ETHNOBOTANICAL STUDY ON PLANTS USED IN MAGICO- … 19-1/387-399 (4548).pdf · 2019-05-25 ·...

ETHNOBOTANICAL STUDY ON PLANTS USED IN MAGICO-RELIGIOUS PRACTICES OF DEORI TRIBE IN ASSAM, INDIA

Govinda Pangging, Chaman Lal Sharma and Madhubala Sharma*Department of Forestry, North Eastern Regional Institute of Science and Technology (Deemed to be University),

Nirjuli - 791109 (Arunachal Pradesh), India.

AbstractThe present study was done in the Dhemaji and Lakhimpur districts of Assam, India. A total of 84 informants were randomlyselected from 13 villages and the whole study was done through questionnaire survey. The present paper deals withdocumentation, valuation of plants and to assess the plant knowledge based on gender and age especially in the magico-religious practices of the Deori tribe of Assam. A total of 61 species belonging to 33 families were used by the Deori tribe. Thedominant family was Poaceae. Herbs were most dominant with 24 species followed by trees (21), shrubs (10), climbers (5) andfern (1). Among all plant parts, the leaf was most dominant part with 22 plant species. Brassica juncea was considered as aculturally important plant with the highest cultural importance index (2). There was no significant difference found based ongender and age groups except in taboo use category.Key words : Deori, Assam, magico-religious practices.

Plant Archives Vol. 19 No. 1, 2019 pp. 387-399 e-ISSN:2581-6063 (online), ISSN:0972-5210

IntroductionDeori tribe belonging to Indo-Mongloid group is one

of the ethnic communities of Assam and speaks Tibeto-Burman language. The tribe has three clans i.e.,Dibongia, Tengaponia and Borgonya based on theirsettlement near the river system viz., Dibong, Tengapaniand Bornadi respectively (Deori, 2011). The literalmeaning of Deori is “the person that is able to satisfydeities (Deo) through worshiping”. The tribe is presentlyconcentrated in Lakhimpur, Dhemaji, Sonitpur, Dibrugarh,Jorhat, Sibsagar, and Tinsukia districts of Assam and Lohitand Changlang districts of Arunachal Pradesh.

The total schedule tribe population of Assam is3,884,371 and the population of Deori tribe is 1.24% ofthe total tribal population (Census of India, 2011).

Deori tribe has a unique socio-cultural system(Deoram, 2013; Deori, 2009; Deori et al., 2007). TheEbaku Bisu is one of the major festivals of Deori (Pathakand Kumari, 2016). The principal deity of Deori tribe isKundi Mama, Bolia Baba and Kechai khati. Theyworship in Deohal, a worship place of Deori tribe

(Pathak, 2017). There are four classes of a priest in Deoritribe viz., Bor Deori, Saru Deori, Bor Bharali and SaruBharali (Goswami, 2015). Though, Deori tribe has aunique magico-religious belief system with mostlyanimistic in nature but is no systematic study carried outon the documentation and valuation of plant species usedin the magico-religious practices. Therefore, the presentstudy is an attempt to document the plants used in magico-religious practices and their valuation with quantitativeethnobotanical index and to see the variation in knowledgeof these plants between gender and age groups.Study area

The ethnobotanical study was carried in Dhemaji andLakhimpur districts of Assam, India. Dhemaji district islocated in the northeast region of Assam. It lies between94°12’E and 95°41’E longitudes and 27°05’ N and 27°57’ N latitude. The district covers 3,237 sq.km andbounded by Siang district of Arunachal Pradesh in theNorth, Lakhimpur district in the West and Brahmaputrariver in the South. Whereas Lakhimpur district is locatedat the northeast region of Assam and it lies between93°42’ and 94°20’ E longitude and 27°53’ and 27°53’ Nlatitude. It is also bounded by Siang district in the North,

*Author for correspondence : E-mail : [email protected]

388 Govinda Pangging et al.

Majuli district in South, Dhemaji district in East andBiswanath district in West. The total geographical areaof the district is 2,277 sq. km and the total population ofthe district is 10,42,137 that consists of 5,29,674 maleand 5,12,643 female.

Materials and MethodsThe study was carried out from December 2014 to

December 2017. A total of 84 informants (22 female and62 male) were selected through random sampling methodfrom 13 villages of selected districts. Prior InformedConsent (PIC) was taken from informants before thestudy. The ethnobotanical data like vernacular name ofthe plants, plant parts used in the magico-religiouspractices were collected through the interview, informaldiscussion by questionnaire survey (Jain and Mudghal,1999) and through personal observations. Herbariumsheets were prepared as per Jain and Rao (1977). Theplants were identified with standard literature (Kanjilalet al., 1934-1940 and Hooker 1875-1897). The localexperts were also consulted to identify the plants. Theverification of plant genus, species and family was donefrom the website of the plant list (www.theplantlist.org).The voucher specimens were deposited in the Herbarium,Department of Forestry, NERIST, Nirjuli, ArunachalPradesh.

The cultural importance index (CI) was used forvaluation of magico-religious plants (Tardio and Pardeo-de-Santayana, 2008).

Cultural Importance Index (CT) NURii

iuu

uui

NNC

11

Where, N is the number of informants; FC is thefrequency of citation; UR is a total number of use reports;NC is the total number of use categories; Ui is the numberof use categories reported by informants for a particularspecies; n is the total number of informants.

The variation in plant knowledge on magico-religiouspractices was done between male and female anddifferent age groups (>50 years and < 50 years) withquestionnaire survey. Mann-Whitney U Test wasperformed to see the significant differences between ageand gender groups.

Results and DiscussionThe present study recorded 61 plant species under

54 genera belonging to 33 families (table 1), which ishigher than other studies conducted on different tribes ofNorth East India and other parts of India (Singhal et al.,2017; Sarma and Devi, 2015; Bamin and Gajurel, 2015;Sharma et al., 2014). Maximum number of plants species

Fig. 1 : Map showing study sites.

Plants used in Magico-Religious Practices of Deori Tribe in Assam, India 389

Tabl

e 1

: The

det

ails

of p

lant

spec

ies u

sed

in th

e m

agic

o-re

ligio

us p

ract

ices

.

S.Bo

tani

cal n

ame,

fam

ilyC

omm

on na

me a

ndH

abit

Part

Use

sno

.an

d vo

uche

r no.

loca

l nam

eus

ed

1.Ac

orus

cal

amus

Lin

naeu

sSw

eet f

lag

(E)

HW

P, R

[Aco

race

ae]

Bos

(A)

2.Ae

gle

mar

mel

os (L

innaeus)

Bael

(E)

TW

P, L

Cor

rea [

Rut

acea

e]Be

l (A

)

3.Al

lium

sat

ivum

Lin

naeu

sG

arlic

(E) L

osun

(A),

HBL

[Am

aryl

lidac

eae]

Puru

Noh

oru

(D)

4.Al

pini

a ni

gra

(Gae

rtn.)

