Indigenous Villages Research Articles

Mercer Once Again Serving in Leadership Role for His Indigenous Village In British Columbia

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Impact of low back pain and care-seeking behavior in an Indigenous community in Suriname: a qualitative approach.

Low back pain is a significant global public health issue affecting over half a billion people and contributing to disability worldwide. The impact of disability related to low back pain is growing, particularly in low- and middle-income countries. In contrast with previous research, current evidence shows Indigenous Peoples also experience low back pain's disabling effects. A clinical ethnographic can contribute by attempting to understand the data through the perspective of Indigenous Peoples. A clinical ethnographic study was conducted in Galibi, a Kalinya rural Indigenous village in Suriname, with support of the local traditional authority. The main objective was to explore the impact of low back pain and care-seeking behavior from the perspective of Indigenous Peoples with low back pain. The findings were that low back pain had a significant physical and emotional impact. Despite aggravating their low back pain, participants continued many of their activities of daily life since these were essential for their (economic) survival. Furthermore, participants expressed anxiousness, financial worries, and concerns about the cause and future of their low back pain. To address their low back pain, the Kalinya Indigenous Peoples used both western and traditional care. Visits to western healthcare practitioners were limited due to logistical challenges and travel costs, and the experience was often negative. The study highlights the experiences of Kalinya Indigenous Peoples dealing with low back pain. Low back pain is a burden within Indigenous Peoples of Galibi but accepted as an integral part of their life. When in pain, Indigenous Peoples face many barriers to access western health care and visits to healthcare practitioners were often unhelpful. This contributed to a long-lasting negative impact on the Indigenous people with low back pain. Further research is needed to develop strategies that improve health outcomes related to low back pain while reducing its associated disability in Indigenous Peoples.

Amazon severe drought in 2023 triggered surface water loss

Abstract The Amazon underwent a severe austral springtime drought attributed to the onset of El Niño in 2023 and the warmer North Atlantic, Indian, and North Pacific Oceans. The Amazon rivers, lakes, small streams, wetlands, and reservoirs quickly lowered their water level below historical records due to decreased rainfall and warmth in the region. Based on satellite imagery, this study presents the first estimate of the water loss extent in the 4.2 million km2 of the Brazilian Amazon biome (∼62% of the Amazon total biome) in 2023. We estimated the loss of 3.3 million hectares of surface water relative to 2022, with an overall accuracy of 92%. The surface water losses were concentrated in the states of Amazonas (59.4%) and Pará (25.5), adding up to 2.8 million hectares. The warmer and drier climate in the region affected the main rivers in the Amazon. Among them, the Solimões, Negro, Purus, Acre, and Branco suffered extreme drops in their levels in some regions, resulting in a high negative impact on the aquatic biodiversity, yet estimated only in local areas. A total of 1.14 million hectares of surface water loss (i.e. 35%) was detected within protected areas territories, affecting extractivist, indegenous, African-Brazilian, and fishing and traditional communities. Proximity analysis revealed that 75% of the 2023 surface water loss was within 25 km of small towns, 48% and 65.8% at 50 km from indigenous villages and urban areas, respectively. Our results reinforce people’s vulnerability to climate change, anticipating a plausible adverse impact scenario in the Amazon region and urging solutions to adaptation and mitigation. Therefore, an integrated monitoring system based on climate and water dynamics from satellite and ground stations is necessary to improve understanding of the problem for timing response of climatic change negative impacts.

The Communication Strategy of Cireundeu Indigenous Community in Preserving Food Security and Developing Ecotourism

Optimizing Food Security Maintenance: Utilizing Natural Resources at the Local Level, Illustrated by the Cireundeu Indigenous Village's Commitment to Local Wisdom in Safeguarding Food Security. As an indigenous community, the Cireundeu people employ specific communication methods to preserve and uphold their food security principles, making them a focal point for ecotourism. This research aims to understand how the Cireundeu indigenous community comprehends and implements the concept of food security. Additionally, it investigates how this concept is communicated to the younger generation to ensure sustainability and serve as an attraction for ecotourism. The research design employs a qualitative approach and ethnographic methods, with data collection techniques including observation and semi-structured interviews. The findings describe four food security concepts within the Cireundeu Indigenous Village and outline four communication strategies employed to sustain these principles and attract ecotourism. In conclusion, the research reveals that through food security concepts and communication traditions, the Cireundeu indigenous community is dedicated to ensuring adequate access to food security for all members and promoting ecotourism appeal.

