INDIGENOUS ZOOTHERAPEUTIC HEALING PRACTICES: AMONG THE MACCA OROMO, SOUTHWESTERN ETHIOPIA
INDIGENOUS ZOOTHERAPEUTIC HEALING PRACTICES: AMONG THE MACCA OROMO, SOUTHWESTERN ETHIOPIA

Summary/Abstract: ANIMALS HAVE BEEN USED AS REMEDIAL CAPITAL FOR HEALING A NUMEROUS OF ILLNESSES ANDDISEASES IN NEARLY EVERY HUMAN CULTURE. FIELD WORKS WERE CONDUCTED FROM JANUARY TOJUNE 2016 INCLUDING A FIELD WORK AND VISITS TO FOLK HEALERS OR PRACTITIONERS ANDKNOWLEDGEABLE RESPONDENTS. A TOTAL OF 21 KEY INFORMANTS WITHIN THE AGE GROUP OF 46 TO82 WERE INTERVIEWED, OUT OF WHICH 4 FOLK HEALERS AND (2) TWO OF THEM ARE CERTIFIEDPRACTITIONERS AT NATIONAL LEVEL WHILE THE OTHER FIFTEEN (15) INFORMANTS ARE LOCALELDERS LOCALLY CALLED AS ‘JAARSA BIYYA’ AND ‘ABBOOTII GADAA’, OUT OF WHICH 3 ARE FEMALES.INDEED, THIS FOLKLORIC STUDY DOCUMENTED RESOURCES OF MEDICINAL ANIMALS AND THEIRROLE IN PRIMARY HEALTH CARE SYSTEM, HOW THEY ARE CONSERVED, AND THREATS AMONG THEMACCAA OROMO IN SOUTH-WESTERN ETHIOPIA. IN GENERAL, ABOUT NINETEEN (19) SPECIES OF FOLKMEDICINAL ANIMALS (15 WILD AND 4 DOMESTIC ANIMALS WHERE 11 ARE MAMMALS, 3 BIRDS AND 5REPTILES) ARE DOCUMENTED ALONG WITH MODE OF PREPARATION AND PROCEDURES. THE FINDSOUT THAT FOLK MEDICINAL ANIMALS USED BY THE MACCAA OROMO ARE UNDER SERIOUS RISK DUETO EXTERNAL AND INTERNAL INFLUENCES RELATED TO DEFORESTATION, RELIGIOUS VIEWS AND THEEXPANSION OF BIO-MEDICINES. THIS SHOWS THAT AN ATTENTION SHOULD BE GIVEN TO THEPRESERVATION OF THESE MEDICINAL ANIMALS AND FOLK HEALERS SHOULD GET LEGALRECOGNITION BY THE GOVERNMENT.

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