The Intersection of Kedayan Folk Medicine and Traditional Ecological Calendar

Abstract

A noteworthy feature of folk and codified traditional medicines is their ability to combine drug-based therapies with spiritual therapies. This unique combination differentiates them from the drug-based approach employed by modern biomedicine and renders them highly relevant to contemporary healthcare. Like folk medicine, traditional ecological calendars also embody the traditional knowledge held by local communities. However, the influence of ecological calendars on folk medicine has been largely underexplored; studies have mostly considered ecological calendars and folk medicine independent of each other. In this chapter, we provide an understanding of the traditional knowledge of the Kedayan community of Brunei Darussalam with specific reference to their folk medicine and their traditional ecological calendar. Data was collected through in-depth interviews that the first author held with sixteen knowledgeable elders from the Kedayan community of Brunei Darussalam between January 2018 and June 2018. The Kedayan classify causes of ailments broadly into two: ailments caused by factors of the unseen realm and factors of the seen realm. The former are treated by spiritual therapies and the latter using practices rooted in the humoral concept of well-being. The Kedayan traditional ecological calendar stipulates the right time for harvesting medicinal herbs and administering them. It links the potency of medicinal herbs to tidal cycles and also provides information on the seasonal occurrence of ailments. By focussing on the interface between the Kedayan folk medicine and the ecological calendar, the chapter draws attention to a hitherto underexplored area in folk medicine.