Bam

boo-

leav

edH

SB

urtt

[Zin

gibe

race

ae]

Gal

anga

l (E)

,Tor

a pat

(A),

Dud

u (D

)

5.Ar

eca

cate

chu

Linn

aeus

Bet

elnu

t pa

lm/A

reca

nut

TF

[Are

cace

ae]

(E),

Tam

ul (A

), G

uie (

D)

6.Ba

mbu

sa tu

lda

Rox

b.B

enga

l bam

boo

(E),

SS,

B[P

oace

ae]

Jati

bah

(A),

Jati

Jeyo

(D)

7.Bi

scho

fia ja

vani

ca Blume

Bis

hopw

ood

(E),

TL

[Phy

llant

hace

ae]

Uria

m (A

),D

ijojo

chia

(D)

8.Bo

mba

x ce

iba

Linn

aeus

Silk

-cot

ton

tree (

E),

TW

P[M

alva

ceae

]H

imol

u (A

)

The

plan

t is

gene

rally

pla

nted

aro

und

the

hous

e pr

emis

es to

dra

g aw

ay e

vil s

pirit

s du

e to

its u

niqu

e od

or. T

he g

arla

nd m

ade

of rh

izom

es is

use

d fo

r the

pro

tect

ing

the

child

ren

from

the

evil

spiri

t and

are

als

o us

ed to

cur

e co

mm

on c

old

dise

ase.

The

tree

is c

onsi

dere

d as

a s

acre

d an

d sy

mbo

lised

two

deiti

es v

iz.,

Kund

i mam

a an

d Ai

em

atri

. The

tre

e is

wor

ship

ped

by l

ight

ing

lam

ps a

t th

e ba

se o

f th

e tre

e fo

r pe

ace

and

pros

perit

y in

the

fam

ily. T

he le

aves

are

als

o of

fere

d to

the

God

Shi

va d

urin

g th

e ce

lebr

atio

nof

Shi

v ra

tri.

The

scal

es o

f gar

lic a

re u

sed

to d

rag

away

evi

l spi

rits

and

also

to c

ure

min

or d

isea

ses l

ike

com

mon

col

d an

d fe

ver i

n ca

se o

f chi

ldre

n by

kee

ping

it u

nder

the

pillo

w. G

arlic

is o

ffere

din

a rit

ual c

alle

d Si

ri-yo

-mid

i. Th

is ri

tual

is es

peci

ally

reco

mm

ende

d w

hen

som

eone

suffe

ring

from

seve

re p

ain

and

is d

one

durin

g ni

ght t

ime

mos

t pre

fera

bly

in a

mab

aish

ya n

ear a

tri-

junc

tion

road

and

the a

nim

istic

ritu

al is

per

form

ed b

y the

prie

st (D

eodh

ai).

Gar

lic is

gen

eral

lyof

fere

d in

pas

te fo

rm b

ecau

se d

eitie

s ac

cept

suc

h of

ferin

g.

The

fiber

s are

use

d to

pre

pare

rope

whi

ch is

offe

red

to th

e liv

esto

ck d

urin

g th

e ce

rem

onia

lba

th in

Ibak

u Bi

su fe

stiv

al. I

n so

me

case

s, th

e ro

pe is

pre

pare

d by

mix

ing

with

the

fiber

sob

tain

ed fr

om C

orch

orus

cap

sula

ris.

The

nuts

are

con

side

red

as a

cul

tura

lly im

porta

nt a

nd a

re o

ffere

d to

dei

ties d

urin

g va

rious

ritua

ls a

nd c

erem

onie

s su

ch a

s Ib

aku

Bisu

(D

), M

agh

Bisu

, Mam

aru

puja

(Pl

ate

1H),

Dan

gori

a pu

ja, R

uwa

Jatr

a (A

) or H

ali g

iba

Jatr

a (D

) etc

. to

pay

resp

ect t

o th

e de

ities

.

The

stem

s of

bam

boo

are

used

to p

repa

re b

ambo

o st

icks

for

light

ing

lam

p by

put

ting

oil

soak

ed c

otto

n on

the

top

of th

e st

ick,

whi

ch is

use

d es

peci

ally

dur

ing

Mam

aru

puja

. It i

sa

com

mun

ity-b

ased

cer

emon

y do

ne a

fter a

wee

k of

Ibak

u Bi

su fe

stiv

al a

nd is

mos

tly d

one

in th

e fo

rest

. Thi

s is m

ainl

y an

ani

mis

tic c

erem

ony

to b

id fa

rew

ell t

o al

l the

dei

ties

invi

ted

durin

g th

e Ib

aku

Bisu

fest

ival

. A s

mal

l bra

nch

of b

ambo

o is

offe

red

to G

odde

ss L

aksh

mi

durin

g th

e fir

st tr

ansp

lant

atio

n of

pad

dy in

the

farm

land

dur

ing

a rit

ual l

ocal

ly k

now

n as

Hal

i gib

a Ja

tra

and

they

bel

ief t

hat p

addy

may

gro

w a

s vi

goro

usly

as

the

bam

boo

plan

t.Th

e cu

lms

of b

ambo

o ar

e ex

clus

ivel

y us

ed fo

r car

ryin

g th

e de

ad b

ody

durin

g th

e fu

nera

lce

rem

ony.

The

leav

es o

f the

pla

nt a

re b

oile

d an

d of

fere

d to

all

deiti

es d

urin

g Sa

rak

puja

(Pla

te 1

G).

The

plan

ting

of t

his

tree

in t

he f

ront

yar

d of

the

hou

se is

not

con

side

red

ausp

icio

us i

spr

ohib

ited

beca

use

the

tree

atta

ined

a m

axim

um h

eigh

t and

it b

ecom

es a

favo

rite

rest

ing

grou

nd fo

r bird

s lik

e vu

lture

and

cro

w, w

hich

is n

ot c

onsi

dere

d au

spic

ious

nea

r the

hou

seTa

ble

1 co

ntin

ued.

..


9.Br

assic

a ju

ncea

(Lin

naeu

s)In

dian

mus

tard

(E),

HSD

Cze

rn. [

Bra

ssic

acea

e]H

oriy

o (A

), G

ieyo

(D)

10.

Cala

mus

tenu

is R

oxb.

Bar

eille

y can

e (E)

,C

S[A

reca

ceae

]Ja

ti be

t (A

),Ja

ti So

katu

(D)

11.

Calli

carp

a ar

bore

a R

oxb.

Bea

uty

berr

y (E

),T

B[L

amia

cea]

Kof

o gu

ju (D

)

12.

Caps

icum

ann

uum

Cay

enne

(E),

Jolik

ya (A

)H

FLi

nnae

us [

Sola

nace

ae]

Fanc

hu (D

)

13.

Cari

ca p

apay

a Li

nnae

usPa

paya

(E),

TF

[Car

icac

eae]

Aom

ita (A

)

14.

Cas

cabe

la th

evet

iaYe

llow

ole

ande

r (E)

,S

FR(L

inna

eus)

Lip

pold

.K

arob

i (A

)[A

pocy

nace

ae]

15.

Citru

s m

egal

oxyc

arpa

Sour

pum

mel

(E),

SW

PLu

sh. [

Rut

acea

e]B

or te

nga

(A),

Cho

kola

(D)

16.

