Abstract
BackgroundThe Schools’ Folklore Scheme (1937–1939) was implemented at a pivotal time in Irelands’ political history. It resulted in a body of ethnological information that is unique in terms of when, why and how it was collected. This material consists of over 700,000 pages of information, including ethnomedicinal and ethnobotanical traditions, reflecting an oral identity that spans generations and that in many cases was not documented in writing until the 1930s. The intention of this study is to highlight the importance of the Schools’ Folklore Scheme and to demonstrate an ethnographic approach based on recollections of original participants of the scheme, to further understand the material in the collection and the impact it had on the participants.MethodsThis study involves an analysis of both oral and archival data. Eleven semi-structured interviews with original participants of the scheme were carried out between April and September 2016. Their corresponding schools’ archival contributions to the scheme were located, and ethnomedicinal information was analysed and compared with the participants’ recollections.ResultsThe majority of participants’ stated the scheme had a positive impact on them. Five participants’ recalled collecting ethnomedicinal information, and there was a direct correlation between three of the participants’ ethnomedicinal recollections and their entries in the archives. One third of all the ethnomedicinal entries analysed included the use of a plant. There were 191 plant mentions and 64 plant species named.ConclusionsContacting the original participants offers a novel approach of analysing this archival material. It provides a unique first-hand account of this historical initiative, an insight into how the scheme was implemented and how it impacted upon the children. The ethnomedicinal and ethnobotanical information provides an understanding of the medicinal practices in Ireland during the 1930s. The plant species that were both orally recalled by participants and documented in the archives are in keeping with key ethnomedicinal systems throughout the world.
Highlights
The Schools’ Folklore Scheme (1937–1939) was implemented at a pivotal time in Irelands’ political history
The specific traditional knowledge (TK) topics documented in the large manuscripts (LM) were identified through the index system generated by the National Folklore Collection (Fig. 3b)
Arranging the traditional knowledge topics into themes For this study, all the TK topics listed in the index, from the nine schools’ material, were collated and organised into broader themes (Fig. 4)
Summary
The Schools’ Folklore Scheme (1937–1939) was implemented at a pivotal time in Irelands’ political history. In the discussions and processes leading to political agreements about biodiversity and their sustainable use, ‘the unique ways in which indigenous and traditional peoples perceive, use and manage their natural resources have been at the centre of the debates between representatives of nations, indigenous peoples, NGOs and international organisations It has been asked ‘how programs can be developed to guarantee the preservation and strengthening of indigenous communities and their traditional knowledge’ [2]. The World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) has defined TK as ‘knowledge, know-how, skills and practices that are developed, sustained and passed on from generation to generation within a community, often forming part of its cultural or spiritual identity’ and comparably, the Convention of Biodiversity states that TK is ‘transmitted orally from generation to generation It tends to be collectively owned and takes the form of stories, songs, folklore, proverbs, cultural values, beliefs, rituals, community laws, local languages, and agricultural practices, including the development of plant species and animal breeds’ [3]. TK can be relatively new; it has a social meaning and legal character that is entirely unlike the knowledge in local communities acquired from migrants and industrialised societies [4]
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