Description

Introduction: A qualitative phenomenological study that aimed to understand the meanings of being healthy, the disease, and the healing of muscular and skeletal injuries, for the indigenous bonesetters of the Quillacinga indigenous reservation ‘Refugio del Sol’. An information collection instrument was applied with a semi-structured interview of 14 questions, addressed to four indigenous bonesetters from this community. Development: For the bonesetters, the meaning of health, disease, and cure has multiple definitions, which depend on different factors that influence the interpretation of this knowledge, such as culture, environment, and, above all, the worldview that each population has. Conclusions: From the indigenous worldview, healing is understood as a tradition focused on the treatment of muscular and skeletal injuries, which uses different ancestral methods, turning its therapeutic practice into a holistic and comprehensive way of healing, which benefits anyone who comes to them. The disease, for its part, is the disconnection of the body with the astral plane composed of different spiritual beliefs that make up the aura of a person (spirit), as well as the permanent consumption of foods grown with chemicals that contribute to the loss of the positive energy of the body. Finally, it can be said that all their traditional practices are based on empirical learning that is part of a generational cascade.