Indigenous Knowledge Base Research Articles

Beyond Ubuntu: Nnoboa and Sankofa as Decolonizing and Indigenous Evaluation Epistemic Foundations from Ghana

Background: Evaluation is an increasingly vital component of community and economic development projects in Africa. Yet questions remain about how relevant most evaluation approaches for the African evaluation context. Within the ‘Made in Africa’ (MAE) approach, ubuntu is frequently cited as an African philosophical concept with salience to MAE. There is a need to further expand and explicate other African philosophies that can serve as epistemological guideposts for African evaluation—and other decolonizing, indigenous evaluation approaches more broadly.
 Purpose: Drawing on Ghanaian epistemologies and frameworks, the purpose of this paper is to propose the Nnoboa system of communal collaboration in farming and industry, as well as the notion of Sankofa as a traditional philosophical concept that irrupts and challenges hegemonic Eurocentric notions of the linearity of time, to yield a Ghanaian indigenous knowledge of evaluation.
 Setting: Not applicable.
 Intervention: Not applicable.
 Research Design: This conceptual study draws on literature on culturally responsive evaluation (CRE), MAE, and (from beyond the field of evaluation), descriptions of Nnoboa and Sankofa to propose a conceptual synthesis applicable to decolonizing, indigenous evaluation.
 Data Collection and Analysis: Not applicable.
 Findings: We propose that Nnoboa and Sankofa represent an addition to the decolonizing and indigenous evaluation knowledge base, building on and going beyond the reliance of CRE and MAE in ubuntu. We propose this Ghanaian approach has potential applications across MAE and CRE more broadly.

Indigenous Peoples and Type 2 Diabetes: A Discussion of Colonial Wounds and Epistemic Racism

Racism is rooted in historic and ongoing colonial strategies designed to erase, silence, and dismiss Indigenous peoples’ voices, personhood, and worldview. Although within health care today interpersonal racism (discriminatory treatment) is commonly reported on, racism also influences our understanding of health conditions and related treatments. Epistemic racism, the discrimination of how we know, operates through the questions we ask to advance our evidence, and whose knowledge is sought and deemed valid. Epistemic racism is a colonial mechanism that marginalizes and diminishes the power of Indigenous peoples’ voices and knowledge bases. In this work, we begin by sharing 2 stories of Indigenous peoples and type 2 diabetes (T2D) from an Indigenous knowledge base and a biomedical knowledge base. Our discussion of epistemic racism, which underlies reported T2D health disparities among Indigenous peoples, includes providing examples of knowledge emerging when the dominance of the biomedical knowledge base is disrupted through centring Indigenous knowledge and peoples. Indigenous-led research, in respectful relations with biomedical worldviews, is imperative. Unsilencing Indigenous peoples’ voices and knowledge is necessary when addressing identified T2D health disparities and is truly a health priority. Indigenous revitalization, that is, acceptance of Indigenous knowledge bases, is valid and vital to health and well-being---it is time for ReconciliACTION.

Folklore use of wild fruits by the Oraon tribe of Sarguja district of Chhattisgarh, India

Background: Forests and trees are the major resources sustainably utilized by the tribals for their livelihood. The tribals communities have lived in and known the forests in an intimate manner and have also gathered information about possible use and conservation of forests and trees. In present times, however, the indigenous knowledge base that the tribals have gathered and preserved yet far has been endangered due to sociocultural hybridization as a result of modernization and globalization. This situation, hence, calls for an urgent need to device strategies to conserve tribal knowledge through various means. In this-respects, the present study attempts to survey, document and preserve the knowledge regarding the wild edible fruits consumed by Oraon tribes of Surguja district of Chhattisgarh and the Current status of the tribe concerning the interest towards the wild fruit collection, consumption and conservation. Methods: The study was undertaken during December 2019-July 2020. The information was obtained through semi-structured schedule. The importance of wild edible fruits as ethnomedicine was expressed through Informant Consensus Factor (ICF), Use Value (UV) and Relative Frequency of Citation (RFC). Results: A total of 26 wild fruit species, considered by the Oraon tribe to have medical values and ability to impart health benefits have been reported in this study. The reported fruit species belongs to 16 different families. Moraceae was the dominant family amongst the reported fruit species, the highest informant consensus factor (ICF) value was 0.94 for Liver related problems followed by Inflammation (0.91), Pain and Skin related disease as (0.86).The most frequently used fruit species were Morus alba (0.86), followed by Syzygium cumini (0.84), Diospyros melanoxylon, Madhuca longifolia and Neolamarckia cadamba (0.82) each, Ficus religiosa and Ziziphus mauritiana (0.80) each based on Relative frequency of citation. Conclusions: Furthermore, the documentation of diverse therapeutic practices of wild fruit species by the Oraon and several other tribes shall support further pharmacological research to develop novel future generation drug molecules. Keywords: Dietary nutrition, Folklore uses, Indigenous technical knowledge, Wild edible fruits.

