2010 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

Anthropology of Knowledge about Folk Remedies for Snake Venom in Northeastern Thailand

Research Project

Project/Area Number	20720239
Research Category	Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (B)
Allocation Type	Single-year Grants
Research Field	Cultural anthropology/Folklore
Research Institution	Fukui Prefectural University
Principal Investigator	TSUMURA Fumihiko Fukui Prefectural University, 学術教養センター, 准教授 (40363882)
Project Period (FY)	2008 – 2010
Keywords	文化人類学
Research Abstract	The research aims to examine the practice and knowledge of traditional healers who mainly cure venomous snakebites in rural areas of northeastern Thailand. The traditional healers, called mo pao, treat wounds of venomous snakes, spiders, centipedes, or so by blowing holy water and magical spells. It aims to examine the mixture of magic and medicine in modern rural villages and to investigate the folk medicine to cure the snakebite which modern medicine treats quite well and to clarify the construction of the everyday logic of "understanding". The ethnological study is based on several short-time fieldworks in Khon Kaen province of northeastern Thailand between 2008-2010.