Indigenous Practitioners Research Articles

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQ)

As Americans use botanical medicines in ever-increasing numbers, they are moving beyond capsules and tinctures, and turning to assorted preparations that will complete their herbal medicine chest. According to The Arthritis Foundation, almost 45% of patients apply ointments or rubs for osteoarthritis. Topical preparations have a long history in traditional herbal medicine systems, and make up a significant proportion of the armamentarium of indigenous practitioners. Although contemporary patients are often resistant to the inconvenience of topical preparations, they often will become compliant after a notable success. The nomenclature of these topical preparations, as one would expect, is murky. There are no clear and consistent definitions for the assorted terms, and different sources will use different terms for the same material or process.

ACBC: affirmation of cultures and biodiversity conservation

The Inter‐mountain Peoples Education and Culture in Thailand Association (IMPECT), as an indigenous organisation based in Chiang Mai, is engaged in the recognition of the rights of the mountain peoples of northern Thailand to live decently on their land, to speak and learn their own language, and to maintain their own cultures. With its educational programmes directed to pre‐school, school, and youth, IMPECT is supporting the future capacity of indigenous leadership to keep the cultures and indigenous knowledge alive. IMPECT is also host of the indigenous knowledge and peoples network for capacity building (IKAP) network, which supports indigenous topic networks in six countries in mainland montane South‐East Asia. IMPECT is the leading support for the ethnic networks of Thailand, who take part in the activities of IKAP. IKAP has implemented the ACBC approach (the affirmation of cultures and biodiversity conservation) as a critical response to the stereotyped assumption of outsiders about the destructiveness of traditional mountain cultures. ACBC revives the testimonies of indigenous practitioners about their knowledge and wisdom and promotes the cultural and practical values of mountain societies as stewards of the environment. This approach does not come from a romantic love for something already lost: it deals with the core of human life, of identity, of a group's desire to survive and give a meaning to its own life which cannot be replaced by outside cultures or languages. IKAP's networking efforts address the issue of indigenous knowledge: indigenous peoples' intellectual heritage and practices that guarantee and protect local environments and the wealth of biodiversity, not only for the local communities but also for the survival of humanity as a whole.

Patterns of Medical Culture in Colonial Bengal, 1835-1880

Scholars of colonial medicine have not paid sufficient attention to the role of indigenous practitioners educated in scientific medicine. This paper examines the context of education in scientific medicine through a number of medical texts written by indigenous authors; it also analyzes the in-patient and out-patient work of indigenous practitioners in government dispensaries by means of yearly dispensary reports, a resource that has hitherto not been researched systematically. Such an analysis offers valuable insights into the way that scientific medicine was accommodated by the local environment, and was combined with principles of indigenous medicine.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQ)

As Americans use botanical medicines in ever-increasing numbers, they are moving beyond capsules and tinctures, and turning to assorted preparations that will complete their herbal medicine chest. According to The Arthritis Foundation, almost 45% of patients apply ointments or rubs for osteoarthritis. Topical preparations have a long history in traditional herbal medicine systems, and make up a significant proportion of the armamentarium of indigenous practitioners. Although contemporary patients are often resistant to the inconvenience of topical preparations, they often will become compliant after a notable success. The nomenclature of these topical preparations, as one would expect, is murky. There are no clear and consistent definitions for the assorted terms, and different sources will use different terms for the same material or process.

The challenges of benevolence: The role of indigenous actors

The history of Indigenous Australian participation within the Australian creative industries is one of extended struggle for recognition and respect. Given the struggle by Indigenous theatre practitioners to gain and claim space on Australian stages and within Australian theatre companies, the success of these struggles can seem ironic in the face of the problems facing Indigenous artists on the rehearsal room floor in productions written, directed or produced within flagship or mainstream companies. Actors in particular are in a difficult position, a position that arises from non-Indigenous Australian theatre practitioners' benevolent desire to include Indigenous voices. This article examines some causes contributing to concerns Indigenous theatre practitioners are expressing about cross-cultural theatre work. In the 1960s Oodgeroo wrote a play called The Play That Never Was 1 , an ironic title considering that it was never published and that non-Indigenous Australian theatre companies largely ignored her theatre writings. The piece parodied benevolence and protection by presenting the cross-cultural relations between Indigenous and white Australians in the form of a hospital where well-meaning administrators and medical officers carelessly torture and abuse the freedom and rights of the 'guests' in their care. It is usually presumed, or at least hoped, that Australian cross-cultural relations have progressed from this position of benevolent abuse in the forty years since that play was written.

