Plant-Based Traditional Knowledge of an Indigenous Community in Transition: Ethnomedicinal, Wild-Edible and Dye-Yielding Plants of Mawryngkang Village, Ri-Bhoi District, Meghalaya, India

Abstract

Traditional knowledge held by indigenous communities represents an accumulated, locally adapted understanding of plants, agriculture and material culture that is increasingly threatened by acculturation, migration and rapid social change. The present study documents the surviving plant-based traditional knowledge of Mawryngkang, a small hamlet of about fifty households in the Umling subdivision of Ri-Bhoi district, Meghalaya, inhabited by a Khasi community that migrated to the site more than five decades ago and has since largely adopted Christianity. Data were gathered through repeated field visits and semi-structured interviews with key informants, including the village headman, a hereditary herbal practitioner, elderly residents and weavers, supplemented by photographic voucher documentation. Thirteen ethnomedicinal plant taxa were recorded from the practitioner\'s repertoire, used singly or as a polyherbal decoction locally called Dawaisuh, principally for gastro-intestinal and urinary complaints. Eleven wild-edible and non-timber forest species were documented as seasonal foods and market commodities, several corresponding to taxa already reported for the Khasi, Jaintia and Garo tribes. Bixa orellana and a second dye plant were used to colour cotton and Eri-silk yarn for traditional textiles, while a shifting-cultivation (jhum) system centred on pineapple provided the principal cash income. Cultural practices such as the Shad Sajer and Shad Rah Kynthei dances, bamboo musical instruments and rice-beer utensils persist mainly as heritage performance rather than daily practice. The findings underline both the residual richness and the accelerating erosion of local plant knowledge, and argue for participatory documentation, herbarium verification of provisional identifications, and phytochemical validation of the ethnomedicinal claims.

Introduction

The study examines the traditional ecological knowledge (TEK), ethnobotanical practices, and cultural heritage of Mawryngkang village in Ri-Bhoi district, Meghalaya. It highlights the importance of preserving both tangible and intangible cultural heritage, emphasizing that traditional knowledge survives only through continuous transmission across generations. Once this process is interrupted, valuable ecological, medicinal, and cultural knowledge can disappear rapidly.

Traditional ecological knowledge plays a crucial role in food security, healthcare, agriculture, and resource management. In Meghalaya, rich plant diversity and indigenous Khasi culture have historically supported extensive ethnobotanical knowledge. However, modernization, biodiversity loss, changing lifestyles, Christianity, migration, and weakening oral traditions have accelerated the erosion of this knowledge, particularly in accessible regions such as Ri-Bhoi.

Mawryngkang village represents a community in transition. Established over fifty years ago by Khasi migrants and now predominantly Christian, the village has lost many traditional institutions such as sacred groves and customary governance. Nevertheless, some indigenous practices continue through agriculture, herbal medicine, weaving, dance, and community traditions. The study aimed to document these surviving practices, identify useful plant species, record associated agricultural and cultural knowledge, and evaluate the current state of knowledge transmission.

Field surveys were conducted through interviews with village elders, the headman, a hereditary herbal healer, women weavers, and younger residents. Plant species, traditional practices, and cultural activities were documented through photographs and field observations. Botanical identifications were verified where possible, while uncertain species were marked as provisional pending herbarium confirmation.

Traditional healthcare in Mawryngkang depends primarily on a single hereditary herbal practitioner, who inherited his knowledge from his parents. Fourteen medicinal plant preparations, including a polyherbal decoction known as Dawaisuh, were documented. These remedies are mainly used to treat digestive disorders, kidney and bladder stones, constipation, diarrhoea, urinary problems, and stomach pain. The concentration of medicinal knowledge in one elderly healer highlights its vulnerability, as there is currently no identified apprentice to continue the tradition.

The community also continues to collect wild edible plants and non-timber forest products, including edible ferns, leafy vegetables, wild fruits, and medicinal species that supplement household nutrition. These forest resources remain important despite the village's relatively good access to markets, illustrating the continued value of traditional food gathering.

Traditional weaving and natural dyeing remain significant aspects of local material culture. Cotton and Eri silk are dyed using plant-based colorants, particularly Bixa orellana (annatto), before being woven into textiles decorated with patterns inspired by natural forms such as spiders and lizards. These practices demonstrate sustainable use of natural resources while preserving indigenous craftsmanship.

Agriculture is based mainly on shifting cultivation (jhum) combined with commercial pineapple farming. Farmers follow traditional methods of clearing, burning, and cultivating fields while integrating cash crops such as pineapple, ginger, and sweet potato. Pineapple cultivation provides the primary source of household income and illustrates how traditional farming systems have adapted to market-oriented agriculture.

The village also preserves elements of its ceremonial and material culture. Traditional dances such as Shad Sajer and Shad Rah Kynthei continue to be performed or taught to younger generations, maintaining important aspects of Khasi cultural identity. Traditional bamboo houses, musical instruments, rice-processing tools, and rice-beer brewing equipment further reflect indigenous technological knowledge and craftsmanship.