Reproductive characteristics of indigenous village chickens

BackgroundIndigenous village chickens (IVCs) show a wide variation in production performance and reproductive characteristics. This high variation is occurred due to genetic and environmental factors and gene-environment interactions.ResultsThis work reports the results of a cross-sectional study conducted using a face-to-face interview with 119 small-scale farmers regarding their insights on the production performance and reproductive characteristics of IVCs. It was reported that pullets were sexually mature on average at the age of 5.5 months and cockerels at 6 months. This comparatively early sexual maturity by the standards of IVCs might be associated with the impact of uncontrolled gene flow from production breeds. However, there is high variation in age at sexual maturity at an individual bird’s level. It was found that pullets mature earlier than cockerels (t = 3.250, df = 159, p = 0.001, 95% CI: -0.670, -0.166). According to the respondents, local hens laid on average 14 eggs per clutch. The average number of clutches per year was 4, which can culminate in the yearly production of 56 eggs. A significantly large proportion of the respondents reported that the dry season is appropriate for laying eggs (96.7%) and brooding chicks (94.1%). During the dry season, the scavenging feed resource is relatively abundant, the risk of infection is comparatively low, and the hot weather is suitable for laying eggs and brooding chicks. IVCs possess a long reproductive lifetime, that is, on average, 3 years in hens and 2 years in cocks, which makes them more productive than has been anticipated. For example, this study found that a hen, on average, can lay 174 eggs and hatch 58 chicks in its average reproductive lifetime of 3 years.ConclusionsThe high intrapopulation variation in the reproductive performance of IVCs is vital resource in genetic improvement programs.

Social Capital and Economic Development of the Miduana Indigenous Village Community

Social Capital and Economic Development of the Miduana Indigenous Village Community

Knowledge, attitude and practice levels regarding malaria among the Semai sub-ethnic indigenous Orang Asli communities in Pahang, Peninsular Malaysia: a stepping stone towards the prevention of human malaria re-establishment

BackgroundIn Malaysia, despite a decline in cases, malaria remains a major public health concern, especially among the vulnerable indigenous people (i.e. Orang Asli) in remote areas. Effective preventive and control measures require an evidence-based understanding of their knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) regarding malaria. This study aimed to evaluate the KAP regarding malaria in an indigenous settlement in Peninsular Malaysia.MethodsA household-based cross-sectional study was conducted in March 2024 in six Semai sub-ethnic indigenous villages in Pos Lenjang, Kuala Lipis, Pahang. A structured questionnaire was administered to randomly selected individuals (≥ 12 years old) to collect data on sociodemographic characteristics and KAP. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics and predictors of KAP were determined using logistic regression. A p-value less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant.ResultsA total of 267 individuals from 160 households were interviewed. Nearly half had good knowledge (49.4%) and positive attitudes (54.3%) towards malaria, with high practice scores for prevention and control (83.1%). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed higher odds of good knowledge in those aged 40–59 years (adjusted odd ratio [aOR] = 6.90, p = 0.034), with primary (aOR = 2.67, p = 0.015) or secondary education (aOR = 2.75, p = 0.019), and with previous malaria history (aOR = 5.14, p < 0.001). Higher odds of a good attitude were found in those with secondary education (aOR = 4.05, p < 0.001) and previous malaria history (aOR = 2.74, p = 0.017). Lower odds were observed for the unemployed (aOR = 0.25, p = 0.018) and those collecting forest products (aOR = 0.25, p = 0.049) for attitude and practice, respectively.DiscussionThe overall practice level on malaria prevention was high among the Semai Orang Asli in Pahang. However, to ensure sustainability, the low levels of knowledge and attitude regarding malaria must be strengthened through increased health education and continuous community engagement.

Family flock size and age-sex structure of indigenous village chickens.

