Indigenous Names Research Articles

Mangas Coloradas and the Challenge of Semantic Repatriation in the Poetry of Paul Muldoon

In this article, I examine Paul Muldoon’s interest in the nineteenth-century Apache leader Mangas Coloradas. The recurrence of this figure in Muldoon’s poetry reflects his well-known fascination with indigenous American history and culture but, I argue, must also be understood in relation to recent debates about cultural appropriation, derogatory place names, and the repatriation of indigenous artifacts and remains. While recognising the sensitive issues at play when Muldoon writes about – and even in the voices of – indigenous American figures, I show how his poems about Mangas Coloradas reveal a complex awareness of the processes by which indigenous names are appropriated by non-indigenous actors, emptied of their content, and turned into commodities of different kinds. These poems also exemplify the poet’s technique of combining the cinematic with what he calls the ‘imharragistic’, or the bleeding of one image into another. Through the dynamic play of images flowing together and cinematic shifts from scene to scene, Muldoon’s Mangas poems ultimately perform a crucial act of self-awareness that invites us to imagine the political and poetic possibilities of ‘semantic repatriation’.

Community-Based Mycetoma Surveillance in Uganda: Identifying Knowledge Gaps and Training of Community Health Workers to Improve Case Detection.

Mycetoma is an uncommon and neglected tropical disease in Uganda. We aimed to assess baseline knowledge and provide community health workers (CHWs) in Northern Uganda with knowledge to identify and refer presumptive mycetoma cases. Between March and August 2023, we conducted a concurrent triangulation mixed methods study among CHWs in Gulu and Pader districts on mycetoma. We conducted a 1 day in person training on mycetoma. Quantitative data were collected before (pretest), immediately (immediate posttest) and six months (6-month posttest) after the training and results compared using paired sample t test or one-way ANOVA. Qualitative data were collected using four focused group discussions, audio recorded, and analyzed using thematic content analysis. Forty-five CHWs were enrolled, mostly male (66.7%, n = 30), with a median age of 36 years (IQR 29 43). Out of a total score of 18, the baseline mean knowledge score was 7±2.42, improving to 11±1.99 immediately posttest (p<0.001), and 10±2.35 at 6 months (p<0.001), without additional training. Significant knowledge improvements at 6 months were observed among female participants (p = 0.004), those aged 30 40 years (p = 0.031) or 40+ years (p = 0.035), and those with secondary education (p = 0.007). Over 6 months, CHWs screened 2,773 adults, identifying and referring 30 presumptive mycetoma cases. Qualitative findings revealed challenges and barriers to early identification and referral of mycetoma presumptive cases including limited knowledge, stigma, myths, lack of an indigenous name for mycetoma, delayed decision making, and transportation barriers. This study highlights a significant knowledge gap among CHWs about mycetoma, with substantial improvement following training. The identification of presumptive cases by CHWs reflects their potential in community-based surveillance, emphasizing the need to integrate well-trained CHW to lead efforts for mycetoma surveillance and capacity building to enhance health outcomes in Uganda.

A linguistic analysis of spelling errors of selected indigenous town and village names in the Eastern Cape, South Africa

A linguistic analysis of spelling errors of selected indigenous town and village names in the Eastern Cape, South Africa

The invisibility of indigenous names in the place names of the Jesuit missions of the Pampas (Buenos Aires, present-day Argentina)

The invisibility of indigenous names in the place names of the Jesuit missions of the Pampas (Buenos Aires, present-day Argentina)

Cross-cultural study on the uses of traditional herbal medicine to treat various women's health issues in Northeast India