Trend setting impacts of organic matter on soil physico-chemical properties in traditional vis -a- vis chemical-based amendment practices

Amongst the soil qualities that are taken into consideration while quantifying the fertility status of soil for agri-production, the properties of water holding capacity, bulk density, electrical conductivity and soil pH play crucially important roles, directly as well as indirectly. The role of organic matter content of soil in altering the aforesaid properties occurs through various complex interactions. In our study we attempted to understand the impact of amendments in traditional ecological knowledge (TEK)-based organic input agri-management systems (A1), versus conventional chemical-intensive agri-systems (A2) in altering/modifying the few important properties viz soil organic matter (SOM), pH, electrical conductivity (EC), bulk density, and water holding capacity of the soil in the three different crop phases viz. pre, mid and the post-harvest, spread over six cropping seasons in four years. The study area was a geo-ecologically unique terrain of Kachchh, Western India. Natural stressors as erratic rainfall, drought and salinity are a typical feature of this zone. Physico-chemical soil attributes have shown significant differences in the amendment systems. The application of organic manures and concoctions likeJivamritfrom indigenous knowledge base of local farming community, certainly rendered better organic matter content that affect soil structure and stability, which in turn affected the maximum water holding capacity (MWHC), which was significantly higher in A1 (47.53%; (Standard Error [SE] = ±0.92%) across phases and seasons than A2 (37.99%; SE = ±0.74%). Probably, for the same reason, amendments with organic inputs had a lower bulk density (1.04 g/cm3; SE = ±0.02 g/cm3) as compared to amendments with no or very few organic inputs (1.31 g/cm3; SE = ± 0.03 g/cm3).The reduction in pH and electrical conductivity in A1 may be ascribed to increased amounts of SOM as a result of addition of green manures and organic concoctions. Even during the stressed period of drought in cropping seasons of season 2 (Kharif2012) and season 3 (Rabi 2012–2013) this trend was followed. This clearly shows that salinity endurance and drought resistance are remarkable features of organically amended soils and this resilience to drought is achieved over continual usage of organic manures. The arid and semi-arid tropics are highly prone to stressors like drought, highly erratic rainfall patterns, and salinity, and the present study advocates the supremacy of TEK-based agri-management systems in soil sustainability for maintaining the soil fertility in the long run.

Deconstruction as a Functional Tool in Decolonizing Nigerian Educational System: A Biblical Response.

The paper examines the role of deconstruction in the Nigerian educational system vis-à-vis its functionality to the growing needs and challenges be devilling the nation. Arguably, the content of the system has been commonly viewed sometimes as dysfunctional, tilted toward the needs of the colonial agenda. This phenomenon did only leave the endeavour handicapped but also totally reliant on foreign ideology; a system that estranged the people. The paper adopts hermeneutical, historical, and critical approaches to the phenomenon. From a biblical perspective, while searching for relevance, there has been the need to decolonize certain aspects which otherwise have alienated the people, with the aim of targeting functionality and acceptability among Africans. The need to contextualize a foreign curriculum that will bring about a total overhauling of the system to achieve a vibrant curriculum remains a necessity in order to service the needs of the people. As in the decolonisation exercise among biblical scholars, chances are that we can achieve a great feat in our nation’s education sector. It concludes by resounding that the present educational system is deconstructed with the aim of removing dysfunctional elements; with full integration of a rich indigenous knowledge base that serves the people’s uniqueness amidst conflicting curriculum, the government should be proud to introduce into the educational system a fresh idea that meets the needs as posited by biblical scholars.

