Indigenous Knowledge Approaches Research Articles

Dealing with risks associated with tsunamis using indigenous knowledge approaches

In areas often decimated by natural disasters, indigenous peoples have developed specific knowledge through generations of stories based on their past experiences. This indigenous knowledge has enabled them to reduce the risk associated with natural phenomena, including tsunamis, disasters with highly destructive potential that occurrence is complicated to predict. At the beginning of the 21st century alone, tsunamis claimed hundreds of thousands of lives and caused enormous material damage, but many indigenous communities survived them with minimal human casualties. This study aims to identify, describe and analyze the indigenous knowledge that indigenous peoples use to reduce the risks resulting from the possible effects of tsunamis and earthquakes and reduce their negative impacts. This area is mapped in detail based on the available relevant literature and its analysis. Here, individual findings are linked to specific localities threatened by tsunamis or earthquakes, which are primarily situated in the Ring of Fire. The search results revealed various forms of indigenous knowledge ranging from intangible cultural values and stories to tangible stones or musical instruments. There is an intention to generalize the view of traditional knowledge, especially by analyzing the similarities and dependencies found between the identified knowledge. Some examples of failure to use indigenous knowledge, or ignorance of it on the part of municipalities, are also presented. Acquired results demonstrate that procedures and methods based on indigenous knowledge serve as effective tools in risk management when dealing with the danger of tsunamis or earthquakes and reducing their negative impacts.

Decolonising Australian doctoral education beyond/within the pandemic: Foregrounding Indigenous knowledges

Global doctoral education has been particularly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and the Black Lives Matter movement, which have drawn attention to the vast inequities faced by black, cultural minority and Indigenous peoples. These developments have focused urgent attention on the need to de-homogenise Australian doctoral education. Australian universities have been very slow to create recognition and accreditation programs for First Nations and transcultural (migrant, refugee and international candidates) knowledge systems, histories, geographies, languages and cultural practices in doctoral education. A significant body of research investigates Australian universities’ education of Indigenous and transcultural doctoral candidates. However, few scholars have sought to trace the links between individual personal doctoral candidate life histories and large-scale Australian government policy trends. This paper draws upon the Indigenous knowledge global decolonization praxis framework and de Sousa Santos’ theories about cognitive justice and epistemologies of the South to fill this gap. Future aspects of this project will involve conducting an international policy analysis, life histories and time mapping to implement key Indigenous knowledge approaches in Australian doctoral education. This paper will critically explore the application of three core First Nations knowledge approaches – the agency of Country, the power of Story and intergenerational, iterative and intercultural knowledges – to Australian doctoral education.