Col

ocas

ia e

scul

enta

Taro

(E),

HL,

WP

(Lin

naeu

s) S

chot

tK

ochu

(A

),[A

race

ae]

Mud

uji (

D)

17.

Corc

horu

s ca

psul

aris

Whi

te ju

te (E

),H

BKLi

nnae

us [

Mal

vace

ae]

Mor

apat

(A

)

18.

Curc

uma

long

a Li

nnae

usBl

ack t

urm

eric

(E),

HR

[Zin

gibe

race

ae]

Hal

odi (

A)

Tabl

e 1

cont

inue

d...

prem

ise.

The

refo

re p

lant

ing

of th

is tr

ee n

ear h

ouse

pre

mis

e is

con

side

red

to b

e ta

boo.

The

oil d

eriv

ed fr

om s

eeds

of B

rass

ica

junc

ea is

use

d fo

r lig

htin

g la

mp

durin

g al

l maj

orfe

stiv

als

and

cere

mon

ies.

The

seed

s of

Bra

ssic

a ju

ncea

are

als

o us

ed to

dra

g aw

ay e

vil

spiri

t by

keep

ing

it un

der t

he p

illow

and

gen

eral

ly a

dopt

ed in

the

case

of s

mal

l chi

ldre

n.

The

tend

er st

ems o

f the

pla

nt a

re b

oile

d an

d of

fere

d to

all

deiti

es d

urin

g Sa

rak p

uja.

(Pla

te1G

).

The

bran

ches

are

offe

red

to t

he d

eitie

s du

ring

Mam

aru

puja

bec

ause

it

is n

eede

d to

acco

mpl

ish

the

cere

mon

y. Th

e br

anch

is

also

use

d du

ring

the

purif

icat

ion

of th

e br

ide

durin

g th

e in

ter-

cast

e m

arria

ge c

erem

ony,

whi

ch is

org

anis

ed i

n th

e D

eoha

l (te

mpl

e of

Deo

ri tri

be)

with

the

bel

ief

that

non

-Deo

ri tri

be b

ride

need

s to

get

pur

ify t

hrou

gh th

ispr

oces

s fo

r rem

ovin

g an

y im

purit

ies b

efor

e jo

inin

g th

e tri

be.

The

drie

d ch

illi i

s bu

rnt t

o dr

ive

away

evi

l spi

rit th

roug

h its

sm

oke.

The

fru

its a

re a

lso

offe

red

in a

ritu

al c

alle

d Si

ri-y

o-m

idi.

The

fruits

of t

he p

lant

s are

use

d fo

r lig

htin

g th

e la

mps

in th

e fa

rmla

nd to

wor

ship

God

dess

Laks

hmi d

urin

g th

e ce

lebr

atio

n of

Kat

i Bih

u fe

stiv

al.

The

flow

ers o

f thi

s pla

nt a

re o

ffere

d to

the

deity

dur

ing

a co

mm

unity

-bas

ed c

erem

ony

(Aie

mat

ri ho

kam

).

The

plan

t is

gene

rally

not

pla

nted

in th

e fr

ont y

ard

of th

e ho

use

beca

use

it is

bel

ief t

hat

sour

s ta

ste

plan

t is

cons

ider

ed in

ausp

icio

us to

see

at e

arly

mor

ning

whi

le g

oing

out

side

for s

ome

wor

k.

The

plan

t is

offe

red

to G

odde

ss L

aksh

mi d

urin

g th

e fir

st tr

ansp

lant

atio

n of

pad

dy in

the

farm

land

dur

ing

a rit

ual l

ocal

ly k

now

n as

Hal

i gib

a Ja

tra. W

ishi

ng th

at p

addy

pla

nt m

aygr

ow a

s vi

goro

us a

s Co

loca

sia

escu

lent

a.Th

e te

nder

leav

es o

f Col

ocas

ia e

scul

enta

are

used

for p

urify

ing

the

new

ly b

orn

baby

in a

ritu

al c

alle

d H

udi l

abib

a. In

this

ritu

al, l

eave

sof

Col

ocas

ia e

scul

enta

are

use

d as

a v

eget

able

for

fea

st o

f al

l el

derly

lad

ies

incl

udin

gth

ose

who

hel

p du

ring

the

deliv

ery

of th

e ba

by. I

t is b

elie

ved

that

offe

ring

of th

is v

eget

able

to th

e el

derly

ladi

es re

mov

e th

e im

purit

ies

of th

e ba

by g

et b

less

ing

from

them

.

The

fiber

s of

the

plan

ts a

re u

sed

to p

repa

re r

ope

whi

ch is

offe

red

to th

e liv

esto

ck d

urin

gth

e ce

rem

onia

l bat

h in

Ibak

u Bi

su fe

stiv

al.

The

rhiz

omes

are

sym

bolis

e as

gol

d be

caus

e it

yiel

ds y

ello

w d

ye a

nd a

re c

rafte

d in

tova

rious

shap

es o

f orn

amen

ts, w

hich

are

offe

red

to G

od o

f the

dea

th (Y

ama)

dur

ing

a rit

ual

calle

d M

ora

hari

ba, a

ritu

al d

one

for t

he d

epar

ted

soul

of t

he a

nces

tors

.The

rhiz

omes

are

also

offe

red

to th

e liv

esto

ck th

e ce

rem

onia

l bat

h du

ring

the

cele

brat

ion

of Ib

aku

Bisu

at

Tabl

e 1

cont

inue

d...


Tabl

e 1

cont

inue

d...

19.

Cyn

odon

dac

tylo

nB

erm

uda

gras

s/W

ireH

L(L

inna

eus)

Per

s. [P

oace

ae]

gras

s (E)

,Dub

uri (

A)

20.

Dill

enia

indi

ca L

inna

eus

Elep

hant

appl

e (E)

,T

WP,

F[D

illen

iace

ae]

Oue

Ten

ga (

A);

Cho

pa (D

)

21.

Dip

lazi

um e

scul

entu

mEd

ible

fern

(E),

FL

(Ret

z.) S

w. [

Ath

yria

ceae

]D

heki

a (A

), M

icoj

i (D

)

22.

Dua

bang

a gr

andi

flora

Bris

tly D

ubya

ea,

TW

P(D

C.)

Wal

p. [R

utac

eae]

lam

pati

(E),K

hokh

on (A

)

23.

Eryt

hrin

a st

ricta

Rox

b.In

dian

cor

al tr

ee (E

),T

WP

[Fab

acea

e]M

odar

gas

h (A

),M

odar

Pep

ong

(D)

24.

Eupa

tori

um c

anna

binu

mH

emp-

agrim

ony/

Hol

yH

LLi

nnae

us [C

ompo

sita

e]ro

pe (E

), K

imar

u (D

)(P

late

1A

)

25.

Ficu

s be

ngha

lens

isB

anya

n (E

),T

WP

Linn

aeus

[M

orac

eae]

Bor

gas

h (A

)

26.

Ficu

s his

pida

L.f.

Dev

il fig

(E),

TL

[Mor

acea

e]B

hutu

ng c

hia

(D)

27.