BackgroundThis cross-cultural study conducted in the diverse regions of Assam, Meghalaya, and Manipur sheds light on the common utilization of five specific medicinal plants among indigenous communities residing in these areas. ObjectivesThe main focus of this study is to document and compare the traditional medicinal plant used and the knowledge and practices related to women's health issues in different cultures; to identify commonalities and differences in the use of medicinal plants across cultures and various medicinal plants used traditionally by the indigenous communities to treat women's health problems according to their indigenous name, scientific name. Materials and methodsThe study used a survey method and a pre-structured interview schedule through one-on-one interactive communication and field observation. The authors collected data from three different states, i.e., Assam (Karbi Anglong district & Udalguri district), Meghalaya (East Khasi Hills district), and Manipur (Senapati district) by personally meeting and interacting with traditional herbal medicinal practitioners. For this study, 10 practitioners from each area of study were interviewed. During the data collection process, the vernacular name of the medicinal plant, methods of preparation, mode of application, and probable dosage were compiled and documented involving practitioners belonging to four different communities, i.e, Bodo, Karbi, Khasi, and Poumai Naga of the selected states. ResultsA total of 39 plant species were meticulously collected and documented across the Karbi Anglong district and Udalguri district in Assam, East Khasi Hills district in Meghalaya, and Senapati district in Manipur. Turmeric (Curcuma longa), ginger (Zingiber officinale), gooseberry (Emblica officinalis), papaya (Carica papaya), and passion fruit (Passiflora edulis) have emerged as common medicinal resources within these communities. Poaceae, represented by 5 species, emerged as the dominant family among the collected plants, highlighting the diversity and significance of these botanical remedies. Zingiber officinale Roscoe " has the highest usage report of 18 with an RFC (Relative frequency citation) of 0.45. ConclusionThe study's findings reveal a rich repository of traditional herbal knowledge in the northeast regions of India. Notably, the indigenous communities of these regions use plant resources to cure a wide range of ailments. This study emphasizes the necessity of documenting, preserving, and transmitting traditional herbal medicinal knowledge for both cultural and practical reasons. It also provides vital insights into the importance of cross-cultural study in promoting different cultures, the richness of traditional medicinal knowledge by engaging with diverse cultures and demonstrates the possibilities for incorporating traditional medicine into modern healthcare systems, particularly in treating women's health issues across these culturally diverse regions.

Nature portrayed in images in Dutch Brazil: Tracing the sources of the plant woodcuts in the Historia Naturalis Brasiliae (1648).

By the mid-seventeenth century, images of natural elements that originated in Dutch Brazil circulated in Europe. These were often included in art collections (the Libri Picturati) and natural history treatises (the Historia Naturalis Brasiliae and the India Utriesque re Naturale et Medica, 1658). The plant woodcut images in these books constituted (icono) type specimens and played a significant role in disseminating scientific botanical knowledge. We present a systematic analysis of their origins by cross-referencing the visual and textual sources related to Dutch Brazil. To do so, we used our previous botanical identifications of the portrayed plants, published sources, and digital archival material. The plant woodcuts accounted for 529 images, which corresponded to 426 taxa. We created a PDF booklet to visualize the (dis-) similarities of the woodcuts with the Libri Picturati and other visual sources. Substantial differences in the visual-making methodology exist between the two treatises (1648, 1658). In the first book, most of the images were available from Dutch Brazil and carved into the woodcuts, while most of these woodcuts were reused in the second one. The Indigenous Tupi-based plant names accompanying the images were crucial when arranging the sources, and portraying as much botanical information as possible was commonly the goal. Freshly picked, living plants, dried branches, fruits, and seeds were used to represent the megadiverse Brazilian flora, even when these belonged to species originating from other regions. Despite not being recognized for their contribution, Indigenous Brazilians and enslaved Africans were essential in the visual knowledge-making processes that later resulted in these natural history collections. As several sources remain lost and many histories yet untold, further archival studies and collaborative projects are pertinent to reveal the missing pieces of this conundrum.

Let scientific names and indigenous names carry out their respective duties

Let scientific names and indigenous names carry out their respective duties

Indigenous Place Names: A Literary Toponomastics Study of Suburb Names in Cape Coast

Indigenous Place Names: A Literary Toponomastics Study of Suburb Names in Cape Coast

Soviet and Russian Regimes of Spatial Inscription: A Critical Analysis of Indigenous versus Official Place Names on Maps in Siberia, 1920s–2000s

This article discusses Indigenous Evenki place names (hydronyms) on official topographic maps and handwritten sketches in a broader context of Soviet and Russian regimes of spatial inscription and toponymic policies and their legacies. The early Soviet policy of korenizatsia (indigenization) facilitated the incorporation of Indigenous place names into official nomenclature. As a result, a large number of Indigenous toponyms appeared on official maps. The aim of this article is to examine the evolving relationships between Indigenous place names and official place names of Indigenous origin across three historical periods (the 1920s, the 1950s, and the contemporary era) and in two politically distinct settings, the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) and the Amur region. The data sets for this research were extracted from official maps and Evenki archival sketch maps collected by Glafira Vasilevich in Siberia between the 1920s and the 1960s. Using Quantum GIS in conjunction with ethnographic fieldwork, statistical analysis, and qualitative linguistic assessment, this research further investigates the evolution of Indigenous names on maps, focusing on the most characteristic changes in their inscription over the past century. This article concludes by highlighting the power dynamics between different Indigenous place-naming traditions in Siberia, where various Indigenous communities have historically distinct opportunities to influence toponymic policies.