Deconstruction as a Functional Tool in Decolonizing Nigerian Educational System: A Biblical Response

The paper examines the role of deconstruction in the Nigerian educational system vis-à-vis its functionality to the growing needs and challenges be devilling the nation. Arguably, the content of the system has been commonly viewed sometimes as dysfunctional, tilted toward the needs of the colonial agenda. This phenomenon did only leave the endeavour handicapped but also totally reliant on foreign ideology; a system that estranged the people. The paper adopts hermeneutical, historical, and critical approaches to the phenomenon. From a biblical perspective, while searching for relevance, there has been the need to decolonize certain aspects which otherwise have alienated the people, with the aim of targeting functionality and acceptability among Africans. The need to contextualize a foreign curriculum that will bring about a total overhauling of the system to achieve a vibrant curriculum remains a necessity in order to service the needs of the people. As in the decolonisation exercise among biblical scholars, chances are that we can achieve a great feat in our nation’s education sector. It concludes by resounding that the present educational system is deconstructed with the aim of removing dysfunctional elements; with full integration of a rich indigenous knowledge base that serves the people’s uniqueness amidst conflicting curriculum, the government should be proud to introduce into the educational system a fresh idea that meets the needs as posited by biblical scholars.

The role of Tay indigenous knowledge in climate change adaptation in the Northern Mountainous Region of Vietnam

Through generations of observation and experimentation, the Tay people of Bac Kan Province in the Northern Mountainous Region of Vietnam have developed complex farming systems, cultural practices and an indigenous knowledge base well-suited to their environments. Drawing on data collected through surveys, interviews and focus group discussions, this article first documents some of this knowledge and its role in supporting agricultural production. However, this research also uncovered that contemporary climate change is occurring at rates faster than that knowledge base can meaningfully adjust and adapt. Agricultural productivity was found to be greatly reduced, with men seeking off-farm employment to supplement the loss in income. Agrochemical use has soared and resulted in declines in the health of the local population. Village gender dynamics have also shifted and women have taken on the extra burden of farming. This paper posits that if indigenous knowledge was better integrated into adaptation planning and policies, its conservation and application would enhance resiliency to climate change in indigenous communities and beyond. Simultaneously, it also adds that as the nature, speed and severity of climate change in many marginal areas occur at rates faster than indigenous knowledge can adapt, blended forms of knowledge may offer practical solutions.

Towards a New Socially Embedded Intersectional Capabilities Theory (SEICT) in the 21st Century: Analysis of COVID-19 Policies in South Africa through Socio-economic Modeling and Indigenous Knowledge Base

This paper examines pandemic relief and development policies through the case study of South Africa during COVID-19 to create a broader understanding about problems facing developing countries during such crises. Specifically, it evaluates the strengths and limits of the government’s current policy approach. Furthermore, it proposes a more socially relevant quantitatively derived package through a model based counterfactual policy experiment that can connect immediate relief with long-run development policies from a socially embedded capabilities perspective. The paper uses an intersectional approach and utilizes Social Accounting Matrix (SAM) to identify the production sectors that are not only the most impacted and are the most vulnerable, but also have room for maximal future development. It also makes a preliminary attempt to posit possible improvements in people’s well-being based on indigenous knowledge. Indigenous knowledge systems can be integrated with modified existing public health models. Our multi sectoral analysis highlights the importance of the indigenous knowledge base in evaluations of people’s well-being. Our study finds specific production activities such as agriculture, construction, land transport, mining, and real estate sectors to be labor-intensive and vital to the economy. With proper modifications, the methodology and framework used for South Africa will be applicable for other developing countries. This will help direct immediate resources strategically and efficiently to key areas of the developing economies for optimal development from a capability’s perspective. 

WATCHING AND SEEING

AbstractThis article explores grassroots practices of community safety and security in Brooklyn, New York through a framework that centers the abolitionist practices imbedded in Black neighborhood collective action. Literature on safety and security often conflates the two concepts, not considering how grounded applications of the two may produce different outcomes and approaches to community well-being. Additionally, we know little about how Black communities build safety and security from the ground up. And while academic scholarship on abolition provides a robust theoretical foundation, more examples of how communities could and do employ police abolition are needed. Utilizing archival research and oral history interviews, I argue that a crisis of police legitimacy compelled alternatives to formal policing in New York City during the urban crisis, or the postwar period of massive urban divestment and hyper-ghettoization. These efforts included masculinized security practices such as neighborhood patrols and protests, while community safety practices included forms of neighborhood sociality grounded in feminized and queer relationships of care and concern. These efforts, which critiqued institutional racism and neglect and emerged from the indigenous knowledge base and social networks of community members, provide considerations for recovering abolitionist practices in Black neighborhood collective action and implications for building alternatives to policing. This article contributes to literature on Black communities, collective action, and abolition by offering an intersectional analysis of the various ways Black social and political engagement centers on practices of safety and security and does not always fixate on conscripting a police response.

