Native Research Articles

Entre vozes e silêncios

The field of legal anthropology has widely debated Indigenous Peoples’ justice practices. However, the legal perspective of sexual offenses remains understudied. In this respect, this paper depicts the Arhuaco people's justice system, from the spiritual and political entities to the procedure, and sanctions, touching upon how the homogenized society influences Indigenous People’s justice in Arhuaco society. Furthermore, this work explores how the Arhuaco people resolve cases in which community members are allegedly responsible for committing sexual crimes. It also highlights some challenges connected to raising this type of offense and its lack of trust in authorities, disregard for the victim's version, and the difficulty of verifying these cases. During the fieldwork in the Arhuaco territory, the applied method follows some parameters of the procedural paradigm-legal conscience studies as an interpretive framework to understand how the Arhuaco women conceive the legal phenomenon. As a result, this study offers some insights into the Arhuaco women's perceptions of justice, specifically concerning sexual abuse cases. Such a perception is analyzed based on the Arhuaco women's political position, cultural and lineage origin, illustrating how they constantly go through inter-legality practices to claim justice for sexual offenses.

LA PERSONERÍA JURÍDICA: ¿UN TRÁMITE DONDE SE VISLUMBRAN CATEGORÍAS AHISTÓRICAS? UN ANÁLISIS DESDE LA ANTROPOLOGÍA SOCIAL

In Argentina, there are still certain views on indigenous peoples that have their origins in essentialist arguments built since the formation of the nation state in the 19th century. These are supported by the media, common sense and public policies that directly affect these groups. This paper invites us to question such notions. To do so, we will review the main historical facts and policies that have affected the indigenous populations in Argentina. In order to think about the analytical categories that are still in force about the indigenous populations of the country, at present and in relation to a specific case, the application for legal status in Argentina will be analyzed. This is a procedure to obtain state recognition as an indigenous community, which is usually necessary in order to be able to make different requests. For this purpose, the experience of collaborative work with the Mapuche Kalfulafken community of Carhué, province of Buenos Aires, Argentina, which applied for its legal status in 2019 and which took more than three years to be approved, will be taken up again. The approach of this research was carried out from the perspective of social anthropology and ethnography.

Participation of Indigenous children and young people to improve health and wellbeing.

Participation of Indigenous children and young people to improve health and wellbeing.

Genetic differentiation and precolonial Indigenous cultivation of hazelnut ( Corylus cornuta , Betulaceae) in Western North America

Cultivation studies evaluating land-use histories and coevolutionary dynamics between humans and plants focus predominantly on domesticated species. Traditional anthropological divisions of “foragers” and “farmers” have shaped our understanding of ancient cultivation practices but have several limitations, including how people stewarded and managed nondomesticated species. To investigate the long-term effects of plant management in the Pacific Northwest, this study focuses on beaked hazelnut ( Corylus cornuta ) which has a long, precolonial history of management, transportation, and cultivation in British Columbia (BC, Canada). In particular, isolated hazelnut populations in northwestern BC are thought to be the result of historical transplanting and management. We sampled individual hazelnuts (n = 219) representing three distinct regions in and assessed 9,650 genome-wide SNPs identified with nextRAD genotyping-by-sequencing libraries to test for population genetic structure. We used linear measurements of individuals to assess morphological phenotypes and to identify variation between individuals and lineages. These data reveal shared genetic clusters in distant and disjunct northwestern and interior regions consistent with the movement of humans across the landscape. We also find several small genetically distinct populations in the northwestern region. The Genetic structure of hazelnut in the previously labeled “disjunct” region in Gitxsan, Ts’msyen, and Nis g a’a homelands is consistent with the enduring influence of people on the distribution of purportedly “wild” plant species. Our results support the hypothesis that hazelnut was likely transplanted long distances and also managed in situ. This study highlights the often-overlooked agency of Indigenous Peoples in shaping species range distributions in North America.

TEACHER TRAINING FROM A DECOLONIAL PERSPECTIVE: PEDAGOGY CURRICULAR PROPOSALS AT ABYA YALA

Teacher training is a complex and challenging topic. Decolonial curricula become the object of research as a form of epistemological and cultural resistance in colonized societies that reproduce principles and values ​​that are foreign to community life and the culture of indigenous peoples. With the aim of presenting, describing and reflecting on experiences of teacher training curricula in Pedagogy courses, the text organizes and systematizes, based on documents and data available on websites, curricular proposals produced in Abya Yala. We conclude that there are possibilities for building decolonial curricula for teacher training.