Indigenizing Science and Reasserting Indigeneity in Research

1 Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, USA. 2 Department of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math, Turtle Mountain Community College, Belcourt, North Dakota, USA. 3 Division of Biomedical Informatics and Personalized Medicine, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, Colorado, USA. 4 Colorado Center for Personalized Medicine, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, Colorado, USA. *Correspondence to: Krystal S. Tsosie, e-mail: krystal.s.tsosie@gmail.com. KEY WORDS: native american, american indian, pacific islander, indigenous science, traditional ecological knowledge, indigenous knowledge, epistemologies, community-based participatory research, community engagement, research framework, gene drive, stem education. Human Biology, Summer 2019, v. 91, no. 3. doi: 10.13110/humanbiology.91.3.02. Copyright © 2020 Wayne State University Press, Detroit, Michigan 48201 introduction Indigenizing Science and Reasserting Indigeneity in Research Krystal S. Tsosie1,2 * and Katrina G. Claw3,4 Science,atitscore,isknowledgesystematically gained through repeated observations about the world around us. Indigenous people have always been scientists. As agronomists, Indigenous people of pre-Colombian Mexico domesticated maize over 9,000 years ago (Matsuoka et al. 2002). As astronomers, Polynesians studied constellations and movements of celestial bodies to become skilled sailors and navigators (Lewis 1972). In almost every scientifijic discipline throughout history, Indigenous people have contributed to our physical and biological understanding and have developed technologies that benefijit all. Imagine, then, how science today could be advanced if we empowered Indigenous approaches to the level of Western science. Indigenous people have multiple ways of knowing and varied traditional knowledge systems that are distinct from Western perspectives. These epistemologies are embedded in oral traditions , ceremonial practices, beliefs, and general knowledge from our ancestors. Thus, Indigenous science is the process by which Indigenous people construct and disseminate empirical knowledge of their environment. As approaches to gathering knowledge, Indigenous science may arise independently of Western science, but the two are not antithetical. Yet Indigenous science is often overshadowed and minimized by Western science. The latter is often seen by the dominant society as being more “objective,” whereas its counterpart might beviewedasanecdotal,imprecise,andvaluedonly by its interoperability with Western perspectives. This veneration of Western science has the efffect of undermining the embodied and relational ways of knowing developed over countless generations, passed down by elders to the next generation, and rooted in centuries of observational and experiential learning. Indigenous science is grounded in traditional knowledge, but it is perhaps the word “traditional” that seems to cause consternation and derision among non-Indigenous academics.The word itself is often used antonymously with “modern” and therefore implies that such concepts are of the past and incompatible with the contemporary world (Pierotti 2012). Perhaps we should instead think of “traditional knowledge” as knowledge that endures, or has been repeatedly tested and remained substantiated, as data points representing countless trials over time. Maybe scientists should reevaluate their perceptions of the word “traditional” and instead acknowledge and listen to expertise in Indigenous science. Hence, many biologists and conservationists are looking to traditional ecological knowledge (TEK), or Indigenous knowledge (IK) gained 000 ■ Tsosie and Claw through interacting with the environment, to provide solutions to climate change, deforestation, species extinction, and ecosystem degradation— problems arguably implicated by an overreliance on Western science. For instance, researchers were able to improve their population estimates of bowhead whales in Arctic Alaska by incorporating Iñupiat knowledge of whale behavior (Albert 2001; Popp 2018). Furthermore, elders from the Heiltsuk First Nation in British Columbia long recognized diffferences between coastal and inland gray wolves in their territory, which informed later genetic investigations comparing the two species (Stronen et al. 2014). As stewards of lands that encompass22%of Earth’ssurface,includingmuch of its biodiversity (Sobrevila 2008), Indigenous people, and IK approaches, are perhaps now more importantfortheplanet’ssustainabilityandfuture. LookingtoIndigenoussciencetofijindsolutions tosystemicissueswithoutconcernforthehealthof Indigenous knowledge keepers, however, is extractive . Indigenous people in the United States sufffer worse health outcomes and signifijicant barriers to health compared to non-Hispanic whites (JacobsWingo et al. 2016), and these health disparities may be further exacerbated as precision medicine moves forward (Martin et al. 2019) without proper attention to structural barriers to health that overburden these communities (Tsosie et al. 2019). Despite some attention over the years to explore themes of discrimination, racism, historical trauma, and cultural...

Indigenous knowledge approach in maintaining a livelihood in the face of disastrous climate change: Case of drought in Msinga villages, KwaZulu-Natal.

The aim of this study is to explore and examine the ways of maintaining livelihoods of communities in the face of extreme climatic conditions using indigenous knowledge systems. Special attention was paid to drought prevailing in the Msinga village communities in the northern part of KwaZulu-Natal. This is a qualitative study. In order to achieve its objectives, this study used semi-structured interviews. In total, there were 16 participants from the Msinga villages. The findings demonstrated that droughts are endemic to the study area, and drought-management strategies are as intrinsic to local livelihood systems as are seasonal-adjustment strategies. The findings also indicated that communities in Msinga have knowledge of drought management. However, this knowledge contributes very little to the management of drought. Limitations in traditional knowledge that contribute effectively to drought management are due to a number of factors including conflicts between traditional knowledge and modern science. This implied that most young people are no longer interested in traditional knowledge but are more interested in modern science. Furthermore, government programmes and interventions hamper the efforts of traditional knowledge in dealing with the consequences of drought and thereby make the community vulnerable to drought.