Despite these surviving traditions, the study finds that traditional knowledge is in a severely weakened state. Conversion to Christianity, migration, modernization, and exposure to mass media have reduced the use and transmission of indigenous customs. Younger generations show limited interest in learning traditional practices, while most remaining knowledge is concentrated among a small number of elders, weavers, dancers, and the village herbal practitioner.

Conclusion

This study documents the surviving plant-based traditional knowledge of Mawryngkang village in Ri-Bhoi, Meghalaya, comprising thirteen ethnomedicinal taxa used chiefly for gastro-intestinal and urinary complaints, eleven wild-edible and non-timber forest species, and dye plants—led by Bixa orellana—that sustain a surviving cotton and Eri-silk weaving tradition, set within a jhum-based pineapple economy and a still-legible ceremonial and material culture. The value of the record lies less in any single novel use than in its documentation of a coherent knowledge system at an advanced stage of erosion within a migrant, largely Christianised community. Three priorities follow. First, the provisional and unidentified taxa listed in Tables 1 and 2 should be verified through herbarium voucher collection, so that the local nomenclature is anchored to confirmed botanical identities. Second, the ethnomedicinal claims recorded here warrant phytochemical and pharmacological investigation before any therapeutic significance is inferred. Third, and most urgently, participatory safeguarding—recording the herbal practitioner\'s knowledge in full, and supporting the elders who teach dance and weaving—should be undertaken while living custodians remain. Documenting and transmitting this knowledge to younger generations is essential both to maintain community identity and to conserve a locally adapted, low-cost body of ecological understanding that modern systems cannot readily replace.

References

[1] Agrahar-Murugkar D & Subbulakshmi G. 2005. Nutritive values of wild edible fruits, berries, nuts, roots and spices consumed by the Khasi tribes of India. Ecology of Food and Nutrition 44(3): 207–223. [2] Das T, Samajdar T, Islam M, Singh N A & Marak G. 2016. Traditional farming system: a case study of the Garo tribe in West Garo Hills district of Meghalaya, north-eastern India. Life Sciences Leaflets 78: 24–32. [3] Hynniewta S R & Kumar Y. 2008. Herbal remedies among the Khasi traditional healers and village folks in Meghalaya. Indian Journal of Traditional Knowledge 7(4): 581–586. [4] Jeeva S. 2009. Horticultural potential of wild edible fruits used by the Khasi tribes of Meghalaya. Journal of Horticulture and Forestry 1(9): 182–192. [5] Jeeva S R D N, Laloo R C & Mishra B P. 2006. Traditional agricultural practices in Meghalaya, north-east India. Indian Journal of Traditional Knowledge 5(1): 7–18. [6] Kayang H. 2007. Tribal knowledge on wild edible plants of Meghalaya, north-east India. Indian Journal of Traditional Knowledge 6(1): 177–181. [7] Kayang H, Kharbuli B, Myrboh B & Syiem D. 2005. Medicinal plants of Meghalaya: bio-prospecting and ethnopharmacology. Acta Horticulturae 675: 75–80. [8] Maikhuri R K & Gangwar A K. 1993. Ethnobiological notes on the Khasi and Garo tribes of Meghalaya, north-east India. Economic Botany 47(4): 345–357. [9] Morgan K. 2002. Medicine of the gods: basic principles of Ayurvedic medicine. Mandrake Press, Oxford. [10] Patel S K, Sharma A & Singh G S. 2020. Traditional agricultural practices in India: an approach for environmental sustainability and food security. Energy, Ecology and Environment 5(4): 253–271. [11] Sawian J T, Jeeva S, Lyndem F G, Mishra B P & Laloo R C. 2007. Wild edible plants of Meghalaya, north-east India. Natural Product Radiance 6(5): 410–426. [12] Singh R & Singh G S. 2017. Traditional agriculture: a climate-smart approach for sustainable food production. Energy, Ecology and Environment 2(5): 296–316. [13] Siva R. 2007. Status of natural dyes and dye-yielding plants in India. Current Science 92(7): 916–925. [14] Tripathi A, Tripathi D K, Chauhan D K, Kumar N & Singh G S. 2016. Paradigms of climate change impacts on some major food sources of the world: a review on current knowledge and future prospects. Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment 216: 356–373. [15] Wezel A, Bellon S, Doré T, Francis C, Vallod D & David C. 2009. Agroecology as a science, a movement and a practice: a review. Agronomy for Sustainable Development 29(4): 503–515. [16] Yuan H, Ma Q, Ye L & Piao G. 2016. The traditional medicine and modern medicine from natural products. Molecules 21(5): 559.

Copyright

Copyright © 2026 Anamika Upadhaya, Kitborlang Nongrum. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.