Ficu

s ra

cem

osa

Linn

aeus

Clu

ster

fig

(E),

TL

[Mor

acea

e]D

emor

u (A

)

28.

Ficu

s re

ligio

sa L

inna

eus

Sacr

ed fi

g (E

),T

WP

[Mor

acea

e]A

hot g

ash

(A)

29.

Ficu

s rum

phii

Blu

me

Moc

k bo

dh tr

ee (E

),T

WP

[Mor

acea

e]Jo

ri ga

sh (A

)

hous

ehol

d le

vel f

or th

e be

tterm

ent o

f gr

owth

and

dev

elop

men

t of l

ives

tock

. The

yel

low

dye

of th

e rh

izom

e is

als

o us

ed to

col

our t

he o

ffere

d ro

pe.

The

leav

es o

f thi

s pla

nts a

re u

sed

to p

repa

re h

oly

wat

er (H

anti

jol)

alon

g w

ith o

ther

pla

nts

for

purif

icat

ion

purp

ose

durin

g th

e fu

nera

l cer

emon

y.

The

fruits

of t

he p

lant

s are

use

d fo

r lig

htin

g th

e la

mps

in th

e fa

rmla

nd to

wor

ship

God

dess

Laks

hmi d

urin

g th

e ce

lebr

atio

n of

Kat

i Bih

u fe

stiv

al. T

his

frui

t is

excl

usiv

ely

used

in

earli

er d

ays

beca

use

of n

on-a

vaila

bilit

y of

the

ligh

tnin

g la

mp.

The

pla

ntin

g of

Dill

enia

indi

ca a

t the

fro

nt y

ard

of th

e ho

use

is c

onsi

dere

d as

a ta

boo

beca

use

they

bel

ieve

that

sour

tast

e pl

ants

are

not

con

side

red

as a

uspi

ciou

s to

see

eith

er a

t ear

ly m

orni

ng o

r whi

lego

ing

outs

ide.

The

leav

es o

f the

pla

nt a

re b

oile

d an

d of

fere

d to

all

deiti

es d

urin

g Sa

rak

puja

. (Pl

ate

1G)

The

plan

t is

not p

lant

ed in

the

front

yar

d of

a h

ouse

bec

ause

they

bel

ieve

d th

at it

abo

deev

il sp

irit.

The

plan

t is n

ot p

lant

ed in

the

fron

t yar

d of

the

hous

e w

ith a

bel

ief t

hat i

t cau

ses q

uarr

el o

rco

nflic

t am

ongs

t the

fam

ily m

embe

rs a

nd th

eref

ore

plan

ting

of th

is tr

ee is

con

side

red

as a

tabo

o.

The

leav

es a

re u

sed

for p

urify

ing

the

wor

ship

pla

ce, d

evot

ees,

etc.

and

als

o us

ed in

man

yce

rem

onie

s don

e at D

eoha

l. In

case

of i

nter

-cas

te m

arria

ge, t

he b

ride i

s pur

ified

by s

prin

klin

gw

ater

with

the

fres

h le

aves

. The

y be

lieve

that

pur

ifica

tion

of th

e br

ide

is n

eede

d du

ring

the

mar

riage

cer

emon

y in

Deo

hal b

ecau

se s

he m

ay h

ave

som

e im

purit

ies.

The

leav

es a

reof

fere

d to

dei

ties

insi

de t

he D

eoha

l (Te

mpl

e) d

urin

g Ib

aku

Bisu

, Mag

h Bi

su, e

tc.T

hele

aves

are

use

d to

cur

e fe

ver,

etc.

by

the

prie

st (M

idi k

haba

or D

onda

i or M

idig

ira).

They

cons

ider

ed th

e le

af a

s sa

cred

and

hav

e th

e po

tent

ial t

o pu

rify

the

impu

rity.

The

plan

t is

not p

lant

ed in

the

front

yar

d of

a h

ouse

with

a b

elie

f tha

t it a

bode

evi

l spi

ritab

ode

on it

.

The

leav

es o

f the

pla

nt a

re b

oile

d an

d of

fere

d to

all

deiti

es d

urin

g Sa

rak

puja

. (Pl

ate

1G).

The

leav

es o

f the

pla

nt a

re b

oile

d an

d of

fere

d to

all

deiti

es d

urin

g Sa

rak

puja

. (Pl

ate

1G)

The

tree

is n

ot p

lant

ed in

the

fron

t yar

d of

the

hous

e w

ith a

bel

ief t

hat i

t abo

de e

vil s

pirit

abod

e on

it. T

he tr

ee is

als

o co

nsid

ered

as

sacr

ed tr

ee a

nd is

wor

ship

ed d

urin

g Sh

iv r

atri

with

the

light

ing

of th

e la

mps

a fo

r the

wel

fare

and

pro

sper

ity o

f the

fam

ily.

The

plan

t is

not p

lant

ed in

the

front

yar

d of

a h

ouse

with

a b

elie

f tha

t it a

bode

evi

l spi

ritab

ode

on it

.Ta

ble

1 co

ntin

ued.

..


Tabl

e 1

cont

inue

d...

30.

Flem

ingi

a str

obili

fera

Luck

pla

nt, w

ild h

ops

SB

(Lin

naeu

s) W

.T.A

iton

(E),M

akhi

loti

(A)

[Fab

acea

e]

31.

Gar

cini

a pe

dunc

ulat

aM

onke

y fr

uit (

E),

TF

Roxb

. Ex

Buc

h.-H

amTh

aker

a (A

)[C

lusi

acea

e]

32.

Gos

sypi

um h

erba

ceum

Cot

ton

(E),C

opa

(A),

SFS

Linn

aeus

[M

alva

ceae

]K

hepa

(D)

33.

Hib

iscus

rosa

-sin

ensis

Chi

na ro

se (E

),S

FRLi

nnae

us [

Mal

vace

ae]

Jaba

phu

l (A

),Sa

ngira

eba

(D)

34.

Justi

cia

gend

arus

saW

illow

-leav

ed ju

stic

eS

LB

urm

.f. [A

vant

hace

ae]

(E),

Kol

iya A

shi-e

ba (D

)(P

late

1B

)

35.

Lage

nari

a si

cera

riaB

ottle

gou

rd (E

),C

F(M

olin

a) S

tand

l.La

o (A

)[C

ucur

bita

ceae

]

36.

Lage

rstro

emia sp

ecio

saQ

ueen

of f

low

ers/

TW

P(L

inna

eus)

Per

s.Pr

ide o

f Ind

ia (E

),[L

ythr

acea

e]A

jar (

A)

37.

Lits

ea sa

licifo

lia (J

. Rox

b.-

TB

ex N

ees)

Hoo

k. f.

Dig

loti

(A)

[Lau

race

ae]

38.

Man

gife

ra in

dica

Lin

naeu

sM

ango

(E),

TB,

L[A

naca

rdia

ceae

]A

am (A

)

39.

Mol

iner

ia c

apitu

lata

Palm

gra

ss (E

),H

L(L

our.)

Her

b.H

umhu

miy

a (D

)[H

ypox

idac

eae]

40.