Implications of Ubuntu/Synergy for the Education System of Ethiopia

In most sub-Saharan African states, education was carried out by missionaries, which resulted in the incursion of foreign language and/or culture. As one of the sub-Saharan countries, Ethiopia has faced the same scenario apart from the changes accrued during regime changes. In line with these changes, the education philosophy, education policy, and its accompanying epistemology have shown marked changes. However, all of them fail to encompass the sociocultural facets of the country. As a result, the quality of education at all levels of the system has been a point of discussion for the last several years. The current initiative (Ethiopian Education Development Roadmap (2018-30)) is one of the offspring of a marked debate in the education sector. Therefore, the purpose of this article is to provide a more comprehensive picture of the education system in Ethiopia on top of philosophical scrutiny of past and current education reforms. In analyzing education reforms, the paper draws on indigenous philosophical orientation and the values of Ubuntu. The paper argues that the reforms introduced during regime changes are short of pledging an indigenous knowledge base. As indigenous education is based on sound philosophical foundations, the paper further argues that the proposed philosophical foundation can easily fit with the culture and lifestyle of the community being considered.

Production, consumption and market diversification of grain legumes in the humid forest agroecology of cameroon

Grain legumes are mostly cultivated for food and income security. However, the productivity of most grain legumes remains low, with ensuing impacts on consumption and marketing. This study aims at characterizing major grain legumes with regards to production, consumption, and sales in the humid forest zone of Cameroon. The research targets explicitly agricultural households in which the production, consumption, and marketing decisions are made sequentially. To evaluate the socioeconomic determinants driving these decisions, we employed the Tobit censored regression model. Our results present empirical evidence that households participate in markets after satisfying their food consumption needs. Female-headed households are more involved in the production and marketing of legumes. We thus provide evidence-based policy directives to target women into farming systems by empowering them and increasing their access to improved seeds and farmland. Informal education is also essential as it increases the indigenous knowledge base of farming households in the production, consumption and marketing of legumes.

Indigenous technical knowledge based sustainable production of horticulture enterprise in North Lakhimpur district of Assam

Integrated crop management strategy is inadequate without involvement of indigenous knowledge. Indigenous Technical Knowledge based on local knowledge of environment, natural resources and peoples' experience accumulated over many years. Further, the traditional technologies are eco-friendly because of being free from use of chemicals. North Eastern states are the sleeping giants and considered as store house of indigenous knowledge base due to presence of many different tribes which may be helpful in utilizing their practices for sustainable development of the rural areas without hampering the ecological pursuits of the region. The horticulture is one of the important enterprises of the north eastern hill region people and their management practices are ancient, indigenous and traditional in nature. Therefore, it is important to explore the indigenous knowledge base associated with the horticultural enterprise in the north eastern region for sustainable development. Keeping the above consideration in view, the present study is conducted to document the utilization of Indigenous knowledge system by farmers in the production of horticultural enterprise in North Lakhimpur district of Assam. The participatory methodology was followed to construct and conduct the whole research study. The key informant methods and focus group discussion methods were followed to collect the information.

