World Congress for Middle Eastern Studies

Barcelona, July 19th - 24th 2010

· NOT_DEFINED institution: Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicraft Organization

· NOT_DEFINED organizer: Farideh Madjidi Khameneh

· NOT_DEFINED language: English

· NOT_DEFINED description: During the recent years, folk medicine has attracted a great deal of attention among the investigators throughout the world. Although it seeks, in the first place, to compensate for a biological need through providing cures for disorders, it, however, is of a cultural nature, too, in that it investigates people's behaviors and reactions toward health and the issues related to it. Consequently, traditional health cares must be counted as a component of a society's culture. Investigations of people's views toward folk medicine are capable of throwing light on acquaintance with their conducts, customs, traditions and behaviors, as well as the social-economic conditions prevailing in their environment. In addition, such investigations of public medicine bring about familiarities with gradual developments in traditional medical methodologies as introduced by culture, economic, or social factors, first into the society, then medicine. Familiarization with cultural diversities in relation to medicine is the end results. The present paper comprises an anthropological approach toward investigation of folk medical practiced by women in village of Band located in Uremia province in Northwestern Iran. This city has a moderate climate and is known for Uremia Lake that is located in its eastern neighborhood. The salt content of Uremia Lake is extremely high and in summer and warm season, many people come to this destination in order to benefit from the medical properties of Uremia Lake?s water, sludge and waterlogged mud. Azeri, Assyrian, Armenian, and Kurdish ethnic groups inhabit Uremia. Over 50% of the population in Uremia lives in rural areas while cattle breeders and farmers constitute major occupational groups in the area. Our case study targets Band village in Uremia with a historical background of over 500 years. Band is an entirely vegetated village surrounded by beautiful heights. Abundant water resources are available for rewarding farming operations on the rich and fertile soils here. Kurdish constitute the major portion of the inhabitants of the village while women constitute 50% of the population. Majority of the residents of Band village are engaged in farming while animal husbandry and poultry come next.The vital share of women in these activities can by no means be neglected, however, as noble housewives; they have primarily dedicated themselves to raising and educating their children. Taking care of a patient in the case of incidence of a disease in the family is also a task, which is undertaken by these women.