Mom

ordi

ca c

hara

ntia

Bitt

er g

ourd

(E),

CF

Linn

aeus

[Cuc

urbi

tace

ae]

Ker

ala (

A),

Kha

bam

erik

ha (D

)

The

bran

ches

of t

he p

lant

are

use

d fo

r be

atin

g th

e liv

esto

ck in

Ibak

u Bi

su fe

stiv

al d

urin

gth

e ce

rem

onia

l bat

h of

live

stoc

k.

The

fruits

of t

he p

lant

are

offe

red

to th

e liv

esto

ck d

urin

g th

e ce

rem

onia

l bat

h in

Ibak

u Bi

suby

eac

h ho

useh

old

for

thei

r be

tter

grow

th a

nd d

evel

opm

ent.

The

floss

es a

re u

sed

excl

usiv

ely

for

the

light

ning

of t

he la

mp

in m

ost o

f the

ritu

als

and

cere

mon

ies.

The

flow

ers o

f thi

s pla

nt a

re o

ffere

d to

the

deity

dur

ing

a co

mm

unity

-bas

ed c

erem

ony

(Aie

Mat

ri).

The

leav

es a

re ti

ed in

bun

dles

and

offe

red

to a

ll de

ities

in ra

w fo

rm d

urin

g Sa

rak

puja

and

the

leav

es a

re a

lso

used

for p

repa

ring

holy

wat

er to

pur

ify th

e ce

rem

onia

l pla

ce.

The

fruits

of t

he p

lant

are

offe

red

to th

e liv

esto

ck d

urin

g th

e ce

rem

onia

l bat

h in

Ibak

u Bi

suby

eac

h ho

useh

old

for

thei

r be

tter

grow

th a

nd d

evel

opm

ent.

The

plan

t is n

ot p

lant

ed in

the

fron

t yar

d of

the

hous

e w

ith a

bel

ief t

hat i

t cau

ses q

uarr

el o

rco

nflic

t am

ongs

t the

fam

ily m

embe

rs a

nd th

eref

ore

plan

ting

of th

is tr

ee is

con

side

red

as a

tabo

o.

The

bran

ches

of t

he p

lant

are

use

d fo

r bea

ting

the

lives

tock

inst

ead

of th

e st

ick

beca

use

itis

pro

hibi

ted

durin

g Ib

aku

Bisu

fest

ival

espe

cial

ly w

hile

per

form

ing

the

cere

mon

ial b

ath

ofliv

esto

ck.

The

woo

ds a

re c

onsi

dere

d sa

cred

and

the

bra

nche

s ar

e us

ed fo

r py

re d

urin

g cr

emat

ion

with

a b

elie

f tha

t sou

l goe

s di

rect

ly to

God

Yam

a. T

he le

aves

of M

angi

fera

indi

ca a

re a

lso

cons

ider

ed a

uspi

ciou

s an

d us

ed f

or d

ecor

atin

g th

e m

ain

entra

nce

of t

he h

ouse

(Ch

ang

ghar

) dur

ing

the

mar

riage

cer

emon

y.

The

leav

es o

f th

e pl

ants

are

use

d to

pur

ify t

he n

ewly

con

stru

cted

hou

se, g

rana

ry, e

tc.

They

bel

ieve

that

the

shar

p ed

ges

of th

e le

af h

elp

to c

ut o

r re

mov

e th

e im

purit

y (D

osha

)th

at m

ight

hav

e tak

en p

lace

eith

er k

now

ingl

y or

unk

now

ingl

y w

hile

con

stru

ctin

g th

e hou

se,

gran

ary,

etc.

The

fruits

of t

he p

lant

are

offe

red

to th

e liv

esto

ck d

urin

g th

e ce

rem

onia

l bat

h in

Ibak

u Bi

suby

eac

h ho

useh

old

for

thei

r be

tter

grow

th a

nd d

evel

opm

ent.

Tabl

e 1

cont

inue

d...

Tabl

e 1

cont

inue

d...


41.

Mur

raya k

oeni

gii

Cur

ry tr

ee (E

),S

WP,

L(L

inna

eus)

Spr

eng.

Nor

hing

ho (

A)

[Lyt

hrac

eae]

(Pla

te 1

I)

42.

Mus

a ×

par

adisi

aca

L.Fr

ench

pla

ntai

n ba

nana

HF,

L[M

usac

eae]

(E),

Jati

kol (

A),

Jati

tiri (

D)

43.

Mus

a ba

lbisi

ana

Col

laW

ild b

anan

a (E)

,H

L, S

[Mus

acea

e]A

thia

kol

(A),

Hat

iya t

iri (D

)

44.

Oci

mum

gra

tissim

umW

ild b

asil

(E),

HL

Linn

aeus

[Lam

iace

ae]

Bog

a tu

lsi (

A),

Ram

tuls

i (A

)

45.

Oci

mum

tenu

iflor

umH

oly b

asil

(E),

Kris

hna

HL

Linn

aeus

[Lam

iace

ae]

tuls

i (A

), K

olia

tuls

i (D

)(P

late

1F)

46.

Ory

za s

ativ

a Li

nnae

usA

sian

rice

, Red

rice

(E),

HSD

, WP

[Poa

ceae

]D

han

(A),

Mi/M

ee (D

)

47.

Papa

ver s

omni

feru

mO

pium

pop

py (E

),H

FLi

nnae

us [

Papa

vera

ceae

]K

ani (

A)

48.

Phra

gmite

s kar

ka (R

etz.

)Ta

ll re

ed (E

),H

LTr

in.e

x St

eud.

[Poa

ceae

]M

egal

aw (D

)(P

late

1C

)

The

plan

t is

gene

rally

pla

nted

aro

und

the

hous

e pr

emis

es to

dra

g aw

ay e

vil s

pirit

s du

e to

its u

niqu

e od

or. T

he b

ranc

h of

the

plan

t is k

ept o

n th

e w

all,

door

and

win

dow

s of t

he h

ouse

to d

rag

away

evi

l spi

rit. T

he le

aves

are

als

o us

ed to

cur

e com

mon

col

d an

d fe

ver i

n ch

ildre

nby

kee

ping

them

und

er th

e pi

llow.

The

unrip

e ba

nana

fru

its a

re b

oile

d an

d of

fere

d to

all

deiti

es d

urin

g Sa

rak

puja

. It

isco

nsid

ered

as

one

of t

he f

avor

ite f

oods

of

the

deiti

es. T

his

plan

t is

use

d as

the

bes

tsu

bstit

ute

of P

hryn

ium p

ubin

erve

and

Mus

a ba

lbis

iana

in

man

y ri

tual

s. Th

e ri

pene

dfru

its a

re a

lso

offe

red

to th

e de

ities

in D

eoha

l dur

ing

Ibak

u Bi

su, M

agh

Bisu

, etc

.

