observed by the Karbis. It is known as
Chomangkan, and, among the other festivals or ceremonies, it is considered the most
expensive festival of the Karbis (Teron, 2008). This festival is held to honor many
generations of ancestors who have passed away so that a safe passage is ensured for their
souls to reach the village of the afterlife known among as Chom Arong. It is believed
that if the Chomangkan festival is not held properly, the souls or spirits will wander on
the Earth and never reach the spiritual village. Therefore, the festival is held only after
meticulous planning and utmost care. It goes on continuously for 4-5 days from dusk to
dawn without any breaks in between. The mourn songs are sung, and ritual rites are
chanted by the elderly women (religious women). Jambli Athon, which is used for the
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mourn festival Chomangkan, can only be made using the wood of Wrightia arborea
(Densst.) Mabb. The local informants mentioned that, in the past, after carving the
Jambili Athon it was kept aside for several weeks until the wood eventually had to
blacken. Nowadays, as the symbol has become part of cultural identity for the Karbi
tribe, it is carved out on a large scale and dyed with a synthetic black dye. It can be seen
in almost every household of the Karbis even if it is a miniature version that has added
commercial value.

3.2 Se-Karkli, An Important Religious Ritual of Cultural Identity

There are many religious rituals, ceremonies or festivals observed among the
Karbi tribes, such as Chomangkan, Chojun and Rongker. These are socio-religious
ceremonies when the entire community or entire village comes together. Se-Karkli is the
most significant among them, as it is only practiced by the Karbi tribe contributing to
the cultural identity Se-Karkli is a religious ritual where the prayers and offering of a
sacrifice are carried out to appease the various deities or supernatural beings that the
Karbis believed in, such as the sky God. Arnam means God in the local dialect, and
among all the supernatural beings, Hemphu Arnam is the most dignified and supreme
God of the Karbis. The religious ritual can only be performed by the religious man
(priest) known as Kurusar. Some of the Kurusar are also traditional practitioners or
healers owning to their vast knowledge of wild and medicinal plants. The knowledge of
one Kurusar is passed on to the next male or son in the family. The practice of Kurusar
is mostly preserved or kept within the family. If a person from outside the family wants
to learn or practice, he has to be an apprentice of a previous learned Kurusar. Several
plants are involved for performing the ritual of Se-Karkli such as freshly powdered rice
is mixed properly with water to prepare the Hor Alang and the prepared Hor Alang is
stored in a small, cleaned and dried bottle gourd (Langenaria siceraria Standley) at the
beginning of the ritual. Usually, the young and slender stalk of a particular bamboo
species known as kaipho (Dendrocalamus hamiltonii) is used for the ritual. The resin,
known as hijung ke-ik, is obtained from Canarium resiniferum (Brace ex. king) along
with the leaves of banana (Musa) locally called Loh or Lothe Arvo, and the leaves of
tuluhi (Ocimum tenuiflorum) play major roles for performing the ritual. The plant parts
used in the ritual have different purposes and meanings. The leaves of banana are used
as a platter to keep the offerings; tulukhi is used for purifying the water; resin of hijung
ke-ik is ignited as incense when the sacrifice is offered; and smoke is emitted from the
resin continuously until the ritual is complete.

3.3 Hor, An Important Alcoholic Beverage of the Karbis

The alcoholic beverage of the Karbi tribe, known as Hor, plays an integral role in
their socio-cultural life. Different ethnic tribes in the region have their unique method of
preparing the alcoholic beverages made from almost the same or different ingredients.
Several ingredients and processes are involved in the preparation of Hor and the
ingredients are mainly obtained from different plants. The locally prepared rice cake
(thap) is the yeast starter for the alcohol, and it is prepared by pounding the soaked rice
together with the leaves of Croton joufra Roxb. (locally known as Marthu). It is added
to the mixture along with the bark of Acacia pennata Willd. commonly known as Themra
(Teron, 2006). Sometimes, the leaves of Jangphong (jackfruit, Artocarpus heterophllus
Lamk.) are added to the mixture. The mixture is then shaped into little rice balls that are
allowed to dry for 3-4 days before using for the preparation of traditional rice beer. There
are two types of Hor prevalent in Karbi culture: Hor Alang and Hor Arak. The former is
prepared by soaking the cooked rice already mixed with thap in cold water for 2-3 days
in a pot. It is consumed in the summer season, as it has a cooling effect. To prepare the

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latter, the soaked rice is mixed with the thap and kept for a maximum of 5 days before
it is cooked over the fire for several hours when the steam is allowed to accumulate
leading to the production of distilled alcohol. The Karbis use Hor Alang more than Hor
Arak on several occasions, such as cultural and religious rituals including SehKarkli,
Chojun and Rongker. The traditional marriage of the Karbis, known as Adam-Asar, is
incomplete without HorAlang stored in Bongkrok, which is made from the dried and
empty shell of the bottle gourd, Langenaria siceraria (Mol.) Standl. Depending on the
occasion, the different sizes and shapes of the bottle gourd serve different purposes. The
larger size is preferred for the marriage ceremonies, whereas the smaller one is used for
Se-Karkli (Teron, 2006).

