Ethnozoological Insights on the Traditional Practices and Knowledge Among the Chang Tribe of Nagaland

Abstract

The Chang tribe inhabiting the Tuensang district of Nagaland has a rich tradition of ethnozoology. The present study was conducted to record therapeutic efficacy of traditional knowledge and zootherapeutic practices. Documentation is based on semi-structured questionnaire and group discussion. The data collected were analysed using use value (UV), fidelity level (FL) and informant consensus factor (ICF). The present study recorded 43 animal species with 9 belonging to the invertebrate group and 34 to the vertebrate group. Among the vertebrate group, mammals are more extensively used (64.71%) followed by birds (20.59%), reptiles (8.82%), and both amphibians and Pisces have the lowest usage (2.94% each). While in invertebrates category, the Arthropoda phylum shows the highest utilization at 77.8%, followed by the Annelida and Mollusca phyla, each comprising 11.1%. The present study sheds light on the rich ethnomedicinal knowledge of the Chang Nagas, emphasizing the critical role of both vertebrates and invertebrates in their traditional medicine, henceforth, providing evidence of inter play between biological diversity and cultural practices also contributes to the broader understanding of biocultural diversity and its importance.