Analysis of the knowledge, attitudes and practices of the population of the Mokambo chiefdom on the thermal waters of Kaswa/Mahagi (Ituri, D.R. Congo)

Since ancestral times, farmers have used the thermal waters of Kaswa/Mahagi for hygienic and sanitary practices. The present study is aimed at evaluating the knowledge, attitudes and practices of the indigenous people with regards to these waters. It was carried out from 15th January to 12th April 2022 and focused on a sample of 323 adult people obtained using the Schwartz formula. The descriptive study shows that almost all of the farmers knew the location of the thermal springs had an indigenous name which meant their hyperthermia or their therapeutic virtue. 68.89% of respondents suggested volcanic or geothermal origin of the heat of these waters, the information being transmitted mainly from parents to members of their families. The practices highlighted are frequenting thermal waters for curiosity, natural hot baths, for the relief of muscular fatigue and dermatoses including wounds and scabies according to 41.13% and 39.18% of respondents respectively. The attitude highlighted is the belief in divine and ancestral power transmitted through these waters accompanied by rituals at the hot springs. Certain knowledge, attitudes and practices were dependent on the sex, age and occupation of users. These results constitute essential basic information for future multidisciplinary research with a view to enlightening the population.

Some Linguistic Evidence against Crèvecoeur's Oneida Adoption

Abstract: One of the disputed elements of Crèvecoeur's biography is the question of whether or not he was ever adopted by the Oneida. In this article, I review the evidence in favor of his adoption and trace the history of this claim. I use a linguistically driven approach to argue that this evidence is unsuitable, and I provide previously unused evidence to suggest that, although he may have been granted an Indigenous name, he was never really adopted by, or even particularly familiar with, the Oneida. In this way, I aim to encourage the broader consideration of linguistics in interpreting historical texts and understanding the past, while highlighting the importance of Indigenous languages to the study of early American texts.

Celto-Venetica: Indo-European Names from North-Eastern Italy and the Dialectal Classification of Venetic

This work tries to cast some light on a number of indigenous names of north-eastern Italy. It specifically addresses a selected number of names from Brixia and its environment, which lies in the west of Venetia et Histria, and close to the border of the Gallia Transpadana, covering an area that runs from the Oglio to the Adige rivers, around the Garda Lake. Most of these names have one thing in common: they are hardly ever found anywhere else, and, as a consequence, they have obtained a label: Jürgen Untermann called them Brescianisch, thus tacitly paving the way for considering them as a trace of an independent, unknown and unclassified dialect. That these names are not attested outside this area is not necessarily diagnostic of their not being Celtic or Italic, though the path leading to their classification may prove winding and indirect. Their etymology and attribution to either Celtic or Venetic will be thoroughly discussed. The study of the Venetic name fersimo comes to confirm the evolution of the complex superlative suffix *-is-m̥(H)o- &gt; -izʊmo- &gt; -īmo- is common to Sabellic and Venetic, where only the name meitima provided evidence for this change. Some misidentified or overlooked derivational and compositional patterns are addressed, such as the superlatives in -umus, the Celtic compounds in -gassi- and the probably both Italic and Celtic compounds whose first member is an Indo-European root-noun *ḱlu- ‘hearing.’ The personal names qverra, dievpala, endvbro, rvtvba, rvtvmanne, barbarvtae, aprofennivs are Venetic and decidedly bely the widespread notion that Italic did not preserve Indo-European compounds as personal names. The Celtic personal name vorvodisivs and the personal or divine name boxarvae are considered as belonging to a very ancient layer of Indo-European composition and, when possible, are connected to other compounds belonging to the same “semantic paradigms.” The analysis shows that it is premature to label these forms as Brescianisch — a new Indo-European dialect not attested in indigenous sources, which is in fact little more than a label for an onomastic landscape whose members are otherwise unattested but can be unproblematically linked to Continental Celtic and Italic.