The qasgiq model as an indigenous intervention: Using the cultural logic of contexts to build protective factors for Alaska Native suicide and alcohol misuse prevention.

The foundational role culture and Indigenous knowledge (IK) occupy within community intervention in American Indian and Alaska Native (AIAN) communities is explored. To do this, we define community or complex interventions, then critically examine ways culture is translated into health interventions addressing AIAN disparities in existing programs and research initiatives. We then describe an Indigenous intervention based in the cultural logic of its contexts, as developed by Alaska Native communities. Yup'ik coauthors and knowledge keepers provided their critical and theoretical perspectives and understandings to the overall narrative, constructing from their IK system an argument that culture is prevention. The intervention, the Qungasvik (phonetic: koo ngaz vik; "tools for life") intervention, is organized and delivered through a Yup'ik Alaska Native process the communities term qasgiq (phonetic: kuz gik; "communal house"). We describe a theory of change framework built around the qasgiq model and explore ways this Indigenous intervention mobilizes aspects of traditional Yup'ik cultural logic to deliver strengths-based interventions for Yup'ik youth. This framework encompasses both an IK theory-driven intervention implementation schema and an IK approach to knowledge production. This intervention and its framework provide a set of recommendations to guide researchers and Indigenous communities who seek to create Indigenously informed and locally sustainable strategies for the promotion of health and well-being. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).

Indigenous Knowledge Approach to Successful Psychotherapies with Aboriginal Suicide Attempters.

Suicide is disproportionately common among Aboriginal people in Canada. Life stories were collected from 54 Aboriginal suicide attempters in northern Saskatchewan. Constant comparison techniques and modified grounded theory identified common themes expressed. Three common plots/themes preceded suicide attempts: 1) relationship breakup, usually sudden, unanticipated, involving a third person; 2) being publicly humiliated by another person(s), accompanied by high levels of shame; and 3) high levels of unremitting, chronic life stress (including poverty) with relative isolation. We found 5 common purposes for suicide attempts: 1) to "show" someone how badly they had hurt the attempter, 2) to stop the pain, 3) to save face in a difficult social situation, 4) to get revenge, and 5) don't know/don't remember/made sense at the time, all stated by people who were under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs at the time of their suicide attempt. We found 5 common beliefs about death: 1) you just cease to exist, and everything just disappears; 2) you go into the spirit world and can see and hear everything that is happening in this world; 3) you go to heaven or hell; 4) you go to a better place; and 5) don't know/didn't think about it. The idea of personal and cultural continuity is essential to understanding suicide among First Nations youth. Interventions targeted to the individual's beliefs about death, purpose for suicide, and consistent with the life story (plot) in which they find themselves may be more successful than one-size-fits-all programs developed outside of aboriginal communities.

Inuit family understandings of sexual health and relationships in Nunavut.

To explore Inuit family understandings of sexual health and relationships in order to inform responsive public health interventions that are designed to meet the needs of Nunavummiut. A qualitative indigenous knowledge approach was used for this study with a focus on Inuit epistemology and methodology, as described in the Piliriqatigiinniq Community Health Research Partnership Model. Interviews were conducted with 20 parents in three Nunavut communities in 2011. An immersion and crystallization analytical approach was used to analyze the data and to identify groupings or themes in the data. The stories shared by parents are honoured, keeping their words intact as often as possible in the presentation of results. Parents in this study largely discussed sexual health in the context of historical community events related to settlement and/or residential schools. Residential schools and forced settlement into communities were linked to trauma, family separation, hardship and grief. These experiences were prominent in participants' understandings of sexual health and perceptions of sexual health behaviours among youth in the community. This study highlights the complexity of the landscape of sexual health in Nunavut and the need for public health approaches that are inclusive of Inuit family perspectives on sexual health. Greater understanding of historical and community context can contribute to the development of pertinent, evidence-based public health interventions that will meet the needs of the population.