Perception of Severity of Acute Respiratory Tract Infections and Diarrhoea in Children under the Age of Five in Rural India: Utilization Pattern of Health Services

A cross-sectional survey of 970 children under the age of 5 in 870 households showed a biweekly incidence of acute respiratory tract infections (ARIs) and diarrhoea of 9 and 8.7%, respectively. Ninety per cent of the mothers, irrespective of their educational status, could identify correctly the severe forms of the illness. When perceived as severe the majority (75%) of them went to unqualified indigenous practitioners and only when perceived as mild did they use the government services. This shows that the user preferences for acute healthcare services vary with their perception of the illness and unqualified practitioners are the main source of healthcare providers especially in the rural areas.

Masking Subversion: Neocolonial Embeddedness in Anthropological Accounts of Indigenous Management

Sustainability and sound ecological management of the natural environment, allied to the expanding body of work on managing tacit and explicit knowledge, has led to an increased interest in the contribution which anthropology can make to the practical adaptation of indigenous environmental knowledge and practice to the improvement of organization in western societies. In an exemplary ethnographic study of an indigenous beaver trapper belonging to the Cree Nation, Whiteman and Cooper introduced the concept of ecological embeddedness. Their study could be considered a model that reverses the traditional practice of viewing managers as though they were primitives and applying concepts employed in studying native communities to organizations. They consider indigenous practitioners as managers, identify their management practices, and then reconsider contemporary management practice towards the environment in this light. They argue that to be ecologically embedded as a manager is to identify personally with the land, to adhere to beliefs of ecological respect, reciprocity and caretaking, actively to gather ecological information and to be located physically in the ecosystem. The present article provides a critique of Whiteman and Cooper’s argument and explores the ways in which, at the same time as it is purportedly represented, indigenous thought is masked and thereby subverted. We argue that much of their theorizing - as in so much anthropological accounting - is rooted in neocolonial thought and despite the authors’ claims, a so-called ‘indigenous land ethic’ has limited, if any, relevance to current management theory and practice. This is because such a land ethic is disembedded from the indigenous consciousness of their own economic, social and political history; and similarly for its reception requires a similar disembeddedness in the receiving culture - which then applies a loose analogy or even caricature of indigenous behaviour to its own practices. Such a consciousness remains, therefore, unreflexively embedded in its own neocolonialism. We argue that these problems are not confined to Whiteman and Cooper’s work, but are, to a greater or lesser degree, found in a wide range of anthropological accounts and constitute a problem with which the field is still struggling. To import these features into organizational theorizing without recognizing the deeply problematic nature of contemporary anthropological practice can only produce a reductionist and romanticized picture of native ontologies.

Contesting the Curriculum in the Schooling of Indigenous Children in Australia and the United States: From Eurocentrism to Culturally Powerful Pedagogies

This paper presents comparative research which examines issues in teaching Indigenous primary school students in Australia and the USA. It portrays the dilemmas for teachers and students when the curriculum is dominated by a monocultural, Eurocentric ethos. It then describes schools that have moved towards an alternative curriculum. In discussing postcolonial challenges for teacher educators and education policy makers arising out of these issues, the paper continues the debate about postcolonial approaches to cross-cultural and anti-racist education for Indigenous children in their community contexts. It argues that elements for significant educational change exist in both countries, and discusses how these changes need to be expanded and systematised to achieve a culturally powerful curriculum in Indigenous schools.