Indigenous village chickens (IVCs) significantly contribute to rural development. There is considerable variation in family flock size and age-sex structure of IVCs. This study reports the family flock size, age-sex group structure, and demographic history of IVCs. This work involved a cross-sectional study conducted using face-to-face general informants' individual interviews with 119 smallholder farmers in highland and lowland agroecological zones. The average family flock size of the sampled households was small (mean = 7.28, range: 1-38). Female birds (hens and pullets) represented the largest proportion of the family flocks (50.2%). The proportion of chicks (26.4%) and pullets (14.4%) was lower than that of hens (35.8%), which creates a considerable challenge in producing replacement breeding flocks. Similarly, the proportion of cockerels (9.1%) was lower than that of cocks (14.3%). The average cock-to-hen ratio (one cock to seven hens) was better than the commonly recommended proportion (1 cock to 8-10 hens). As a result, smallholder farmers have not faced the problem of producing infertile eggs. The estimated effective population size (Ne) of 4.02 and the corresponding inbreeding coefficient of 0.12 at the family flock level show that to some extent inbreeding may occur at the family flock level; besides, the estimated Ne represents 55.2% of the census size. However, inbreeding could be offset by the high rate of flock turnover and uncontrolled mating among scavenging birds. Family flocks contain a few birds, which may lead to consanguineous mating. Inbreeding is, however, considerably reduced by uncontrolled breeding among birds that share a common scavenging ground. The driving factors behind the low proportion of chicks and juvenile birds and the family flock size need to be further investigated to improve the contribution of local chickens to rural livelihoods.

Transmission of indigenous knowledge systems under changing landscapes within the vhavenda community, South Africa

Indigenous Knowledge (IK) and techniques benefit not only humankind but also benefit the environment. Nevertheless, the transmissions of indigenous knowledge are threatened and replaced by Western knowledge and ideologies. The focus of the study was to demonstrate the various Indigenous knowledge transmission methods, the driving forces behind their disappearance, and how they added value to the resilience of such knowledge forms in sustaining Indigenous and local communities throughout the centuries. To achieve this, the study used questionnaires consisting of open-ended and closed-ended questions (n = 136). Participants were selected and identified through purposeful sampling from five remote indigenous villages in South Africa. The data were collected only from principal elderly participants above 50 due to their profound knowledge and experiences with their local environment. The most prevalent indigenous knowledge within the Vhavenda people is folklore, which is orally transmitted from one generation to the next through traditional songs, stories, dances, myths, customs, and rituals. Drivers such as invasion of technology, reluctance on the part of custodians to pass on the knowledge, knowledge being forgotten, and knowledge being less effective were ranked to be highest in the hindrance of IK transmission in the study area. Solutions such as revitalising knowledge systems through proper documentation, such as building online libraries, integrating Western and indigenous knowledge, and introducing indigenous knowledge into mainstream education systems and media could assist in preserving such knowledge.

Integrating Environmental Justice into Child-Sensitive Social Protection: The Environmental Roots of Intergenerational Poverty in Amazonia

AbstractChild-sensitive social protection (CSSP) is heralded as an investment in future human capital, based on the premise that changing poor families’ behaviours can interrupt cycles of poverty reproduction. However, funding for CSSP may come from extractive activities with high environmental costs for the same families that social programmes aim to support. Reflecting on this contradiction in Peruvian Amazonia, the study explores the tensions between State and parental understandings of impoverishment in an Indigenous village impacted by oil extraction. The findings are twofold: (i) although families are sceptical of CSSP’s potential to enhance children’s prospects, they embrace it as a form of compensation for resource dispossession. (ii) CSSP may fail to lift children out of poverty if it overlooks how environmental degradation engenders intergenerational impoverishment. The article makes a case for the adoption of an environmental justice lens into CSPP, emphasising the need for a more holistic understanding of intergenerational poverty.

Conflict resolution in the customary village governance administration of Baduy, Tengger, and Samin ethnic groups in Indonesia

In Indonesia, the village government organization is part of local democracy. This includes the local democracy in indigenous villages. Indigenous villages have their own customary rules for implementing village elections. They have their own conflict resolution systems in implementing the village government. The implementation of the indigenous village governance leaves conflicts. So, there is a need for a suitable model for resolving problems in the implementation of village elections. The method used in this research is the qualitative research method with the juridical empirical approach. The locus of this research is in the Baduy, Tengger, and Samin indigenous village communities. The conflict resolution model in the administration of the Baduy, Tengger, and Samin customary villages differs in the right mechanism, but in substance, the resolution model is the same, as they use a deliberation model for consensus. In resolving conflicts, indigenous peoples fully submit to traditional leaders. The provincial and the regency/city governments are expected to give greater attention to the conditions of villages with customary government characteristics.

