Doktas and Shamans Among the Sambia of Papua New Guinea

Abstract

In 1975 the Central Government established small medical aid posts throughout the Sambia tribal territory. Until that time, no permanent Western medical care was available to the Sambia. Shamans were the key traditional healers. Others, such as local ritual experts, would also perform magical spells or recommend indigenous medicines and related treatments for those seeking care. The aid post in the Sambia Valley had a rocky start due to staffing and supply difficulties. By 1981, however, 97% of our respondents in a large household survey told us that they regularly used the dokta (the Pidgin term for physicians, medical orderlies and, more broadly, all outsiders who treat illness). Moreover, 45% said they no longer used shamans for healing. This dramatic social change must be interpreted in the light of increasing acculturation on many fronts among the Sambia, including the decline in the great prestige of traditional shamanism.