The

leav

es o

f Mus

a ba

lbisi

ana

are

used

as

a go

od s

ubst

itute

of P

hryn

ium p

ubin

erve

inm

any

ritua

ls. T

he st

em o

f Mus

a ba

lbisi

ana

is a

lso

used

to p

repa

re th

e ce

rem

onia

l alta

r for

perf

orm

ing

a ce

rem

ony

calle

d Sa

rak

puja

. The

leav

es a

re u

sed

for

offe

ring

nut o

f Are

caca

tech

u, b

etle

leaf

, ric

e flo

ur, s

eeds

of V

igna m

ungo

, etc

. in

the

Deo

hal d

urin

g Ib

aku

Bisu

,M

agh

Bisu

, etc

.

The

leav

es a

re u

sed

as c

ondi

men

t in

prep

arat

ion

of fo

od d

urin

g M

ora

hara

ba a

nd o

ffer t

oth

e G

od Y

am a

s it

is h

is fa

vorit

e co

ndim

ent.

The

leav

es a

re u

sed

to p

repa

re p

urifi

ed w

ater

(H

anti

jol/

pani

) and

use

d fo

r pu

rific

atio

npu

rpos

e du

ring

the

fune

ral c

erem

ony.

The

rice

flour

in b

oile

d by

wra

ppin

g w

ith a

ban

ana

leaf

in a

con

e sh

ape

and

offe

red

toSa

rak r

aja

durin

g a

cere

mon

y ca

lled

Sara

k puj

a. (P

late

1G

).The

rice

flou

r is a

lso

offe

red

toth

e de

ity i

n D

eoha

l dur

ing

Rojo

huwa

met

uwa

(a c

omm

unity

-bas

ed c

erem

ony

done

in

Deo

hal d

urin

g th

e ce

lebr

atio

n of

Ibak

u Bi

su fe

stiv

als)

and

Bor

uah

met

uwa

(a ri

tual

don

eby

indi

vidu

als i

n th

e Deo

hal.

The b

undl

es o

f stra

ws a

re u

sed

in d

eath

cer

emon

y to

gen

erat

esm

oke

whi

le c

arry

ing

the

dead

bod

y fo

r cre

mat

ion.

The

pad

dy se

eds a

re u

sed

in a

ritu

al to

reta

in th

e go

od fa

ith (L

aksh

mi)

of th

e de

ceiv

ed p

erso

n lo

cally

cal

led

Men

uchi

rak

hiba

.

The

late

x ob

tain

s fr

om t

he f

ruits

(K

ani)

are

offe

red

to t

he d

eity

(Ai

e M

atri

) du

ring

aco

mm

unity

-bas

ed c

erem

ony c

alle

d Ai

e mat

ri pu

ja. I

t is a

cere

mon

y don

e ann

ually

espe

cial

lydu

ring

Ahar

mah

(Ju

ne-J

uly)

eith

er o

n W

edne

sday

or

Thur

sday

and

the

wor

ship

of

the

deity

(Aie

mat

ri) is

esp

ecia

lly d

one

by th

e fe

mal

e m

embe

rs o

f the

vill

age

for t

he p

rote

ctio

nof

all

villa

gers

aga

inst

all

prev

ailin

g di

seas

es.

The

leav

es o

f Phr

agm

ites

kark

a ar

e m

ost p

refe

rred

in th

e pr

epar

atio

n of

the

cere

mon

ial

alta

r to

perf

orm

ani

mis

tic ri

tual

s vi

z., M

enuc

hi le

duba

, a ri

tual

rela

ted

to w

orsh

ip G

odde

ssLa

kshm

i at

the

gran

ary;

Dan

gori

a, a

ritu

al d

one

to th

e w

orsh

ip h

ouse

hold

spi

rit o

r th

esp

irit o

f the

fore

st, e

tc.;

Sara

k pu

ja; e

tc. T

he st

em a

nd le

af o

f Phr

agm

ites k

arka

are

offe

red

to G

odde

ss L

aksh

mi d

urin

g th

e fir

st t

rans

plan

tatio

n of

pad

dy i

n th

e fa

rmla

nd d

urin

g a

Tabl

e 1

cont

inue

d...

Tabl

e 1

cont

inue

d...

Tabl

e 1

cont

inue

d...

49.

Phry

nium

pub

iner

ve-

HL

Blu

me

[Mar

anta

ceae

]K

au p

at (A

),(P

late

1D

)Sa

gere

cha

(D)

50.

Pipe

r be

tle L

inna

eus

Bet

le (E

), Pa

n (A

),C

L[P

iper

acea

e] (F

ig 2

B)

Penc

hu (D

)

51.

Pipe

r ni

grum

Lin

naeu

sB

lack

pep

per (

E),

CSD

[Pip

erac

eae]

Jalu

k (A

), M

urch

i (D

)

52.

Sacc

haru

m r

aven

nae

Rav

enna

gra

ss (E

),H

L(L

inna

eus)

L. [

Poac

eae]

Ikor

a (A

)

53.

Sant

alum

alb

um L

inna

eus

Indi

an S

anda

lwoo

d (E

),T

B[S

anta

lace

ae]

Cha

ndan

(A

)

54.

Sarc

ochl

amys

pul

cher

rim

aD

ogal

tree

(E),

SL

Gau

dich

. [U

rtica

eae]

Mik

aji (

A),

Mek

achi

(D)

(Pla

te 1

E)

55.

Sola

num

mel

onge

naB

egan

a (A

),H

FLi

nnae

us [

Sola

nace

ae]

Phad

ung

(D)

56.

Tabe

rnae

mon

tana

Cra

pe ja

smin

e (E)

,S

FRdi

varic

ata (Linnaeus) R.Br.

Puru

eba

(D)

ex R

oem

. & S

chul

t.[A

pocy

nace

ae] G

P-14

957

.Th

emed

a vi

llosa

(Lam

.) A

.Si

lky k

anga

roo g

rass

(E),

HL

Cam

us [P

oace

ae]

Biri

na (A

)58

.Vi

gna

mun

go (L

innaeus)

Mun

g be

an (E

),H

SD, P

Hep

per [

Faba

ceae

]M

atim

ah (A

); D

ebe (

D)

ritua

l lo

cally

kno

wn

as H

ali g

iba

Jatr

a. T

hey

belie

ve t

hat

padd

y pl

ant

may

gro

w a

svi

goro

us a

s Ph

ragm

ites

kark

a. T

he le

af o

f th

e pl

ant i

s us

ed in

man

y rit

uals

bec

ause

itde

mar

cate

s the

cere

mon

ial a

rea a

nd p

rovi

des p

rote

ctio

n w

hile

per

form

ing

the

ritua

l, an

d in

som

e ca

ses,

they

bel

ieve

that

it p

rovi

dess

a r

estin

g gr

ound

for

the

deiti

es. T

he le

aves

of

Them

eda

villo

sa, P

hryn

ium p

ubin

erve

, Het

erop

ogon

cont

ortu

s and

Sac

char

um ra

venn

aear

e us

ed a

s a

subs

titut

e of

Phr

agm

ites

kark

a.

The

leav

es a

re u

sed

for

offe

ring

nut o

f Are

ca c

atec

hu, b

etle

leaf

, ric

e flo

ur, t

he s

eed

ofVi

gna

mun

go, e

tc. t

o th

e de

ity in

the

Deo

hal,

a te

mpl

e of

Deo

ri tri

be, d

urin

g Ib

aku

Bisu

,M

agh

Bisu

, etc

.