3.4 Knowledge Based on Plants

Although the selected plants play a significant role in the cultural identity and
traditions of the Karbi tribe, few of them are also used as medicine by the traditional
healers or practitioners who incorporate plant parts in traditional medicines for treating
minor injuries or ailments. The plant species are enumerated in alphabetical order with
information regarding its botanical name, vernacular name, part of the plant used as
medicine, and lastly, the preparation and uses of the plant species have been mentioned
in the table 1 below.

Table 1: Some of the plants with medicinal value used by the Karbis to treat minor
ailments
Serial Botanical Name Family Vernacular Parts used Mode of preparation and uses
No. name
1. Acacia pennata Willd. Mimosaceae Themra Bark, The bark is dried properly and
Leaves pounded together with thap until a
fine powder is obtained. This
powder is put directly on the wound.
A clean cloth is bandaged over it.
2. Canarium resiniferum Burseraceae Hijung ke-ik Resin The resin is crushed into a fine
Brace ex. King powder, which is pounded together
with fresh turmeric (Curcuma longa
Linn.) until a fine paste is obtained
and applied to wounds and boils and
bandaged with a clean cotton cloth.
3. Dendrocalamus Poaceae Kaipho The whole The outer or inner part of the
hamiltonii plant bamboo is scarped continuously
with the help of a knife until a fine
powdery substance is obtained and
applied directly on minor cuts and
injuries to stop the bleeding.
4. Wrightia arborea Apocynaceae Bengvoi ke- Bark A thin layer is scraped carefully
(Densst.) Mabb. lok from the bark and ground into a fine
paste. The paste is applied directly
onto the skin to treat boils.

Bamboo, which is a versatile plant species known to mankind, has been used by
the Karbi tribe for ages for various purposes. There is bamboo (Chek) folklore (Chek-
keplang alun) passed from one generation to the next generation through oral traditions
(Singha and Timung, 2015). The particular bamboo species, locally known as Kaipho,
is extensively used by the Karbis as food, medicine, or shelter to craft artifacts and
objects used in their daily lives. Karbi houses, called Hem Theng-song (meaning house
built on top of a wood or tree), mostly seen in remote rural areas, are entirely built using

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bamboo from the flooring and doors to the walls and ceilings. To main entry to the house,
the ladder called Don-Don, is also made using bamboo. Some of the cultural artifacts
and objects weaved by the Karbis from Kaipho are Beleng (it is a large circular mat
bound with cane splits around the rims) often used for winnowing paddy and rice. Hak
(it is a cylindrical basket that has various sizes) is mostly used for carrying jhum by-
products other than being used for special occasions and festivals such as during Adam-
Asar. It is customary to carry the bongkrok filled with horlang in Hak as part of marriage
ritual. Some products used for daily purposes such as Vo-um (cage for domestic fowls
having various shapes and sizes) or Tar (bamboo mat) are also made from bamboo.
Therefore, it can be stated that the bamboo is a very valuable plant resource for the
Karbis (Borthakur and Teron, 2012).
Edible food items are also prepared from the young bamboo shoot called Han-up,
which acts as a souring agent in meat dishes, especially in pork and fish. Themra, which
is sold in the local markets mainly by the women of the Dimasa tribe, is one of the most
important ingredients needed to make and is used to ferment the cooked rice before the
alcoholic beverage is prepared. Hor is very important for the people in the rural areas,
as they are dependent on it for their source of income. At the same time, it can ruin the
well-being and health of the person who consumed at an excessive rate. Hor is always
prepared by the woman in the family. If it is needed in bulk for a big festival or large
occasion, then a group of women is formed who handle the preparation of the alcohol.
Apart from being used for carving the traditional symbol of the Karbis, Wrightia arborea
(Densst.) Mabb., it also plays the role as medicine since its bark is used for treating boils.
The resin of the Canarium resiniferum is important for many religious ceremonies and
rituals and sold in the local markets at large scale thus adding to its economic value. The
resin is mostly used as medicine or as a mosquito repellant.

4. Conclusion

The present study is a contribution towards preserving the traditional knowledge

along with creating awareness and curiosity simultaneously for future researchers, as
there is still a huge scope to explore the plants used by different Indigenous people in
the region. Documenting the knowledge will be helpful in the long run as most of
younger generation of 21st century has no interest in following the footsteps of the older
generation. There is also a reluctance among the traditional healers in sharing the
information of the medicinal plants with the local people, and hence only a few or no
written records are found. But there has been a renewed interest in the plants used in
traditional medicines. Ongoing research can be used for the improvement and discovery
of new drugs and medicines, which will be beneficial for human healthcare in the present
and future. Considering the present scenario, the human population are becoming aware
of using the products sourced from nature due to lesser or negligible side-effects
compared to the allopathic medicines. The people in rural areas should be made aware
of the importance of medicinal plants in their wild habitats. In a way, it can aid their
conservation; but, there is an urgent need to conserve and preserve germplasm of such
plants so that there is a sustained supply of raw materials to meet future demands and
research.