Unveiling Indigenous Names: A Preservation of Culture

Unveiling Indigenous Names: A Preservation of Culture

The Role of Colonialism in the Transformation of the Indigenous Naming System of the Amuthambi of Tharaka Nithi County, Kenya, 1920-1963

Naming is a universal phenomenon and as old as human history. In traditional Africa, naming was complex and authentic. The cultural values, traditions, beliefs and norms were highly linked with the African naming. However, colonial policies, practices and activities such as taxation, cash crop farming, wage labour, modern health care, Christianity and Western education impacted heavily the traditional naming system of the Amuthambi. The current research focused on establishing the role of colonialism in the transformation of the indigenous naming system of the Amuthambi from 1920 to 1963. The research was conducted among the Amuthambi of Mitheru and Muthambi wards in Tharaka Nithi County, Kenya. The study employed the structural functionalism theory and the acculturation theory. A descriptive research design based on a qualitative approach was used to describe the phenomena. A purposive sampling procedure and snowballing technique were employed to identify the respondents. The concept of data saturation was applied and the information was mainly gathered using primary sources including; oral sources and archival. Secondary sources including books, journals, dissertations, articles, thesis and electronics were also used to corroborate the primary data. An interview guide was used to aid in collecting the oral data. Data was analyzed thematically and later presented in narrative form. The findings of the study established that the introduction of taxation, forced labour, cash crop farming, wage economy, western education, modern healthcare and Christianity weakened the traditional naming principles, patterns and procedures and a new naming system emerged. At the end of the colonial period the society became more individualistic, and matters about the birth and naming of the child became more of a private affair contrary to the traditional setup. Consequently, a new version of the naming system that characterizes the hybridity of both traditional and modern naming systems became evident among the Amuthambi. The study documents the historical influence of colonialism on African cultural practices by investigating the influence of colonialism on the transformation of the indigenous naming system of the Amuthambi.

Indigenous Knowledge and Perception Toward Mental Illnesses Within Goma City in Democratic Republic of Congo

Background: Prevailing wars for more than two decades have been associated with the increased burden of mental illnesses (MIs) in North-Kivu province (NKP), in Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The community perception of this claim has, however, not been fully documented. Aims: To assess the knowledge and perception of Goma city residents on MI and their associated factors. Methods: Cross sectional study, was conducted among 610 selected community residents including key informants of Goma city from April to July 2021. Quantitative data from semi-structured interviews was analyzed using descriptive statistics and binary logistic regression, while data from Focus group discussions (FGDs) were analyzed using qualitative thematic analysis. Results: Among residents of Goma city, rates of correct recognition of MIs namely schizophrenia, anxiety, depression and neurodevelopment disorders varied: 96.6%, 29.7%, 39.5% and 14.3%, respectively. The major causes of MIs perceived by respondents were spiritual (67.5%) and substance abuse (56.7%). Qualitative data from FGD’s revealed three major themes for poor perception of MI among residents as indigenous names of various MIs, reason of preferring traditional medicine versus conventional medicine (CM) and challenges faced in management of MIs using CM. Furthermore, demographic factors such as education, religion, occupation and age were not statistically significant (p˃0.05) in predicting one’s odds of MI perception among Goma city residents. Conclusion: The findings revealed that residents of Goma city have poor knowledge and perception on MIs regardless of education, religion, occupation and age.

Indigenous place names in arctic Canada: A publicly accessible inventory of projects

Toponyms contain Indigenous modes of understanding and reflect ecological histories and deep relationships between Indigenous communities, arctic environments, time, and land. Completed toponymic studies are useful for researchers to access; however, they are notoriously difficult to find. Many are completed by community groups and published on their websites, or are completed by government agencies and published as grey literature. An inventory of toponym projects has not existed, and eliciting what has been completed where, with whom, and by whom has required long searches through academic and grey literature. In this paper, we inventory Indigenous toponymy projects in the Canadian North, and document our efforts to produce a publicly accessible index where toponymy projects can be found via maps. New or unknown resources can be added by users. Our purpose, here, is to document the production of this resource and to increase awareness of toponymical resources among communities, researchers, scientists, and other stakeholders. We reflect on knowledge gained through construction of the index and make observations on trends in Inuit toponym research through time. We argue for renewed efforts across arctic sciences to recognize Inuit-environment relationships through reference to place names and the ecological histories they encapsulate, and we provide considerations for future work.

