Spaces of Remedy: Cultural Topography of Traditional Healing in Karo Society
Puspitawati, Dedi Andriansyah, Ayu Rulyani, Sulian Ekomila, Murni Eva Marlina

Universitas Negeri Medan

Abstract

This study reveals the existence of Karo ethnomedicine by mapping the social arenas where healing experiences are constructed. This is a qualitative study conducted using an ethnographic approach within the context of the anthropology of place. Data were collected through participant observation and in-depth interviews, then analyzed using ethnographic interview, domain, and taxonomic analysis techniques. The results show that palm wine (lapo tuak), houses, healing practice sites, and traditional markets are not merely physical locations, but function as social spaces that play a crucial role in the cultural ecology of healing. These spaces serve as a medium for the transmission of healing knowledge from generation to generation, a place for sharing experiences of illness and recovery, and healing narratives among individuals and communities, as well as a place for fulfilling the material needs of healing potions and other equipment. The existence of these social spaces forms a dynamic and contextual topography of healing culture within Karo society.

Keywords: Cultural topography, etnomedisin, Karo

Topic: Social Science, Linguistics, Foreign Language and Humanities