Traditional medicines in the Pacific | 271Finally it discusses some of the work that has been carried out more
recently to separate the folk law elements of traditional medicine usage from
the more evidence-based practice of contemporary western society and
shows that, surprisingly, there may be considerable commonality between
the two.
The setting
Australia
Australia (similar to New Zealand) is often considered as an enclave of
European culture and traditions, thousands of miles away from the source
of its traditions. This culture is, however, of fairly recent origin, a matter of
only a few hundred years. Before the arrival of European adventurers and
settlers, the two countries enjoyed the traditions of their own indigenous
peoples. Australasia, although sometimes considered to consist of just
Australia and New Zealand, does in fact encompass many other neigh-
bouring islands in the South Pacific ocean, many of which share similar
traditions, including those associated with the recognition and treatment of
illness.
The Australian subcontinent is huge, encompassing a landmass of 7.5
million square kilometres, a physical geography that ranges from snow-
capped mountains through arid deserts to tropical swamps. Its climate too
is extreme, scorching hot and dry in the centre, hot and humid in its
northern regions, and almost temperate in its coastal southern parts. Its
native people, the Aborigines, have lived in its land for thousands of years,
living in tribal units in a nomadic lifestyle, not cultivating land or crops as
a rule but moving from one area to another as availability of food sources
dictated. The tribes spoke in many different languages or dialects and had
no formal written means of transmitting information from one group to
another or from one generation to the next. Although some pictorial means
were used, most information was passed on by word of mouth. When
someone became sick, an elder in the tribe, a traditional healer (ngangkari),
would be called in to identify the problem, specifically the evil spirit respon-
sible for the sickness. This spirit would be driven away by ritualistic dancing
and chanting by the revered elder who would dress in distinctive garb for
the occasion. To aid the driving away of the evil spirit, the ill person could
also be treated with a concoction of herbs and herbal extracts considered
effective for the purpose.