Negotiating Faith, Tradition, and Plurastic Health-Seeking Practices: Christianity and Healing Among the Apatanis of Ziro Valley

*Corresponding Author: Dhritiman Sarmai
Department of Anthropology, Rajiv Gandhi University, Arunachal Pradesh
Email:  dhritiman.sarma@rgu.ac.in

KEYWORDS Traditional healing, ritual, Christian, medical pluralism, Apatani, Ziro Valley

ABSTRACT
Background: The health-seeking practices of the Apatani people vary considerably, shaped by a complex interplay of religious beliefs, economic factors, and modern advancements. This study examines how differing faith traditions, specifically Christianity versus Donyi Polism, inform health-related choices and influence how individuals navigate multiple therapeutic avenues. It explores the extent to which religious convictions mediate engagement with formal healthcare systems and investigates how these beliefs transform health-seeking behaviour across generations.
Method: A community-based cross-sectional study using qualitative methods was conducted in the Lower Subansiri district of Arunachal Pradesh. Utilising purposive and snowball sampling strategies, data were collected through in-depth semi-structured interviews with 55 participants aged 35 and above, including village elders, Christian representatives (Pastors and faith healers), and traditional priests (Nyibu) across multiple villages.
Result: The findings reveal a highly pluralistic health-seeking landscape where traditional, Christian, and biomedical systems coexist. While traditional healing practices of Donyi Polosim remain culturally rooted, they are declining due to a lack of younger practitioners, high financial costs, and elaborate sacrificial demands. Conversion to Christianity has significantly reconfigured healing preferences, introducing faith healing as an economically accessible and emotionally comforting alternative. However, the community does not speak in a uniform voice; significant internal divergence exists. While many elders and nonbelievers favour immediate biomedical interventions, some devout Christians prioritise prayer initially, occasionally resulting in delayed medical care. Furthermore, critical voices within the community express discontent over the coercive nature of institutionalised fasting and baptism within certain Christian practices.
Conclusion: The study demonstrates that health-seeking behaviour among the Apatanis is a dynamic process of negotiation rather than a complete replacement of tradition by modernity or Christianity. Both traditional and Christian healing frameworks rely heavily on the psychological efficacy of faith, yet they create deep social and structural divisions within the community. Future healthcare policies must account for this religious pluralism to ensure timely medical interventions.

Tadu Dandhin¹ and Dhritiman Sarmai²*

¹Research Scholar, Department of Anthropology, Rajiv Gandhi University, Arunachal Pradesh
²Assistant Professor, Department of Anthropology, Rajiv Gandhi University, Arunachal Pradesh

DOI-DS:
DOI Link ::

Frontier Anthropology, 2026, 15: 39-49
©Anthropological Society of Manipur

Original Article

Manuscript Timeline
Submitted: April 2, 2026
Accepted: July 10, 2026
Published: August 19, 2026

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