Ethnopharmacological survey of medicinal herbs in Israel, the Golan Heights and the West Bank region

An extensive ethnopharmacological survey was conducted among the most well known Arabic indigenous herbal practitioners in Israel, the Golan Heights and the West Bank in order to evaluate the potential of local plants used in treating different diseases and illnesses. Thirty-one indigenous practitioners' of Arabic traditional medicine ranging in age from 40 to 116 years, were interviewed using a previously prepared questionnaire. The current survey revealed that 129 plant species are still in use in Arabic traditional medicine for the treatments of various diseases. Among these plants, there are 40 species used for treating skin diseases, 27 species for treating kidney and urinary system, 26 species for treating diabetes, 23 species for treating digestive system including stomach and intestinal pain and inflammation, 22 species for treating liver diseases, 16 species for treating respiratory system and coughing, 13 species for treating forms of cancer and nine species for treating weight loss and cholestrol reduction. Additional findings and implications of this current survey including preparation methods and route of use are discussed in this report.

Synergy between indigenous knowledge systems, modern health care system and scientific research – a vision for the 21st century

Research already conducted in African countries indicates that the majority of patients still seek help from the traditional indigenous health care systems.
 
 Opsomming
 Navorsing wat reeds in Afrika-lande onderneem is, dui aan dat die meerderheid pasiënte steeds hulp soek vanaf die tradisioneel inheemse gesondheidsorgsisteme.
 
 *Please note: This is a reduced version of the abstract. Please refer to PDF for full text.

Disappearing Worlds: Anthropology and Cultural Studies in Hawai'i and the Pacific

In this paper we look at relations between anthropology, cultural studies, and native studies on the basis of their practice in the Pacific, focusing particularly on the history of anthropology at the University of Hawai'i. We draw attention to the absence of Pacific Islanders and, specifically, of Hawaiians as authors, agents, and practitioners of anthropology. Having noted these absences, we probe disciplinary practices that (re)produce boundaries of inside-out, native-other, representer-represented in Pacific scholarship. In particular, we examine ways in which fieldwork as both ideology and practice enforces separation between anthropology and native studies. Another development calling attention to the boundaries of anthropological discourse is the emergence of significant numbers of native authors and activists concerned with issues of culture, history, and politics. In contrast to the relative absence of indigenous practitioners of anthropology in the Pacific, recent years have seen a virtual renaissance of fiction writing and video production by Pacific Islanders, creating new forms of cultural criticism akin to interdisciplinary cultural studies in other parts of the world. As anthropology reconceptualizes the objects of its research, devises new approaches to fieldwork, and otherwise engages in dialogue with a range of interlocutors, the discipline is being redefined with as yet indeterminate results.

Our Own Liberation: Reflections on Hawaiian Epistemology

As the Hawaiian political and cultural movement continues to grow, issues of re presentation, power, and control are being critiqued—now by Hawaiian minds. In this essay I look at the fundamentals of Hawaiian epistemology and begin to link them with the educational re f o rm now underway in Hawai'i. With the guidance of twenty mentors, I outline seven epistemological categories that begin to solidify a distinct way in which to view teaching, learning, intellect, and rigor. These categories, now struggling to be useful in the Hawaiian Charter School movement, will inevitably also serve as a way to critique the current colonial system in Hawaiian language immersion, spotlight the oppression embedded in well-meant content and performance standards, and highlight the hidden curriculum of assimilation and the acultural assumptions in pedagogy that exist in Hawai'i's colonial schools. This outline of a Hawaiian philosophy of knowledge expands, invigorates, and redefines ideas of empiricism, intellectual rigor, and knowledge priorities—all through Hawaiian ontological lenses. Like any definition of culture put forth by indigenous practitioners and scholars, it pushes the envelope of what it means to think, exist, and struggle as a nonmainstream "other," and as it details the liberation found in identity, it must also, inevitably, outline the systems that deter its full blossoming.