The Influence of Artificial Light Exposure on Indigenous Populations: Exploring Its Impact on Menarcheal Age and Reproductive Function

The impact of artificial light exposure on human health has garnered significant attention in recent years. In particular, its effects on reproductive health have raised concerns. Given that the onset of menarche serves as a crucial indicator of reproductive maturity, understanding the implications of artificial light exposure becomes paramount. Age of menarche onset occurs relatively earlier in urban females than females raised in rural areas. Besides the decline in age of menarche onset, exposure to artificial light may contribute to impairment in reproductive hormones, particularly gonadotropins, by disrupting rhythms of reproductive hormones, modulating stress hormones and kisspeptin productions, and causing body weight changes. This drastic environmentally induced change may increase the proportion of teenage pregnancies, unfulfilled childhood dreams, depression, and ill-prepared marriages, thus creating a potential need for public health intervention. Due to limited studies and often lack of longitudinal data, a significant knowledge gap exists in unraveling the potential mechanism involved in alteration of these physiologic processes. The purpose of the current review was to elucidate the intricate interplay between environmental factors, cultural practices, and biological processes within indigenous communities. By meticulously examining the multifaceted influences of artificial light, including its prevalence and varying intensity based on geographical locations and light pollution levels, this study aimed to provide scholarly insights in-to the pathophysiologic mechanisms underlying the observed changes. The findings of this inquiry will also inform evidence-based strategies and interventions aimed at safeguarding the reproductive well-being of indigenous populations amidst the escalating challenges posed by artificial light exposure.

ANÁLISE DO PERFIL EPIDEMIOLÓGICO DAS INTERNAÇÕES E ÓBITOS POR LEUCEMIA NO BRASIL NA FAIXA ETÁRIA PEDIÁTRICA: UMA ANÁLISE DO ANO DE 2017 ATÉ A ATUALIDADE.

The present study is based on the epidemiological analysis of leukemia, the most common childhood cancer, which has a high prevalence and incidence rate in the pediatric population, as well as a significant impact on mortality in this age group. The objective of this research is to analyze the national profile of hospital admissions and deaths due to leukemia from 2017 to the present. For this purpose, secondary data from the Hospital Information System (SIH) and the Mortality Information System (SIM), collected from the DATASUS digital platform, were used. The selected variables included age groups under 1 to 19 years, male and female gender, and racial/ethnic categories of white, mixed-race, black, Asian, and indigenous populations. The results revealed a higher prevalence and incidence of hospitalizations for leukemia over the years, particularly in the Southeast, Northeast, and South regions, with a significant concentration in the 1 to 9-year age group, among males, and in the mixed-race and white populations. Regarding the number of deaths, substantial data were observed in the Southeast, Northeast, and North regions, predominantly in individuals aged 10 to 19 years, among males, and in the white and mixed-race populations. Given the above, the urgency of addressing leukemia in the pediatric population in Brazil is evident, as it impacts patients’ quality of life, the vital statistics of this population, and the healthcare system. The data highlight the need for public health actions to reduce regional disparities in specialized cancer care, late diagnoses, and ineffective and limited treatments.

Assembling Differences

In the Peruvian Amazon’s lower Marañón basin, the prospect of an indigenous assembly appears unlikely: how can previously semi-nomadic groups, historically immersed in recurrent warfare, come together in a cohesive political entity? This transformation is undoubtedly a product of historical processes, greatly influenced by Western political structures and legal frameworks. However, does this shift erase the traditional conflicts among Amazonian groups? The criteria defining indigenous identity and collective action still bear traces of past hostilities, albeit reshaped by indigenous political dynamics. This article draws from the ethnography of a federation assembly to delve into the nuances between fragmentation and unity. Through the lens of assembly issues, it seeks to uncover both the ruptures and continuities defining contemporary indigenous communities.

