In India, there are about 400 or more tribal groups, constituting about 8.14 percent of the country's total population (Saha, 2003., Mitra & Singh, 2008). They are known for their diversified culture, which varies from region to region. Densely populated tribal states are Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Orissa, Madhya Pradesh, West Bengal, Maharashtra, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh. They are heterogeneous and strongly believe in diverse traditional medicine.
Jharkhand is home to 32 tribes, constituting about 26.3 percent of the state's entire population, per the Census of India, 2011. The tribal population has strong faith in nature and is known as nature worshippers. Since time immemorial, tribal communities have been following rituals and customs with full belief and assurance. The traditions and rituals followed are verbal; therefore, they are considered customary practices. Similarly, they have a strong belief in their traditional healthcare system.
Maternal health status varies and highly depends upon the prevailing practices of society at large. It is one of the crucial questions in the state of Jharkhand. Tribal women undergo unusual complications during pregnancy and delivery due to a lack of education and awareness of primary healthcare centers for antenatal checkups. The lack of appropriate techniques used in primary healthcare centers is also another reason for diminishing the health status of tribal women in the rural areas within the state. Besides this, tribal communities highly adopt customary rituals during pre-natal and post-natal stages. These practices sometimes prove to be harmful to mothers and infants too.
Therefore this paper focuses on an in-depth analysis of traditional maternal healthcare among tribal to determine the function of Traditional Birth Attendants (TBAs), particularly in the rural areas of Jharkhand. It would also attempt to examine the critical exploration of Traditional Birth Attendants (TBAs) and their hazardous influence on the health of tribal women.