REVIVING THE INDIGENOUS KNOWLEDGE OF THE TENYIMIA NAGAS IN EASTERINE KIRE’S WHEN THE RIVER SLEEPS

Purpose: The purpose of the research is to acquaint the readers with the ideological episteme of the Naga theological dialectic which has always been suppressed by the dominant pedagogy of mainstream India. The study also aims to offer lessons in the management of complex land resources and livelihood through the consciously preserved and transmitted, cumulative, multigenerational Indigenous knowledge of the Naga community.
 Methodology: The methodology is text-based interpretation, supported by the associated theoretical premise. A detailed critical analysis of Easterine Kire’s When the River Sleeps based on the theories of folk study and Indigeneity has been undertaken in the article.
 Findings: The study brings to limelight the Indigenous knowledge base of the Tenimiyas and unveils the inviolability and regard these native people harbor towards their knowledge system. The paper provides a local answer to the global conundrum of perennial subjugation of traditional Indigenous knowledge. It also tries to legitimize the novelist’s tenability behind showcasing the necessity and relevance of Indigenous knowledge as a means to ensure the durability of the human race.
 Implications: The new ethos propagated through my research will give primacy to the revival of the marginalized cultural ideology. Besides, a detailed study of Kire’s novel will enable critics and theoreticians of Indigenous studies to endorse the re-emergence of local knowledge of the aboriginal communities of Nagaland, since traditional Indigenous knowledge has always been perceived as inferior and naive by scientific developmental theories.
 The novelty of the study: The readers get an opportunity to accustom themselves with a promising literary work from North-east India which evinces an inherent cultural resilience to preserve the body of knowledge that has been considered credulous, primitive and uncritical since ages. The paper also offers glimpses of the immensely rich and powerful folklores explicitly reflected in the narratives written by Indigenous Naga writers that form an intrinsic part of their collective archetype.

Revitalizing African Languages for Transformation

Local languages are the repositories of the indigenous knowledge base of societies. Marginalization of certain languages is a form of devaluing not only the languages but the knowledge and culture embodied in those languages. This paper explores the effects the devaluation of African languages have had on the indigenous knowledge base and culture of African countries and considers possibilities for the transformation of Africa through re-valuing African languages.

Pathways for Remembering and Recognizing Indigenous Thought in Education: Philosophies of Iethi'nihsténha Ohwentsia'kékha (Land) by Sandra D. Styres

Reviewed by: Pathways for Remembering and Recognizing Indigenous Thought in Education: Philosophies of Iethi'nihsténha Ohwentsia'kékha (Land) by Sandra D. Styres Eliza Yellow Bird and Nolan L. Cabrera Sandra D. Styres. Pathways for Remembering and Recognizing Indigenous Thought in Education: Philosophies of Iethi'nihsténha Ohwentsia'kékha (Land). Toronto, CA: University of Toronto Press, 2017. 234 pp. Paperback: $27.95. ISBN 978-1-4875-2163-9 In her text, Pathways for Remembering and Recognizing Indigenous Thought in Education, Sandra Styres broaches a challenging premise, "[to] articulate the inarticulable" (p. 15). She wanted to translate the oral traditions of Indigenous knowledge into a text that could help guide the implementation of Indigenous culture, language, and epistemic orientation into educational spheres. However, this required a delicate balancing act. First, Styres wanted to be clear that despite the oppressed status of Indigenous peoples, this text would not be a form of "poverty porn." She offered, "I am not going to bleed on these pages for you; this is not a story of abuse and dark places. This is a journey of discovery" (p. 14). Additionally, she was sensitive to the ways that texts on Indigenous education can be reductive--a listing of "best practices" that erase the complexity of Indigenous ways of knowing. Instead, she offered, "[I]t is an exploration into some of the shared themes that inform Indigenous thought and the ways they can be used to frame an Indigenous-informed philosophy of education that can be adapted across diverse contexts and places" (p. 15). Within this framework, Styres offers five interconnected sections that detail the different components of the Haudenosaunee people's cultural traditions, building to this Indigenous knowledge base and its application to educational theory and practice. We found the first four sections particularly compelling, however, we struggled with the educational implementation in the final one. In Section 1, "Vision – (Re)centering," Styres orients the reader by presenting her positionality, historical context, and explores the tension created by the concept of ethical space. Styres defines ethical space as "the space between two disparate world views" (p. 27). She sees the book as a way to create these spaces by having critical discussions between Indigenous and Western epistemologies in education. By engaging within these ethical spaces, Styres sees it as a way of consciously entering unfamiliar spaces and disrupting the "colonial relations that continue to inform-cross-and intercultural interactions" (p. 29). Styres is fiercely critical of Western epistemologies, their dominance in educational spheres, and her project is rooted in the lofty goal of decolonizing the academy. Styres continues by offering Indigenous circularity frameworks based on Land. Circularity is a decolonizing framework that, according to Styres, is a non-linear, relational way of people understanding their relationships to the land and to others. It is a place-specific epistemology, and a core component of it is storying. The Indigenous importance of stories is more than simply narrating an experience. As Tachine, Yellow Bird, and Cabrera (2016) offer, "Since time immemorial, the fluidity of storytelling and stories within Native societies has been a vital and legitimate source of understanding and navigating through the multifaceted dimensions of life" (p. 282). Within this understanding of storytelling, Styres is clear that Indigenous scholars have multiple connections to storying, be it through the process of the story, their role within the story, or the [End Page E-16] to the story. Academia is also comprised of ethical spaces where Indigenous scholars are working to challenge and dismantle colonialism through their Indigenous epistemologies and storying. This tension prepares the reader for the next section on relationships. In Section 2, "Relationships –(Re)membering," Styres further develops the concept of Land where it is seen as "spiritual, emotional, and relational; Land is experiential; Land is conscious; Land is a fundamental living being" (p. 47). Land, in Styres understanding, is therefore central in exploring one's identity and social responsibilities as she insightfully detailed especially in the chapter "Self-in-Relationship." Self-in-Relationship embodies a philosophy of interconnectedness where Land is a core component of one's identity, and it is also "the place where we (re)member our collective and individual relationships with...