The

leaf

is c

onsi

dere

d as

a c

ultu

rally

impo

rtant

and

is o

ffere

d to

dei

ties

durin

g va

rious

ritua

ls a

nd c

erem

onie

s su

ch a

s Ib

aku

Bisu

(D

), M

agh

Bisu

, Mam

aru

puja

(Pl

ate

1H),

Dan

gori

a pu

ja, R

uwa

Jatr

a (A

) or H

ali g

iba

Jatr

a et

c. to

pay

res

pect

to th

e de

ities

.

The

pow

dere

d fo

rm o

f see

ds is

offe

red

in a

bow

l mad

e of

the l

eave

s of P

hryn

ium p

ubin

erve

to th

e de

ities

dur

ing

Rojo

huwa

met

uwa

and

Boru

ah m

etuw

a of

Iba

ku B

isu

and

also

inM

agh

Bisu

. The

pow

der

of s

eeds

is o

ffere

d to

pre

vent

the

leak

age

of b

lood

of s

acrif

iced

fow

ls a

nd g

oat o

ffere

d to

the

deiti

es. T

he s

eeds

are

als

o of

fere

d in

a ri

tual

cal

led

Siri

-yo-

mid

i.

The

leav

es o

f the

pla

nt a

re u

sed

as a

sub

stitu

te o

f Phr

agm

ites

kark

a.

The

woo

ds a

re c

onsi

dere

d as

sac

red

and

is a

dded

in t

he p

yre

durin

g cr

emat

ion

as th

eybe

lieve

that

sou

l goe

s di

rect

ly to

God

Yam

a w

ithou

t dw

ellin

g on

the

earth

.

The

leav

es o

f the

pla

nt a

re b

oile

d an

d of

fere

d to

all

deiti

es d

urin

g Sa

rak

puja

. (Pl

ate

1G)

The f

ruits

of t

he p

lant

are o

ffere

d to

the l

ives

tock

as a

ritua

l whi

le p

erfo

rmin

g th

e cer

emon

ial

bath

to l

ives

tock

dur

ing

the

cele

brat

ion

of I

baku

Bis

u by

eac

h ho

useh

old

for

the

bette

rgr

owth

and

dev

elop

men

t of l

ives

tock

.

The

flow

ers o

f thi

s pla

nt a

re o

ffere

d to

the

deity

dur

ing

a co

mm

unity

-bas

ed c

erem

ony

(Aie

Mat

ri).

The

leav

es o

f the

pla

nt a

re u

sed

as a

sub

stitu

te o

f Phr

agm

ites

kark

a in

man

y rit

uals

.

The

seed

s ar

e gr

ound

and

offe

red

to th

e de

ity in

Deo

hal d

urin

g va

rious

cer

emon

ies

like

Rojo

huwa

met

uwa,

Haw

un p

uja,

Ibak

u Bi

su, M

agh

Bisu

, etc

. The

cul

tivat

ion

of th

is p

lant

Tabl

e 1

cont

inue

d...


Tabl

e 1

cont

inue

d...

59.

Zant

hoxy

lum

oxy

phyl

lum

Pric

kly a

sh (E

),T

LEd

gew.

[Rut

acea

e]M

ejen

ga (

A)

60.

Zing

iber o

ffici

nale Roscoe

Gin

ger (

E), A

da (A

),H

WP

[Zin

gibe

race

ae]

Eyen

g (D

)

61.

Zizi

phus

juju

ba M

ill.

Juju

be (E

),T

WP,

B[R

ham

nace

ae]

Bog

ori g

ash

(A),

Teko

ji fo

fo (D

)

A-A

ssam

ese,

D-D

eori,

E-E

nglis

h, B

-Bra

nche

s, B

L-Bu

lb, B

K-B

ark,

F-F

ruits

, FR

-Flo

wer

, FS-

Flos

ses,

L-le

aves

, WP-

who

le p

lant

, R-R

hizo

mes

, S-S

tem

, SD

-See

ds, C

-Clim

ber,

G-

Gra

ss, H

-Her

b, S

-Shr

ub, T

-Tre

e.

is p

rohi

bite

d ne

ar th

e ho

use

hold

are

a in

hom

e ga

rden

and

with

in p

addy

fiel

d be

caus

e of

Mid

igira

pes

a, a

dei

ty t

hat g

ives

the

curs

e to

the

doer

. It m

ay r

esul

t in

the

suffe

ring

offa

mily

mem

bers

with

dis

ease

s th

at c

anno

t be

cure

d th

roug

h m

oder

n m

edic

ine.

The

sol

ere

med

y of

such

ailm

ent i

s to

con

duct

an

anim

istic

ritu

al fo

r the

dei

ty.

The

leav

es o

f the

pla

nt a

re b

oile

d al

ong

with

oth

er p

lant

s and

offe

red

to a

ll de

ities

dur

ing

Sara

k puj

a. (P

late

1G

).

The

culti

vatio

n of

this

pla

nt is

pro

hibi

ted

beca

use

Mid

igira

pes

a, a

dei

ty g

ives

the

curs

eto

the

doer

. It m

ay re

sult

in th

e su

fferin

g of

fam

ily m

embe

rs w

ith d

isea

ses

that

can

not b

ecu

red

thro

ugh

mod

ern

med

icin

e. T

he so

le re

med

y of

such

ailm

ent i

s to

cond

uct a

n an

imis

ticrit

ual f

or th

e de

ity.

The

plan

ting

of th

is tr

ee a

t the

fron

t yar

d of

the

hous

e is

con

side

red

as a

tabo

o be

caus

e as

per t

heir

belie

f sys

tem

seei

ng a

thor

ny tr

ee a

t ear

ly m

orni

ng w

hile

goi

ng o

utsi

de fo

r som

ew

ork

is c

onsi

dere

d in

ausp

icio

us. T

he th

orny

bra

nch

of th

e pl

ant i

s us

ed fo

r dr

aggi

ng o

utev

il sp

irits

from

the

hous

e pr

emis

e, w

hich

is g

ener

ally

kep

t nea

r the

win

dow,

doo

r, an

d w

all

of th

e tra

ditio

nal h

ouse

for t

he p

rote

ctio

n of

fam

ily m

embe

rs.

Table 2 : Use categories and their percentages.

S. Use categories Number of % ofno. species species

1 Sacred and Religious rites (SAR) 47 77.05%2 Magical belief (MAG) 7 11.47%3 Taboos (TAB) 13 21.3%

are used in various religious ceremonies indicates thatDeori tribe believes in the existence of God, deities andsuper natural power in the universe. Therefore, manyare performed rituals before festivals (Ibaku bisu, Maghbihu, etc.), transplantation of paddy seedlings, harvestingof crops etc. to get blessing from almighty for theirprosperity and happiness.

Poaceae is the dominant family with 6 speciesfollowed by Moraceae (5), Malvaceae and Rutaceae (4)etc. The plants belonging to Poaceae family areexclusively used in ceremonial use category. The presentstudy is in agreement with the findings of other workers(Singhal et al., 2017; Sarma and Devi, 2015), whereasSharma et al. (2014) reported the use of family Poaceaein both ceremonial and magical belief system.