The Impact of Commodification of Herbal Medicine by Pharmaceutical and Drug Development Companies

The issue of commodification of herbal medicines is large and complex. A brief background of herbal medicine is given. This paper then addresses several negative and positive implications for varying groups within and between societies resulting from increased interest and use of herbal medicines. Women's issues are addressed from empowerment in Western societies to the disempowerment of Non-Western women who use medicinal knowledge as a source of power. The dilemmas facing indigenous practitioners are discussed with focus on cultural and intellectual property. Environmental conservation and protection are covered, focusing on discovery, harvesting and preparation. Reflection on biomedical concerns and changes as well as its dominance over other medical systems also occurs. The Anthropologist's role is revealed within assessing programs and initiatives, consultation and advocacy for the issues that may result from commodification. Medicinal plants could therefore be a developmental tool for industrialized and indigenous cultures if done correctly with a high amount of indigenous consultation and compensation.

Implications of health care provision on acute lower respiratory infection mortality in Bangladeshi children

This study uses a geographic information system to evaluate the effects of health care provision on acute lower respiratory infection (ALRI) mortality in very young children in rural Bangladesh. Since 1988, an ALRI control program has been operating in a rural area of Bangladesh in an effort to decrease morbidity and mortality of children suffering from ALRI. ALRI-specific mortality data for very young children (<2 years of age) were obtained from a surveillance system of the area from 1988 to 1993. The ALRI mortality data were aggregated by clusters of households called baris. In order to avoid bias in the population size of baris, spatial moving averages of ALRI-specific death rates were calculated. The relationships between ALRI death rates and several environmental and health service provision variables were measured using regression analysis. The results show that the ALRI mortality rate was 54% lower in the community-based ALRI control program area than in a comparison area where there was no intervention. Greater access to allopathic practitioners was related to lower ALRI mortality rates while access to indigenous practitioners was related to higher mortality. In conclusion, the benefit of the community-based ALRI control program, using a simple case management strategy and improved access to allopathic practitioners, should be replicated in other rural areas of Bangladesh in an effort to reduce child ALRI mortality.

Making Social Impact Assessment Count: A Negotiation-Based Approach for Indigenous Peoples

In the past, indigenous people have often been entirely excluded from social impact assessments (SIAs) of projects or activities that affect them, or have faced major financial and cultural barriers in participating effectively and in having their perspectives accepted as legitimate. More recently, indigenous groups have achieved greater success in influencing SIA, but a fundamental problem remains. Their enhanced input into SIA has generally not increased the capacity of indigenous people to shape the outcomes of development projects in ways that favor their interests. This problem reflects a wider failure, extensively documented in the literature, to integrate SIA into decision-making. Drawing on case studies from Australia's Cape York Peninsula, this article shows how SIA can be integrated into the negotiation of legally binding agreements between developers and indigenous groups, offering a practical and effective way of ensuring that SIA findings influence the development and operationof resource projects. While the case studies relate to specific regional, political, and cultural contexts, the general approach outlined in the article should be of interest to indigenous communities and SIA practitioners.

Acronyms and effacement: traditional medical practitioners (TMP) in international health development.

International development draws on a globalized vision of 'traditional medicine' when constructing country-specific programs that use local practitioners to further health objectives. This paper looks at the tension between this mobile notion of 'the traditional' and the local social ground. Categories such as traditional birth attendant (TBA) and traditional medical practitioner (TMP) emerge from a process of translation that links local realities to development in specific ways. Examination of training programs for two kinds of 'indigenous practitioners' in Nepal--birth attendants and shamans--shows that various Nepalese specialists are constructed as TBAs and TMPs in a discursive process that emphasizes some differences while eliding others. The acronyms TBA and TMP encapsulate numerous acts of translation through which diverse local practices are subsumed into an overarching development framework. The many layers of this process include: how 'traditional healers' are understood in international health policy; how, in national planning, these conceptions are made to fit with existing Nepalese healers; and how research on 'local ideas and practices' becomes authoritative knowledge about 'traditions', which then, in turn, form a basis for the planning and implementation of training programs. The conceptual categories evident in development discourse on 'traditional healers' take concrete, practical form in the design and implementation of training programs. At the same time development attempts to create programs tailored to local conditions, it generates frameworks that efface or exclude much of what local people think, believe and do. Although training programs for TBAs and TMPs have been advocated as a way to 'bridge the gap' between the realities of local peoples lives and development institutions' visions, it is important to realize that, at another level, development discourse produces the very problems it aims to solve. The case study of training programs for TMPs and TBAs in Nepal shows how the universalizing principles inherent in development discourse systematically dismantle and decontextualize different socio-cultural realities in the course of taking them into account. Development institutions are thus positioned as authoritative mediators of all local worlds. Translation is a social act that, through the management of the circulation of discourses, reinforces the particular global-local power relations of international development. Relations of power, as well as states of health, are at stake in health development encounters. This paper questions whether health development can achieve its humanitarian goals within the existing conceptual framework.

