History of Traditional Healing Practices and Beliefs Among the Kusaasi

This study explores the traditional healing practices and beliefs of the Kusaasi people in northern Ghana, with attention to their historical development, cultural significance, and the challenges they face in contemporary society. Rooted in indigenous knowledge systems, Kusaasi healing incorporates herbal medicine, spiritual rituals, divination, and ancestral reverence, functioning as a vital form of healthcare in rural communities where access to modern medical services remains limited. Despite their enduring importance, these practices are increasingly undermined by forces such as modernization, the spread of Islam and Christianity, exposure to Western education, and the growing dominance of biomedical systems. Using a combination of primary and secondary sources, including interviews with traditional healers, elders, and community members, this study documents and analyzes these healing traditions while situating them within the broader sociocultural and spiritual frameworks that sustain them. It argues for the preservation and integration of Kusaasi traditional healing into Ghana’s national healthcare system, both as a strategy for cultural continuity and as a means of promoting more inclusive and accessible health delivery. By centering the perspectives of a historically underrepresented ethnic group, the research contributes to ongoing scholarly discourse on African indigenous knowledge, medical pluralism, and the coexistence of traditional and modern paradigms of healing.

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