Herb is the dominant category consisting of 24 plantspecies followed by tree (21) and shrubs (10), climbers(5) and fern (1) in the present study (fig. 2) and is similarto the findings reported Assam and Tripura (Singhal etal., 2017). The herbs are mostly used in offering to deities,purification, and preparation of sacred water (Hantipani)during death ceremony and also in magical belief systemespecially for dragging out of evil spirit. Also these herbsare easily available on the home garden, farmland, andwasteland and nearby forests which may be the probablereason for using herbs in various categories.

Leaves are the dominant plant parts with 22 plantspecies, followed by whole plants (17), fruit (9), branch(7) etc. (fig. 3).Documentation of plants used in the magico-religious practice of the Deori tribe.

The magico-religious practices of the Deori tribe aregiven in table 1.

The leaves of Bischofia javanica, Clerodendrumglandulosum, Diplazium esculentum, Ficus racemosa,Ficus hispida , Sarcochlamys pulcherrima andZanthoxylum oxyphyllum are boiled and offered todeities with a belief that plants of wild origin are the mostfavorite to all Gods. The leaves of Colocasia esculenta,Cynodon dactylon , Eupatorium cannabinum,Molineria capitulata, Ocimum tenuiflorum and Justiciagendarussa are considered sacred and therefore these


Fig. 2 : Plant habit and number of species.

Fig. 3 : Different parts of the plant used in magico-religious practices.

Table 3 : The 15 important magico-religious plants species based on CI value.S. no. SAR MAG TAB CI

1. Brassica juncea (Linnaeus) Czern. 1 1 0 2.0002. Dillenia indica Linnaeus 0.929 0 0.607 1.5363. Eupatorium cannabinum Linnaeus 0.988 0.357 0 1.3454. Vigna mungo (Linnaeus) Hepper 0.917 0 0.369 1.2865. Mangifera indica Linnaeus 0.964 0 0.238 1.2026. Ocimum gratissimum Linnaeus 0 0.369 0.786 1.1557. Musa balbisiana Colla 1 0 0 18. Acorus calamus L. 0 1 0 19. Gossypium herbaceum Linnaeus 1 0 0 110. Phrynium pubinerve Blume 1 0 0 111. Piper betle Linnaeus 1 0 0 112. Areca catechu Linnaeus 1 0 0 113. Carica papaya Linnaeus 0.988 0 0 0.98814. Solanum melongena Linnaeus 0.988 0 0 0.98815. Litsea salicifolia (J. Roxb. ex Nees) Hook. f. 0.988 0 0 0.988

SAR- Sacred and Religious rites; MAG-Magical belief system; TAB-Taboo.

are also used for purification of house and person. Leavesof Heteropogon contortus , Musa balbisiana ,Phragmites karka, Phrynium pubinerve, Saccharumravennae and Themeda villosa are large in size andtherefore these are used to prepare ceremonial altar forworshipping due to their larger size. Leaves of Musa sp.

and Phrynium pubinerve are used as offering plate dueto their thick texture and big size.

The tribe has a strong magical belief system.Therefore they used plants namely Acacia farnesiana,Allium sativum, Acorus calamus, Brassica juncea,


Table 4 : Mean number of magico-religious plants (± SD) for three use categories.

N Sacred and Magical belief Taboos Over allreligious rite species

Gender Female 22 43.136 ± 5.955 4.545 ± 0.912 6.483 ± 3.620477 51.136 ± 8.951

Male 62 44.016 ± 5.016 4.387 ± 1.285 6.772 ± 3.001 50.645 ± 7.113P value 0.792 0.262189 0.650 0.624Age group

< 50 63 43.365 ± 5.237 4.365± 1.195 6.079 ± 3.409 50.00 ± 7.552> 50 21 45.428 ±5.163 4.619 ± 1.1203 8.000 ± 3.255 53.085 ± 7.368

P value 0.064 0.385 <0.005 0.138


Capsicum annuum. Murraya koenigii and Ziziphusjujube to drag away evil spirit and Allium sativum,Eupatorium cannabinum, Capsicum annuum and Pipernigrum plants are used to cure diseases magically. Thepresent study reveals the use of more number of plantsin magical belief system than reported in the literature(Singhal et al., 2017; Sarma and Devi, 2015; Agarwal,2014, Sharma et al., 2014).

Deori tribe also believes in worshipping of trees likeother tribes (Singhal et al., 2017; Pandey and Pandey,2016; Agarwal, 2014; Sharma et al., 2014; Sahu et al.,2013). They consider Ficus religiosa and Aeglemarmelos as sacred trees as these trees are abode ofGods and deities. They donot raise some trees in frontyard of the houses and consider them as taboo. Bombaxceiba tree is prohibited to raise in front yard which mightbe due to presence of thorns, inferior wood and restingplace for vulture and crows. The trees like Citrusmegaloxycarpa, Dillenia indica, Mangifera indica andZiziphus jujuba are also considered as taboos due totheir sour fruits. Erythrina stricta and Lagerstroemiaspeciosa are also prohibited with a belief that the growingof these trees in front yard of house may cause quarrelor conflicts among the family members. Ficus religiosa,Ficus rumphii and Ficus benghalensis are alsoprohibited as they are the abode of evil spirits.

The documented plants are categorized into threeuse categories namely sacred and religious rites, magicalbelief and taboos on the basis of their uses in magico-religious practices (table 2), which showed that maximumplants are used in sacred and religious rites (77.05%)followed by taboos (21.3%) and magical belief (11.47%).

Based on three main use categories by usingquantitative ethnobotanical index cultural importanceindex (CI) is determined for their valuation. The resultsof 15 important magico-religious species given in the table3 showed that total CI index was highest in Brassicajuncea and lowest in Carica papaya , Solanummelongena and Litsea salicifolia. On contrary toSharma et al. (2014) reported Ocimum sanctum withhighest CI value (1.0) followed by Aegle marmelos(0.91), Ficus religiosa (0.75) in Tripuri tribe etc. ThoughDillenia indica, Eupatorium cannabinum, Vignamungo and Mangifera indica plants are used in twoused categories, but Brassica juncea has the highestC.I. The probable reason for highest CI of B. junceamay be due the use of it oil extracted from seeds inlighting of lamp during various festivals, ceremonies andfor preparing purified water for purification during funeralceremony.

The result presented in table 4 showed that there isno significant difference in the knowledge of plants usedby male and female in all three use categories. Thepresent investigation is confirmation with the findings ofSop et al. (2012). There is significance differencebetween age groups (<50 and >50 years) especially intaboo use category, which is similar to the finding of Sopet al. (2012).

AcknowledgementThe authors are grateful to all the villagers of Deori

tribe of Dhemaji and Lakhimpur districts of Assam, Indiafor providing important information on magico-religiouspractices.

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ETHNOBOTANICAL STUDY ON PLANTS USED IN MAGICO- … 19-1/387-399 (4548).pdf · 2019-05-25 ·...

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