Indigenous surgical practices in rural southwestern Nigeria: implications for disease prevention

HIV can be transmitted through contact with contaminated blood and blood products. Efforts are therefore under way in Nigerias formal health sector to protect blood supplies and improve the safety of health worker practices but little attention has been paid to the indigenous health care network where a majority of people seek help. Indigenous surgical practices of concern include circumcision medicinal blood letting and scarification or tattooing. A qualitative community-based study was conducted in the rural community of Ago Are southwestern Nigeria to learn about such indigenous surgical practices and their potential for disease transmission. Community leaders helped identify two types of indigenous practitioners whose work involves blood contact olola and onisegun. Olola are surgeons who specialize in circumcision and make traditional facial markings while onisegun make incisions into which medicinal herbs are rubbed. Observation of the practitioners found that the olola used the same knife for all operations and cleaned it simply by rinsing it in a bowl of water. Although the onisegun used a clean blade for his procedures he rubbed the herbs into the cuts with his bare hands. The potential for HIV transmission between practitioner and clients and among clients during these procedures is discussed as is the potential for health education to reduce the demand for female circumcision and training indigenous healers in hygienic methods.

Traditional practitioners' behavioural adaptations to changing patients' demands in Sri Lanka

Patients' expectations cause traditional practitioners to adapt their method of working. They can adopt therapeutic techniques from cosmopolitan medicine. Another possibility is to raise the image of the traditional healer by stressing the differences with cosmopolitan medicine. A third possibility is to concentrate on those patients' demands not well catered for by modern doctors. The data presented are based on extensive interviews with 78 indigenous Srin Lanka practitioners, 14 which are briefly described. About 50% of the practitioners in our survey are working in cosmopolitan style. They attract more patients than those who do not and they can ask higher fees. Yet, those who still work traditionally play an important role in Sri Lanka health care. The different adaptations of indigenous practitioners to modernization reflect the changing demands of patients.

Can collaborative programs between biomedical and African indigenous health practitioners succeed?

The paper explores the various factors that appear to constrain the implementation in sub-Saharan Africa of the WHO/UNICEF Alma Ata resolutions that member states support the use of indigenous health practitioners in government health programs. It also presents arguments and evidence that suggest ways to overcome the constraining factors. Discussion focuses on traditional healers as distinct from traditional birth attendants. The question posed in the title is not fully answered, but a considerable amount of fact, programmatic experience, and observation related to the issue is assembled and discussed in order to approach an answer, and to inform those who hold a variety of positions with regard to the Alma Ata resolutions.

Utilization of health services in Indonesia

This paper examines the utilization patterns of traditional and modern health services in Indonesia, using household sample survey socio-economic data in conjunction with community-level data on availability of services. The results strongly suggest that low household income is a barrier to the utilization of modern health services, even where they are publicly provided. The relatively well-to-do use the services of trained practitioners and physicians more and spend more on these services than do the poor. That is, income has a qualitative effect shown as a shift to more expensive and sophisticated practitioners and services rather than increased expenditures on the same type of services. Nevertheless, public facilities do make a difference; where they are available people prefer them to indigenous practitioners. Despite limitations of data and method of estimation, it is clear that both income and availability of services matter and hence that public services are more important to the poor than to the rich. The results further suggest that exposure to modern services that may involve health education brings about the right kinds of substitutions from an efficiency viewpoint: paramedics for traditional practitioners as well as physicians.