IMPLIKASI KARAKTERISTIK BUDAYA MASYARAKAT DALAM PENGELOLAAN HUTAN LINDUNG GUNUNG SIRIMAU KOTA AMBON PROVINSI MALUKU

This study examines the cultural characteristics of communities living around the Sirimau Protected Forest and their impact on sustainable forest management. The surrounding indigenous communities hold a deeply rooted cultural system that includes language, knowledge systems, social organization, technology, livelihoods, and religious beliefs, all of which influence their approach to natural resource management. One of the core elements is local ecological knowledge—an understanding of the forest’s ecosystem, flora, fauna, and geography that has been passed down through generations. Key social structures, such as the roles of local leaders (raja), community councils (saniri), and forest guardians (kewang), play a significant role in ecological stewardship through customary regulations, including the sasi tradition, which restricts forest use during specific periods to prevent overexploitation. The research emphasizes the importance of involving indigenous communities in forest management decision-making processes, which not only supports ecosystem sustainability but also preserves the cultural identity and values of these communities. Findings from this study advocate for community-based forest management approaches that integrate social, economic, and cultural aspects to achieve optimal environmental sustainability.

Higher socioeconomic deprivation in areas predicts cognitive decline in New Zealanders without cognitive impairment.

Previous studies identified individual-level socioeconomic factors as key determinants of cognitive health. This study investigated the effect of area-based socioeconomic deprivation on cognitive outcomes in midlife to early late-life New Zealanders without cognitive impairment at baseline. Data stemmed from a subsample of the New Zealand Health, Work and Retirement Study, a cohort study on ageing, who completed face-to-face interviews and were reassessed two years later. Cognitive functioning was measured using Addenbrooke's Cognitive Examination-Revised, adapted for culturally acceptable use in Aotearoa New Zealand. Area-based socioeconomic deprivation was assessed using the New Zealand Deprivation Index (NZDep2006). Linear mixed-effects models analysed the association between area-based socioeconomic deprivation and cognitive outcomes. The analysis included 783 participants without cognitive impairment at baseline (54.7% female, mean age 62.7 years, 25.0% Māori, the Indigenous people of Aotearoa New Zealand). There was an association between higher area-based socioeconomic deprivation and lower cognitive functioning (B = -0.08, 95%CI: -0.15;-0.01; p = .050) and cognitive decline (B = -0.12, 95%CI: -0.20;-0.04, p = .013) over two years, while controlling for covariates. The findings emphasise the importance of considering neighbourhood characteristics and broader socioeconomic factors in strategies aimed at mitigating cognitive health disparities and reducing the impact of dementia in disadvantaged communities.

Genocide, Peripheral Fascisms, and Late Neocolonialism in Palestine/Israel and Brazil

The Israeli genocide of the Palestinians in Gaza and the Brazilian genocide against Black and Indigenous populations provide an opportunity to investigate the processes of elimination in settler-colonial nations. This article aims to examine the conditions under which settler states can exercise sovereign power against subaltern populations. It is argued that the escalation of structural genocide to expand settler colonization and govern surplus populations was facilitated by the rise of far-right governments. Nevertheless, the Brazilian state’s capacity to exercise sovereign power has been restricted by the transition to neocolonialism, which enabled Brazilians to contain the far right. The space for the promotion of the largest genocide in recent history in Gaza was created by the Israeli effort to abort any possibility of transition to neocolonialism in Palestine, resulting in the maintenance of direct settler colonialism, the far-right government, and its close alliance with the United States.

A divided society: social perceptions about indigenous peoples’ rights in Chile

ABSTRACT The recognition of indigenous people’s rights, both legally and socially, poses a significant challenge for contemporary democracies. This article focuses on the acceptance or rejection of indigenous rights by citizens and elites in Chile, often framed as a debate between multiculturalism and plurinationalism. However, we argue that these labels fail to capture the nuanced distinctions present at the societal level. To address this limitation, we propose a methodological strategy that examines how individuals align themselves with specific sets of rights for indigenous peoples. Through this approach, we identify three distinct groups: pluriculturalists, who support only indigenous cultural rights; multiculturalists, who advocate for cultural rights along with specific additional rights; and plurinationalists, who advocate for the recognition of a broad range of rights. We contend that the political dimensions of recognition – including self-government and territorial autonomies – generate significant controversy within Chilean society and posit that achieving constitutional consecration of these rights is unlikely.