Identification, collection and consumption of weeds and wild vegetables in Mexican communities: institutionalized local ancestral indigenous knowledge as ecological literacy, place and identity

This paper sets forth the idea that a critical aspect of the socialization process of Mexican communities is to maintain and carry-out traditional knowledge passed down from generations of indigenous ancestors. The relationship between Mexican communities and the land creates a window through which we can see how traditional indigenous knowledge has been institutionalized and is practiced today. Accordingly, we use the concept of an inhabited place as the macro unit of analysis. Inhabited places are considered as primary artifacts of culture as they are more than a physical space and a location. As such, inhabited places are products of human organization. Inhabited places accumulate and reflect evidence of the different people who have occupied and transformed a place making it a historical and emotive legacy. In addition, we associate the concept of inhabited places with two focal points: (a) place as a producer of food and (b) the traditional indigenous practices of collection and consumption of natural edible vegetation. Associating the concept of inhabited place along with our two focal points of production and consumption, helps us to frame ways in which our Mexican ancestral humans constructed and developed their sense of place as well as the importance of sharing a legacy of knowledge that contributed to the survival and health of humans yesterday and today. We use the term natural edible vegetation instead of wild vegetables because we recognize that the notion of wild vegetables is a conceptual term developed by today’s science disciplines and as a discrete flora category was not, per se, part of the indigenous ancestral knowledge base. As such, using the term natural edible vegetation helps us, as authors, to engage in a reflexive and comparative analysis between agricultural endeavors of yesterday and today. Thus, using ancestral knowledge as an analytical lens allows us to identify a network of relationships between humans, and localized natural edible vegetation. Specifically, analyzing cultural manifestations associated with the socialization and the relationship between survival and natural edible vegetation is a way to access the knowledge and literacy of individuals and to strengthen institutionalized ancestral knowledge that has been passed on and still in practice today.

Traditional Knowledge: Watering and Irrigation Practices of Khasi TreeCrop Gardening System in the Northeast Bangladesh

Indigenous Knowledge base tree crop farming system is prevalent from time immemorial to Khasi community in Bangladesh. This is their main subsistence and earning economy. However, environmental degradation with global warming and the shortage of natural resources has threatened the overall cultivation system. The topsoil of landscape with water bodies and ground water are not adequate for watering in the field. Therefore, it is burning question how Khasi mange and organize tree-crop farming in the field and what types of initiates are taken by them to grow tree crops. To explore these issues a qualitative approach and participant observation method with in-depth interviewing techniques, group discussion and key informant methods were employed to elicit data from the field. The collected data have been analyzed in inductive approach and categorized it from various chunks of information as objectives. The findings showed that traditional knowledge as local knowledge of the Khasi has been modified to the context different topographical structure and texture of soil with hill surrounding natural setting considering the local ecology, environment and biodiversities. The obtained findings uphold some empirical issues of indigenous practices with scientific practice of tree crop cultivation for getting soil moisture, fluid and water, which derives from rotted tree-twigs. While organic wastes and the foliage are not adequate, they use harvested rainwater, shallow-well water and ground water by using diverse ways and techniques. The watering and irrigation practice in the tree-fields are administered by the influence of modern irrigation inputs, including traditional Knowledge.