Place naming in Aceh: The genesis and generic patterns of toponyms in Banda Aceh and Greater Aceh

Studies conducted on documenting toponymic histories and issues of place name taxonomy and etymology in the Acehnese language are few to begin with. As names of villages in Aceh suggest, it indicates that many indigenous place names in the province seem to be redundant and possibly rooted from landscape formations. This study investigates the role of geographical and environmental as well as migration possibilities on their toponymy by using the descriptive method. The data were obtained from Acehnese village names in Banda Aceh and Greater Aceh areas, and observation and in-depth interviews were also used as instruments. The data were analyzed using the model proposed by Miles et al. (2014). The results of this study demonstrate the history and etymology of similar names of villages in Greater Aceh and Banda Aceh areas. However, those names are not related to the migration of people. In general, place naming in Aceh was based on the genesis of the naming and the generic pattern. The former was associated with the specific object or entity, the historical reasons and use of specific-word oriented, whereas the latter was mainly succeeding word-forming elements that followed different patterns of lexicon combinations and loan-words. This study shows that toponyms consist of a multi-facetted structure, which entails different features according to situations.

Modernisation of the historical memory and national identity in the Republic of Kazakhstan: a means of the formation and translation

In this paper, the problems of the construction of civic identity in the Republic of Kazakhstan are addressed. As the area for the research, Akmola Oblast was chosen. The purpose of the study is to identify the key means of the forma-tion and translation of the historical memory and to determine the role of their influence on the change of the national identity of the population of Northern Kazakhstan in the 1990s–2020s. The sources for the research include state strategies and programs, statutory legal documents, and materials of ethnographic expeditions. The methodological basis of the study was formed by the theoretical developments of P. Nora, estimates of the theory of ethnicity and iden-tity by V.A. Tishkov, and the research insights of L.P. Repina. The authors identify the main means of the formation of historical knowledge: state strategies and programs; names of the localities and streets; textbooks on the history of Kazakhstan; national and state holidays; and monuments to national heroes/events. The result of the study is the perio-disation of the modernization of the historical knowledge in Kazakhstan. In the first period (1991–2001), the creation of a historical narrative was taking place. Renaming the administrative units was the most efficient means of the formation of the historical knowledge. During this period, new holidays symbolising the sovereignty of Kazakhstan emerged. In the second period (2001–2012), there was observed the consolidation of the foundations of the national policy of indepen-dent Kazakhstan. The state holidays are approved at the legislative level; the textbooks on the history of Kazakhstan are continuously developed, the state programs are aimed at studying the historical and cultural heritage. New memo-rial complexes appear in the republic, the process of the street renaming continues. The third period (2012 — present time) is associated with the dramatic modernisation of the historical consciousness of the Kazakhstanis. The state pro-grams “Strategy-2050” and “Rukhani Zhangyru” form the basis for the modernisation. The renaming of the streets and localities continues, which is aimed at “reviving the indigenous Kazakh names”. History textbooks hold a prominent place in the modernisation of the historical memory of the younger generation. With the help of the public holidays, the foundations for national identity and patriotism are being laid.

The ‘iron donkey’: the social lives of bicycles in northern Uganda, 1903–2015

This article investigates the history of bicycles – one of the most common technologies – in Acholiland, northern Uganda. Bicycles are among the most common means of transportation in this region, where people are recovering from a brutal armed conflict between the Ugandan government and the rebels of the Lord’s Resistance Army (1987–2006). People who own bicycles in Acholiland often speak of them as local objects. Some owners have even given their bicycles indigenous names. Others have modified their bicycles to fit their worldviews, radically changing the appearance of the bicycles. Examining the history of this ubiquitous technology in northern Uganda unlocks stories of everyday peoples previously unknown to scholars. This article recounts stories of the diffusion of technology in the region, the spread of Christianity and colonial rule, and, most importantly, the domestication of foreign technologies – making them uniquely African.

Root identity–relation identity in Inga Simpson’s Understory: a life with trees

ABSTRACT Simpson’s memoir Understory: A Life with Trees illustrates significant changes in life writing that align it with transmodernity and its turn to the relational. They become apparent when reading Understory alongside Édouard Glissant’s distinction between root identity and relation identity. In generic terms, the memoir confirms the growing openness to different conventions, in this case those of the botany treatise and the nature essay. Moreover, the work expands limits on a thematic level by foregrounding Simpson’s affinity with trees, a true map of her story of living in a forest in Queensland for ten years. With this other-than-human perspective, Simpson reveals the interpenetration between the two types of identity theorised by Glissant, opting for a complex relational view that does not rule out roots. This paper argues that Simpson has made a number of important discoveries: 1. trees are at the same time rooted and relational; 2. her form of environmental activism requires readjustment; 3. she needs to undo the latinising of botany terms and learn the Indigenous names of trees before she can learn the language of the forest; 4. human exceptionalism and anthropocentrism have to be put in perspective; and 5. lone trees grow taller but die younger.