Writing across a cultural interface: a guide for non-Indigenous writers

ABSTRACT In recent years non-Indigenous writers have grappled with inclusion and representation of Aboriginal Australian and Torres Strait Islander peoples in creative works. Historically, and at times in contemporary fiction, writers have misrepresented, marginalised, or omitted Indigenous people as characters. Writers who craft regional and rural settings perhaps bear a greater onus than their metropolitan peers to characterise Indigenous people due to an expectation of a greater extent of unbroken Indigenous connections to ‘Country’ beyond the dense infrastructure of cityscapes. With the rise of First Nations authorship and authority, non-Indigenous writers are often advised to either avoid writing Indigenous characters or to get to know traditional owners and refine their writing skills to achieve authenticity. In this article, I offer my experience as a non-Indigenous writer crafting a farm novel that situates Aboriginal characters at the centre of the farm and the narrative. My writing process required constant awareness of a cultural interface and an approach that I hoped would recognise yet not impinge on Indigenous knowledge, beliefs, and authorship. My experience led to the development of a set of guidelines that may be useful to other writers crafting Australian settings.

Redefining human–nature relations: decolonial perspectives on Inter-American Court environmental jurisprudence

ABSTRACT Debates surrounding environmental protection and its intersection with human rights have gained significant traction in the past decade, coinciding with the advancement of decolonial thought across political, academic and social spheres. These discussions and agendas have become intertwined as humanity faces unprecedented threats to essential global ecosystems while indigenous peoples and traditional black communities, often the primary stewards of the environment, seek emancipation from historical violence. This dynamic struggle between resilience and violence, along with the link between nature and human rights, is also evident within the Inter-American Court of Human Rights. Drawing upon decolonial insights and employing a dialectical method, our analysis aims to scrutinize the Court’s jurisprudence to understand its approach concerning the connection between human and environmental rights.

A distinct Borrelia clade within the relapsing fever group from cat-infesting Haemaphysalis semermis Neumann 1901 (Acari: Ixodidae).

An undescribed relapsing fever group Borrelia species was detected in a male Haemaphysalis semermis tick infesting a rural cat in an indigenous population in Pahang National Park, Peninsular Malaysia. The 16S rRNA gene sequence revealed close similarity of this variant to several undescribed Borrelia species and Borrelia theileri, with genetic distances ranging from 0.58 to 0.72%. Furthermore, the flaB, gyrB, and the concatenated 16S rRNA + flaB + gyrB sequence analyses demonstrated that this variant is distinctly separated from multiple undescribed Borrelia species, Borrelia miyamotoi, and B. theileri, with genetic distances ranging from 3.41 to 7.00%. This study not only reports the first Borrelia found in H. semermis but also suggests that it forms a distinct clade within the relapsing fever group in Peninsular Malaysia.

The Collector Hypothesis : Who Benefits More from Art, the Artist or the Collector?

Human fascination with art has deep evolutionary roots, yet its role remains a puzzle for evolutionary theory. Although its widespread presence across cultures suggests a potential adaptive function, determining its evolutionary origins requires more comprehensive evidence beyond mere universality or assumed survival benefits. This paper introduces and tests the Collector Hypothesis, which suggests that artworks serve as indicators of collectors' surplus wealth and social status, offering greater benefits to collectors than to artists in mating and reproductive contexts. Our study among Indigenous Papuan communities provides preliminary support for the Collector Hypothesis, indicating that, compared to artists, collectors are perceived as having higher social status and greater attractiveness to women. These findings provide unique insights into Papuan communities and contribute to the ongoing discussion about art's adaptive significance of art by suggesting that artistic capacities may benefit not only creators but also those who accumulate and display art. Further research in diverse cultural contexts is needed for a comprehensive understanding of this interplay.

Can indigenous peasants of Central Kalimantan live viably while conserving their forest lands?

Purpose This study aims to investigate the feasibility of a community-based non-timber forest products (NTFP) enterprise, or CBNE, within the indigenous peasant communities in Manuhing Raya, Central Kalimantan, Indonesia. This includes assessing the potential for generating featured agricultural products from the region. Design/methodology/approach This is a descriptive qualitative study that integrates ethnographic methods into the SLA analysis, to investigate the feasibility of a CBNE approach within an indigenous peasant community. A number of 13 peasant groups, which comprise 251 members, from the seven villages in Manuhing Raya participated in the study. Findings The CBNE approach, when combined with One Village One Product method, is considered appropriate for the determination of featured agricultural products in a local community. In addition, the SLA analysis in this study contributes to identifying vulnerable aspects of CBNE development in the local communities, including weaknesses in social cohesion, leadership and entrepreneurial orientation. Research limitations/implications Efforts to preserve the rainforest lands in Central Kalimantan cannot be excluded from the involvement of the local peasant communities. The best livelihood strategy in this case is to adopt a CBNE approach. This shall be made possible by empowering the peasant communities to revive their local wisdom of Upun Pambelum, which means forest lands are their primary resources for life. Practical implications This study highlights the importance of using ethnographic investigation prior to the implementation of a CBNE development. Originality/value The implementation of the CBNE approach should take into account socioeconomic aspects of the local community, especially the presence of social cohesion, leadership roles and entrepreneurial orientations. In addition, the study demonstrates the potential of integrating traditional ecological knowledge with modern business models in CBNEs.