5. Acknowledgement

The author is thankful to all the traditional, religious practitioners and local
informants for their hospitality and for sharing their valuable knowledge regarding the
importance of plants in the traditions and culture of the Karbi tribe.
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6. References

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Teron, R. (2006). Hor, the Traditional Alcoholic Beverage of Karbi tribe in Assam.
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Fig. 2: The cultural identity and symbol of the Karbi tribe, Jambili Athon

Fig. 3: Preparation of some plants by the religious person, Kurusar before performing the religious ritual, Se-Karkli

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Fig. 4: Traditional ceremony of the Karbi tribe, Se-Karkli performed by the religious person, Kurusar

Fig. 5: A Karbi woman weaving a clothing piece of the women traditional attire known as the Pekok

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Fig. 6: Process of preparing the traditional alcoholic beverage, HorArakby a Karbi woman

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Annexure-I

SELF-DECLARATION FORM
Research on Indigenous Peoples and/or Traditional Knowledge

The nature and extent of community engagement should be determined jointly by the
researcher and the relevant community or collective, taking into account the
characteristics and protocols of the community and the nature of the research.

If your research involved/involves the Indigenous Peoples as participants or respondents,

you should fill in and upload this Self-Declaration and/or Prior Informed Consent (PIC)
from the Indigenous Peoples. [Please read carefully
https://grassrootsjournals.org/credibility-compliance.php#Research-Ethics]

1. Conditions of the Research

1.1 Was or will the research (be) conducted on (an) Indigenous land, including reserve,
settlement, and land governed under a self-government rule/agreement or?

Yes

1.2 Did/does any of the criteria for participation include membership in an Indigenous
community, group of communities, or organization, including urban Indigenous
populations?

Yes. What kind of membership?

By birth, as a member of an indigenous community (Karbi) of Assam, India.

1.3 Did/does the research seek inputs from participants (members of the Indigenous
community) regarding a community’s cultural heritage, artifacts, traditional knowledge,
biocultural or biological resources or unique characteristics/practices?

Yes

1.4 Did/will Aboriginal identity or membership in an Indigenous community used or

be used as a variable for the purposes of analysis?

Yes

2. Community Engagement

2.1 If you answered “Yes” to questions 1.1, 1.2, 1.3 or 1.4, have you initiated or do
you intend to initiate an engagement process with the Indigenous collective, community
or communities for this study?
Yes

2.2 If you answered “Yes” to question 2.1, describe the process that you have followed
or will follow with respect to community engagement. Include any documentation of
consultations (i.e., formal research agreement, letter of approval, PIC, email

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communications, etc.) and the role or position of those consulted, including their names
if appropriate:

The study was carried out by conducting a field trip to nearby areas of local
residents in Diphu, Karbi Anglong District. The respondents who were
familiar with the territory were randomly selected from the indigenous
community having knowledge of their traditional rituals and practices. The
respondents were guided by people known to me and the information was
gathered by asking relevant questions and noting down their responses apart
from personal observations. No formal consent was obtained from local
authorities but the verbal consent of each and every respondent was taken
before the interview.

3. No Community Consultation or Engagement

If you answered “No” to question 2.1, briefly describe why community engagement will
not be sought and how you can conduct a study that respects Aboriginal/ Indigenous
communities and participants in the absence of community engagement.

Not applicable.

Name of Principal Researcher: Kliret Terangpi

Affiliation of Principal Researcher: Assam Don Bosco University, Tapesia Gardens,
Kamarkuchi, Sonapur-782402, Assam.

Declaration: Submitting this note by email to any journal published by The Grassroots
Institute is your confirmation that the information declared above is
correct and devoid of any manipulation.

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Author’ Declarations and Essential Ethical Compliances

Author’ Contributions (in accordance with ICMJE criteria for authorship)

This article is 100% contributed by the sole author. She conceived and designed the
research or analysis, collected the data, contributed to data analysis & interpretation,
wrote the article, performed critical revision of the article/paper, edited the article, and
supervised and administered the field work.

Funding
No funding was available for the research conducted for and writing of this paper.

Research involving human bodies (Helsinki Declaration)

Has this research used human subjects for experimentation? No

Research involving animals (ARRIVE Checklist)

Has this research involved animal subjects for experimentation? No

Research involving Plants

During the research, the author followed the principles of the Convention on Biological
Diversity and the Convention on the Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and
Flora. Yes

Research on Indigenous Peoples and/or Traditional Knowledge

Has this research involved Indigenous Peoples as participants or respondents? Yes

Compliance to Ethics Guidelines for Conducting Research on Indigenous Peoples

and/or Traditional Knowledge
Has the author fulfilled the conditions of the Ethics Guidelines to conduct the research
on the Indigenous Peoples and/or Traditional Knowledge? Yes

(Optional) PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses)
Has author complied with PRISMA standards? Yes

Competing Interests/Conflict of Interest

Author has no competing financial, professional, or personal interests from other parties
or in publishing this manuscript.

Rights and Permissions

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license and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the
permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To
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