Inuit parent perspectives on sexual health communication with adolescent children in Nunavut: “It's kinda hard for me to try to find the words”

BackgroundFor Inuit, the family unit has always played a central role in life and in survival. Social changes in Inuit communities have resulted in significant transformations to economic, political and cultural aspects of Inuit society. Where the family unit was once the setting for dialogue on family relations and sexuality, this has largely been replaced by teachings from the medical community and/or the school system.ObjectiveThe purpose of this study was to explore Inuit parent perspectives on sharing knowledge with teenage children about sexual health and relationships.MethodA qualitative Indigenous knowledge approach was used for this study with a focus on Inuit ways of knowing as described in the Piliriqattigiinniq Community Health Research Partnership Model. Interviews were conducted with 20 individual parents in 3 Nunavut communities in 2011. Parents were asked about whether and how they talk to their children about sexual health and relationships. An analytical approach building on the concept of Iqqaumaqatigiiniq (“all knowing coming into one”), which is similar to “immersion and crystallization,” was used to identify story elements, groupings or themes in the data. The stories shared by parents are honoured, keeping their words intact as often as possible in the presentation of results.ResultsParents shared stories of themselves, family members and observations of the community. Fifteen of 17 mothers in the study reported having experienced sexual abuse as children or adolescents. Parents identified the challenges that they have and continue to experience as a result of forced settlement, family displacement and the transition of Inuit society. They expressed a desire to teach their children about sexual health and relationships and identified the need for emotional support to do this in the wake of the trauma they have experienced. Parents highly valued elders and the knowledge they have about family relationships and childrearing.ConclusionThere are powerful, unresolved healing issues in Inuit communities. The traumatic experiences of the settlement and residential school era continue to have an impact on present-day family relationships. To support parent–child dialogue on sexual health and relationships, parents identified a need to repair relationships between youth and elders, and to provide culturally sensitive support to parents to heal from trauma.

Future of indigenous knowledge research in development

Indigenous knowledge (IK) research should help to militate against top-down development strategies out of touch with diverse cultural values and knowledge, seeking to incorporate an understanding of local socio-cultural contexts within which know-how and practices are set. A major endorsement for IK initiatives in the context of participatory development is that these will likely facilitate more successful interventions. Such research, for example, may inform and better guide scientific understanding and so assist in the formulation of policy in a way that can relate to local realities. Nevertheless, there are many obstacles to its acceptance within mainstream development. Indeed according to some such research has no future, falling out of favour alongside growing critiques of the misappropriation of participatory ideology and methods. In this paper we explore the challenges facing IK research as it continues to seek real alternatives that advance a prominent place for local perspectives. We address the problems of developing and refining methodologies to facilitate more effective realisation of participatory approaches and consider the possible limits of the IK approach when set within current development ideologies, heavily influenced by politically dominant western nations and their changing agendas. In examining these concerns we envisage possible futures for the IK initiative. We highlight that its growth partly depends on the continued promotion of a holistic approach through the advancement of interdisciplinary skills, combining the technical know-how of natural scientists with the cultural empathy of social scientists and facilitating communication and collaboration between all actors. However, bolder steps are required in the future if we are to convince authorities that there are benefits to be gained by giving more opportunity to local communities to determine their own destinies, and to advocate the inclusion of alternative diverse views of development onto the political agenda.

Ecological complexity, fuzzy logic, and holism in indigenous knowledge

Some indigenous knowledge is said to be holistic in the way it deals with the environment. Given the difficulties of Western science with complex environmental problems, any insights from the holism of indigenous knowledge are of major interest. Based on examples from Inuit and other northern peoples, it appears that indigenous knowledge approaches complex systems by using simple prescriptions consistent with fuzzy logic. Specifically, indigenous knowledge pursues holism through the continued reading of the environment, collection of large amounts of information, and the construction of collective mental models that can adjust to new information. Such an approach serves the assessment of a large number of variables qualitatively, as opposed to focusing on a small number of variables quantitatively.