The Performance of the Baris Goak Dance in the Pujawali Ceremony at Pura Puseh, Selulung indigenous village, Kintamani, Bangli Regency

This study explores the significance of religious ceremonies in Hindu communities, with a focus on the Pura Puseh temple and the Baris Goak dance in Selulung, Kintamani, Bali. Pura Puseh, an ancient temple of the Kahyangan Tiga, serves as a key site for rituals connected to prosperity and blessings. The Baris Goak dance, unique to Selulung, is a sacred performance that symbolically represents the battle between crows (seen as harbingers of death) and a spiritual hero, Mangku Pucangan. Rooted in cultural and historical narratives, this dance integrates traditional music, costumes, and rituals, reflecting the deep relationship between art, religion, and community identity in Balinese society. The historical development of Selulung village, driven by unity and leadership, further illustrates how these cultural practices have been preserved and continue to play a central role in maintaining spiritual and social harmony. The preservation of the Baris Goak dance, supported by village customs and regulations, highlights the enduring transmission of spiritual and cultural values across generations, ensuring the continuation of a rich heritage in the modern era.

Altitude-dependent agro-ecologies impact the microbiome diversity of scavenging indigenous chicken in Ethiopia

BackgroundScavenging indigenous village chickens play a vital role in sub-Saharan Africa, sustaining the livelihood of millions of farmers. These chickens are exposed to vastly different environments and feeds compared to commercial chickens. In this study, we analysed the caecal microbiota of 243 Ethiopian village chickens living in different altitude-dependent agro-ecologies.ResultsDifferences in bacterial diversity were significantly correlated with differences in specific climate factors, topsoil characteristics, and supplemental diets provided by farmers. Microbiota clustered into three enterotypes, with one particularly enriched at high altitudes. We assembled 9977 taxonomically and functionally diverse metagenome-assembled genomes. The vast majority of these were not found in a dataset of previously published chicken microbes or in the Genome Taxonomy Database.ConclusionsThe wide functional and taxonomic diversity of these microbes highlights their importance in the local adaptation of indigenous poultry, and the significant impacts of environmental factors on the microbiota argue for further discoveries in other agro-ecologies.EEwR8PKafK2-LVnkA2-YG-Video

Vernacular branding: sustaining city identity through vernacular architecture of indigenous villages

Vernacular branding: sustaining city identity through vernacular architecture of indigenous villages

Local Wisdom in Agriculture of Urug Indigenous Village as an Alternative Biology Learning Resource

Local Wisdom in Agriculture of Urug Indigenous Village as an Alternative Biology Learning Resource

The Languages of Men and Women in Indigenous Villages

In indigenous villages, distinct language features of men and women exist. The linguistic features of men’s and women’s languages are unique because the villages have unique cultures. This research was conducted in Tenganan Pegringsingan village and Penglipuran village. The research method applied was descriptive-qualitative, in which the data were collected through recordings and structured interviews. The results of the analysis show that in conversations amongst men, the topics that emerged were ngayah meratengan (cooking together without payment), perarem (village regulations), money, and responsibility. Meanwhile, in discussions amongst women, the topic that emerged was the lottery club. Regarding intonation, men and women showed differences in using tag questions. Furthermore, differences in the lexicons associated with men and women emerged. In the selection of sentence types, men predominantly used tag questions, while women predominantly used super-polite forms. Men tended to be more direct, while women preferred to be more circumlocutory before conveying the main utterance. In the dominance of conversation between men and women, it was found that men dominated in taking turns to speak and led the topic of conversation.

Breeding practice of indigenous village chickens, and traits and breed preferences of smallholder farmers.

Indigenous village chickens, or (IVCs), significantly contribute to rural livelihoods. Although natural selection has a disproportionate impact on the genetic structure of IVCs, farmers have developed locally tailored breeding practices to get the most out of their flocks. Small-scale farmers' insights on trait breed preferences and family flock breeding practices are presented in this cross-sectional study. A cross-sectional study was conducted in two agroecological zones using face-to-face individual interviews with 119 general informants. Farmers prefer IVCs because they are multipurpose birds. Unlike policymakers, who usually underestimate the importance of IVCs, small-scale farmers acknowledge the coexistence of local and commercial chickens. Only 15.7% of farmers recruited homegrown cocks, whereas 47.9% outsourced breeding cocks from local markets and 36.4% from neighbours (χ-squared=15.976, df=2, p=0.0003395). About 49.2% of small-scale farmers believed that consanguineous mating-induced inbreeding has only trivial effects. High flock turnover significantly reduces inbreeding. Regardless of the low production capacity, small-scale farmers prefer local (rank=1.47) chickens to commercial (rank=1.61). For cocks, fertility and growth traits were highly sought after, whereas for hens, maternal instincts and laying performance were prioritized. Compared to the highlands, the lowlands had a longer egg storage period (t=2.677, df=117, p=0.009, 95% CI: -3.7607, -0.5622). This study documented the wisdom of small-scale farmers and encouraged the incorporation of their insights into a sustainable genetic improvement program.