Creating near real-time alerts of illegal gold mining in the Peruvian Amazon using Synthetic Aperture Radar

Abstract Peru’s Southeastern Amazon deforestation trends can be attributed to alluvial gold mining. Illegal mining occurring in forestry concessions, national parks, and the territories of Indigenous People Organizations is of particular concern. We present a methodology to create near real-time alerts of deforestation caused by alluvial gold mining. A time series of Sentinel-1 Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) data from February to December 2022 is created in Google Earth Engine (GEE) and assessed using Morton Canty’s Omnibus Q-test change detection algorithm. Resulting detections are validated with high-resolution optical imagery from Planet NICFI’s monthly basemaps and Planet Scope daily imagery. The alerts identify the location and timing of large areas (group pixels of <1 ha) of forest loss due to gold mining activities within buffer zones of indigenous territories and protected areas. The overall accuracy of the forest loss analysis conducted with this change detection method was 99.98%, based on an independent accuracy assessment. This effort has resulted in a public web platform that displays the location of near real time alerts, so Peruvian enforcement agencies can more effectively allocate resources and staff to addressing active illegal mining operations. These results demonstrate the applicability of open-source SAR data to monitor forest loss over areas where cloud cover is more persistent and to improve tools that deliver timely, critical information to decision-makers. Future applications of our method could expand this approach to other drivers of deforestation.

Slavery as a Social Institution Gleaned from Tarisappalli Copper Plates

Slavery as a universal social evil had its origins in time immemorial. Slavery was a part of the social life of Kerala society until the second half of the nineteenth century. According to the mythical story embodied in Keralolpathi, Parasurama reclaimed Kerala from the Ocean by throwing his axe. On this divine gift of the Arabian Sea, Parasurama settled the Brahmins as the lords and brought the indigenous people as cultivators and enslaved people. The story is indicative of the origin of agrestic slavery in the land. Several documents discovered from various parts of Kerala throw light on the existence of slavery in Kerala. The first inscriptional evidence of slavery as a social institution in Kerala belongs to the ninth century (AD 849). It is named the Tarisappalli Copper Plate, Syrian Christian Copper Plate, and Kollam Copper Plate. This inscription is the only document from ancient Kerala that gives proper knowledge about the existence of ‘Adimakasu’ or slave levy. The Venad Raja Ayyan Adikal Tiruvadikal granted certain privileges to the Nasranis or the Syrian Christians of Quilon. The institution of slavery existed among the Syrian Christians, and the origin of the slave levy can be traced from these copper plates. The Tarisappalli plates are, of course, not only crucial for the Syrian Christians of Kerala but hold an essential position in the history of Kerala because it is one of the oldest records with detailed evidence of the existence of slavery and also about the extensive trade with Arabs, Portuguese, Persians, and Jews. This article attempts to trace the institution of slavery from the early records of the Tarisappalli copper plate.

Mother-child collaboration in an Indigenous community: Changing and enduring across generations.

Changes in family life related to globalization may include reduction in the collaborativeness observed in many Indigenous American communities. The present study examined longitudinal changes and continuities in collaboration in a Guatemalan Maya community experiencing rapid globalization. Fluid collaboration was widespread 3 decades ago among triads of mothers and 1- to 6-year-olds in 24 Mayan families exploring novel objects during home visits (Dayton etal., 2022). However, in the "same" situation 30 years later, 22 mother-child triads of their relatives spent half as much time in collaboration among all three people. This aligns with globalizing changes and with the pattern of Dayton etal.'s middle-class European American families. Nonetheless, the Mayan families maintained harmonious interactions, in line with preserving important cultural values.