Between Man and His Environment: Indigenous Knowledge Approaches to Soil Fertility Conservation Amongst Farmers in Ekiti State, Nigeria

The article identified socio-economic and ecological factors influencing the practices of indigenous knowledge systems (IKS) in soil fertility conservation amidst farmers in Ekiti State Nigeria. It specifically identified the various IKS practices used in conserving soil fertility; identified the reasons why the practices were used; determined the benefits of IKS utilisation in soil fertility conservation; and analysed the socio-economic and ecological factors influencing the use of IKS. The study was conducted using a multi-stage sampling technique to select 250 farmers in 20 communities drawn from the five administrative divisions of the State namely: Ekiti North; Ekiti West; Ekiti East; Ekiti South; and Ekiti Central. Pretested structured and unstructured interview schedules were used to collect information from the respondents. Frequency distribution percentages mean and standard deviation were used to describe the data. Correlation and regression analyses were the inferential statistics used. The result of the inferential statistics showed that at P < 0.01 and 0.05 levels of significance there was a positive and significant correlation between IKS utilisation and socio-economic factors such as age (r = 0.260) family size (r = 0.289) religion (r = 0.132) farm size (r = 0.180); and income level (r = 0.252). Also there existed a positive and strong association between IKS utilisation and association membership (t = 1.769) and farming scope (t = 3.741). Conversely negative but significant relationship existed between IKS utilisation and soil (r = -0.125) vegetation (r = -0.409) and education level (r = -0.177). (authors)

Indigenous knowledge approach for rice pests and diseases control by rice farmers in Niger State, Nigeria for sustainable environmental management

Rice farming is an indigenous occupation particularly in the study area and the farmers encounter a myriad of problems which modern technology has not adequately addressed. Rice farmers in the area are predominantly male (90.0%) and mostly (76%) between 30 and 69 years of age, with few (32%) having some form of formal education. Majority (67%) of the respondents have less than 5 acres of rice farm. Birds and rodents are the most common pests while yellow mottles, brown spot and rice blasts formed the predominant diseases. Indigenous control methods for rice diseases are the use of fallow periods, timely planting, crop rotation and planting of resistant varieties. For rice pests, destruction of their abodes, regular weeding, use of traps, positions, locally prepared concoctions, as well as planting of resistant varieties, formed the indigenous practices. [JEXT Vol.1(1) 2000: 28-35]

The Indigenous Concept of Development. As Analysed in Artisans’ Oral Tradition in Karnataka

During the past five decades, many scholars have studied Indian society through only their own discipline. The isolated approach applied in the social sciences and humanities have indeed increased our knowledge, but rarely our understanding. To overcome this problem, the researcher proposes to begin with an integration of folklore studies and social sciences. In this paper, the researcher will demonstrate the usefulness of such an approach with an analysis of a single narrative from the vantage point of a topic, namely, development. The analysis considers relevant aspects of the Indigenous Knowledge System such as conceptualization of money and the perception for society in terms of intertwined domains. With the help of the concept of Indigenous Knowledge, the analysis of the story reveals the indigenous concept of development. Finally, the researcher argue that the Indigenous Knowledge approach is not only providing insights leading to understanding, but is also relevant for the modern state and other change agents.

Selling appropriate development vs. selling-out rural communities: Empowerment and control in indigengous knowledge discourse

This paper looks at the languages of empowerment and control as they are expressed by authors writing about “indigenous knowledge.” We performed a content analysis on CIKARD News, a newsletter dealing with the concept of indigenous knowledge. This concept has become increasingly prominent in the discourse of alternative development, addressing issues of ecological sustainability and the empowerment of the rural poor. However, mediated by institutions that perpetuate global and local power asymmetries, the empowering potential of indigenous knowledge may be bypassed. Instead, officials, researchers, and practitioners may utilize this knowledge for their own perceived ends, however good their intentions. In addition, there is already evidence that an indigenous knowledge approach is seen by major agencies as beneficial for integrating poorer populations into the global economy. Our analysis suggests that tensions persist among and within the writings of these authors between the desire to empower and the tendency for development to control rural populations.