Adolescent and young adult substance use in Australian Indigenous communities: a systematic review of demand control program outcomes

Objective:Identifying preventative approaches to substance use in Indigenous communities is the foundation for developing evidence‐based responses. This study reports the findings of a systematic review of the published literature evaluating the impact of substance use programs on Australian Indigenous youth. Methods:Evidence about the impact of substance use programs for Indigenous young people was identified from a systematic review of the literature conducted according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta‐Analyses guidelines. Results:Only four original studies that met the inclusion criteria were identified, although a further 19 papers that described characteristics of programs that may be associated with improved outcomes were reviewed. Conclusions:Evidence relevant to the outcomes of demand control programs that target Australian Indigenous youth substance use is both weak and inconsistent. There is a need to support the type of evaluation activity required to better understand program effectiveness and build the Indigenous knowledge base. Implications for public health:These findings are discussed in relation to the development of evidence‐based practice and the type of knowledge that is likely to be of most use to those seeking to address problems associated with youth substance use.

Building on indigenous knowledge to strengthen the capacity of smallholder farming communities to adapt to climate change and variability in southern Africa

A study was conducted in Makoni and Hwedza smallholder farming areas in eastern Zimbabwe to investigate local perceptions of the impacts of climate change and variability, and how indigenous knowledge may enable farmers to construct appropriate responses to these impacts and make key agricultural decisions. The study revealed evidence of increased climate variability and heightening vulnerability in farming systems. Rainfall seasons have shortened by up to four weeks, impacting on food sources and ecosystem services, and increasing pressure on women and children as traditional roles change. Communities depended primarily on indigenous knowledge and local biological and geographical indicators of seasonal forecasts in making major strategic, tactical and operational decisions on crop production, including management of food stocks and social safety nets. In providing climate and technical production information, researchers and development practitioners will therefore need to fit in with farmers’ local decision-making frameworks. However, it should be recognized that some of the indicators (e.g. biological) on which this indigenous knowledge is traditionally based are also adversely affected by increased climate variability, placing limits on its scope as a basis for decision-making. Despite this, efforts to build the adaptive capacity of these farming communities should still consider the current indigenous knowledge base as an entry point.

Working Knowledge: characterising collective indigenous, scientific, and local knowledge about the ecology, hydrology and geomorphology of Oriners Station, Cape York Peninsula, Australia

The term, Working Knowledge, is introduced to describe the content of a local cross-cultural knowledge recovery and integration project focussed on the indigenous-owned Oriners pastoral lease near Kowanyama on the Cape York Peninsula, Queensland. Social and biophysical scientific researchers collaborated with indigenous people, non-indigenous pastoralists, and an indigenous natural resource management (NRM) agency to record key ecological, hydrological and geomorphological features of this intermittently occupied and environmentally valuable ‘flooded forest’ country. Working Knowledge was developed in preference to ‘local’ and/or ‘indigenous’ knowledge because it collectively describes the contexts in which the knowledge was obtained (through pastoral, indigenous, NRM, and scientific labour), the diverse backgrounds of the project participants, the provisional and utilitarian quality of the collated knowledge, and the focus on aiding adaptive management. Key examples and epistemological themes emerging from the knowledge recovery research, as well as preliminary integrative models of important hydro-ecological processes, are presented. Changing land tenure and economic regimes on surrounding cattle stations make this study regionally significant but the Working Knowledge concept is also useful in analysing the knowledge base used by the wider contemporary indigenous land management sector. Employees in this expanding, largely externally funded, and increasingly formalised sector draw on a range of knowledge in making operational decisions – indigenous, scientific, NRM, bureaucratic and knowledge learned in pastoral and other enterprises. Although this shared base is often a source of strength, important aspects or precepts of particular component knowledges must necessarily be deprioritised, compromised, or even elided in everyday NRM operations constrained by particular management logics, priorities and funding sources. Working Knowledge accurately characterised a local case study, but also invites further analysis of the contemporary indigenous NRM knowledge base and its relationship to the individual precepts and requirements of the indigenous, scientific, local and other knowledges which respectively inform it.