The Unheard Voices of Santalis: Communicating About Health From the Margins of India

Abstract

This article takes a culture-centered approach to exploring Santali meanings of health in rural Bengal. My conversations with Santalis and field journal accounts of interactions with Santali men and women bring to the surface critical issues and meaningful theories of health. The discursive constructions demonstrate that Santali health beliefs are polymorphic, accommodating multiple treatment approaches to disease and illness. Critical to Santali discourse is the acknowledgment of barriers created by the socio-politico-cultural structure encompassing Santalis. On one hand, Santalis talk about education as a salvation; on the other hand, they believe that the structure fundamentally needs to be challenged and transformed. Discourses of resistance and revolution emerge in the interviews, suggesting the necessity of locating agency in Santalis and their communities.