Effects of mining activities on social-cultural development: A case of Kapijipanga chiefdom in Solwezi district of North-Western Province, Zambia

Overview: This study examined the impact of mining activities on the social and cultural development of Kapijipanga chiefdom of Solwezi District. The study investigated various ways in which mining activities influence the social and cultural identity of local people. Body of knowledge: The findings contribute to a better understanding of the complex relationship between mining activities and social cultural development and offer insight for sustainable development and community well-being in Kapijipanga chiefdom of Solwezi District. Methods: The study employed both qualitative and quantitative methods and descriptive survey design that sampled local people of Kapijipanga chiefdom, mine workers, headmen and chief. The sample size for this study was 150. Data was obtained from respondents by means of interviews and questionnaires. Tables, graphs and pie-charts were used to analyze the quantitative and qualitative data obtained. Data was then analyzed manually in some cases and also, a combination of software MS Access, and MS Excel. Results: The results indicated that the effects of mining activities on social –cultural development in Kapijipanga chiefdom of Solwezi District is negative in the sense that social development is strongly influenced by the loss of farmland, houses, and livelihoods in Kapijipanga chiefdom. Additionally, the study found that mining activities has led to the loss of traditional authority in Kapijipanga chiefdom of Solwezi District. This is because mining projects often require the relocation of indigenous communities and villages to make way for mining infrastructure. Recommendation: The government of Zambia through the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture and the Department of culture should ensure that mines offer cultural awareness training programs for their employees to increase understanding and appreciation of local customs, traditions, and languages.

Ternary spatial reconstruction of ecological migration in Jiaochang Village

In 2020, the total number of ecological migrants in China reached 48.73 million; To address this situation, this study focuses on Jiaochang Village in Sichuan Province as an example in order to examine the living spaces of ecological migrants after immigration. Based on Lefebvre's Ternary Space Theory, this study analyzed the spatial reconstruction of an ecological immigrant village on the basis of rural revitalization on three levels, i.e., residential space, social space, and spiritual space, by using the methods of geographic information comparison, field building surveys, structured interviews, and social network analysis. At the same time, by comparing the eco-migrants’ situations before and after relocation, in addition to comparing them with those of the indigenous villagers, the adaptation of the ecological migrants in the above-mentioned ternary space was examined. The results showed a difference in living space for the ecological immigrants and the indigenous people, but the difference in living space for the migrants before and after relocation was larger. There was little difference in social spaces for the migrants and the indigenous villagers. The unemployment rate of the ecological immigrants was higher, and the interaction intensity in their work network was smaller. The spiritual space of the immigrants appeared very different from that of the indigenous people. The migrants' spiritual condition was slightly worse, but the preservation of traditions was stronger for the immigrants than for the indigenous people. The living and social spaces of the ecological immigrants were basically reconstructed, whereas the spiritual space requires more time to be organized.

Pemanfaatan Bunga Kenop sebagai Minuman Herbal di Desa Adat Gerih, Badung, Bali

Globe amaranth flowers (Gomphrena globosa L.) can be used as efficacious herbs in helping cure a disease or as a body refreshment drink. Local Balinese people must become more familiar with these flowers as herbal drinks. The community only uses it in a limited way for religious ceremonies. This flower can be developed as an herbal drink, so it can potentially add economic value to the flower. This activity aims to provide socialization and training on the processing of globe amaranth flowers as herbal drinks. This community service activity is done through counseling and training on making herbs. The results of the service activities received a positive response from the participants which was reflected in the evaluation results obtained, participants giving good and excellent responses to this service activity. The service program that has been implemented can increase the knowledge of the people of the local indigenous village about the benefits of globe amaranth flowers for health. Service activities have achieved the objectives; namely, the residents of local villages can process globe amaranth flowers into herbal tea products to increase productivity and economic value so that they can improve community welfare.