125 In all of this, there seems to be a genuine appreciation for God’s Pauto enabling through ideas given to
the men, plants and trees in the jungle, and for the power for the cure to be effective. It would appear that there is no dependence upon spirit beings as they are known in the Rotokas area.
10.3.3 Native medicines and cures
The following are cures for various sicknesses:
“Sick” blood
The red leaves of a certain tree are gathered and placed in a small bamboo tube. Sap from this same tree is put into the tube and heated with the leaves. This concoction is given to the sick person to drink. A second step
is to obtain the bark of a certain tree, place it in a bamboo container with water and boil the contents using a heated stone only. The steam from the boiling contents is directed close to the sick person’s abdomen to make
him perspire. Following this, the person is given the contents of the bamboo tube to drink.
If this fails to cure the “sick” blood, then leaves of a plant that grows close to the base of the waterfall are collected and heated in a shallow hole using hot stones. The sick person sits close to the steam that is coming
from the heated contents within the hole. At the same time, water from a wild banana plant is poured over the hot stone and the steam is directed upwards over the stomach of the person.
Head pain
The leaves of the siikoiva tree are obtained and boiled in water with salt. These leaves have a very strong odor. The boiled liquid is drunk and the unpleasant smell clears the head of pain.
Stomach pain
The milky-white sap of a particular tree is gathered before sunrise. The sick person drinks this sap which will be effective until sundown. The stomach pains should be gone by dark.
The wife of a former village pastor had pains in her stomach which were associated with difficulty in urinating. She was given a soup with certain medicinal leaves and told not to drink liquids for several days. She
was to bathe in hot water each morning and evening. In time, she recovered; however, her husband was not happy that the bush medicine had been given to her.
Dysentery
The leaves of the mango tree taveteua are mashed to extract the juice, which is then mixed with several other items, including either sea water or water mixed with commercial salt. All of this is passed through a
sieve and only the pure liquid is saved. The mashed leaves and rubbish must be burned up lest the rain carry the “sickness” from the leaves into the village area. The sieved liquid is then given to the patient to drink.
After drinking the preparation, the person is not allowed to drink any liquid for one full day. The following day, he or she can drink only hot water. There is no guarantee that this medicine will work. For some it does,
but for others it is ineffective.
Broken bones
A particular type of shrub, kuvaku, is used for splinting broken bones. The branches are either used as is or are first crushed flat. They are then placed alongside the broken limb in the same way as a wooden splint
would be applied in First Aid. The area of the break is then heated close to the fire and the break allowed to mend.
Cuts
When available, sawdust is put directly on a cut in order to stop the bleeding. Otherwise, it is usually wrapped with a plain piece of cloth.
Open sores
An apparently effective measure taken to heal open sores, such as tropical ulcers, makes use of a calcium powder and the leaf of the giant taro plant. The powder is prepared by burning and crushing the shells of the
freshwater snail akoroto. The powder is applied directly to the sore, which is then wrapped with a half section of a taro leaf.
126 The wrapped sore is kept near an open fire for one to two days. Following this, the person soaks it in a
stream of water. The taro leaf is carefully removed and the moving water is allowed to dislodge the caked-on powder. If the sore is not cleared up, the treatment is repeated.
Colds and congestion
In villages located at higher elevations, it is not uncommon to find children and older residents alike suffering from various types of congestion. One of the plants used as a decongestant is the taro plant, uriko.
Younger leaves from this plant are eaten or put into soups.
General aches and pains
Because of the volcanic activity in the Rotokas area, there are iron springs, such as the one described in section 2.2.4. People who suffer from aches in their joints, etc., know the benefits of soaking in one of these
pools of warm mineral water.
Birth pains
Although I have no details, the plant vago was named as one used to help a mother suffering from birth pains.
Other maladies
Other maladies for which no bush medicine was described are: uteovakasiraokukue upia malaria, sivi atura kapua pustules on the skin from various diseases, sige kapua ulcer, keru rupirupi bone disease, and
finally, lepra leprosy.
10.3.4 Health education
