Local Indigenous Knowledge Research Articles

Learned Lessons from Traditional Architecture in Yemen -Towards Sustainable Architecture

This paper explores the Learned Lessons from traditional Yemeni Architecture Towards Sustainable Architecture. It highlights how the local context influences the traditional architecture in Sanaa city and different regions of Yemen and Arab regions, according to nature, climatic conditions, culture, traditional values, and indigenous knowledge. Overview for sustainability during the twentieth century, sustainability and the Islam perspective in the Arab region, and selected the traditional architecture in Yemen as a case study. In addition to the analysis analyzed the city's urban form and the traditional house in Sana’a city, the design and elements of the house; spatial organization, construction systems and building materials, and window openings. Ornaments and sewerage systems. The study summarizes the aspects of sustainability in the traditional house in different regions in Yemen as an indigenous traditional knowledge for sustainable architecture. In conclusion, the traditional houses in the house in Yemen, designed according to the local context and indigenous traditional knowledge, have influenced traditional Yemeni architecture; the house elements and design fulfills sustainable requirements and positively impact the city's environmental, economic, and social aspects. Furthermore, it is considered a learned lesson from traditional architectural heritage and indigenous traditional knowledge toward sustainable architecture.

Identification of Science Concepts and Principles Based on Local Wisdom of Pacu Jalur to Develop Science Learning Materials

Local wisdom in Indonesia always considered mystical and taboo to be discussed, while this will be a great potential when viewed from the point of view of science which is then identified and interpreted in the form of a study of scientific treasures. The scientific treasures of course will also be useful if they are integrated in education and used as learning materials. This study aims to identify the science concepts and principles based on local wisdom of Pacu Jalur to develop science learning materials for junior or senior high school. This research used qualitative research with the descriptive analysis of Miles and Huberman model. The sampling techniques of this research were purposive and snowball sampling that collected through the observation, in depth interview, documentation, and literature review. The result of this study indicated that pacu jalur as local wisdom and indigenous knowledge contains many values, including aspects of science. This study should be able to further add to the value of wealth, re-introduce to many people, and enthusiasm to be inherited and preserved such as being a part of local education

On Embedding Indigenous Musics in Schools: Examining the Applicability of Possible Models to One School District's Approach.

Recent curriculum policy changes in British Columbia (BC) require that educators in all subject areas-including music-embed local Indigenous knowledge, pedagogies, and worldviews in their classes. Yet facilitating such decolonizing cross-cultural music education activities requires knowledge that music educators may not currently possess. We use four models created by an Indigenous Arts scholar to examine the interface of Indigenous and Western art musics in performing arts settings: (a) integration, (b) nation-to-nation music trading and reciprocal presentation, (c) a combination of the first two models, and (d) non-integrative encounters that are in relationship but have irreconcilable elements. We consider the applicability of these models in music education settings, using them to analyze our findings from a study in which we explored the ways teachers have embedded local First Nations songs and drumming in classes in a single metropolitan school district in BC.

Evaluation of occupational health management status and safety issues of the small-scale fisheries sector in Bangladesh.

Small-scale fishing is one of the most precarious occupations, with high rates of threats and hazards. The present study was undertaken to evaluate the health hazards and safety issues of fishers involved in small-scale fisheries (SSF). Fifty SSF fishers (n = 50) were surveyed by using a pre-tested questionnaire between October 2019 and March 2020 at the lower Meghna River in the northern tip of the Bay of Bengal, Bangladesh. Results revealed that 56% of SSF fishermen belong to a nuclear family, and 42% completed primary education. Forty per cent had an annual income of between 1,000 and 1,500 USD. Seventy-six per cent of fishermen were found to suffer from fever, and 72%, and 60% from diarrhoea and skin diseases over the last 5 years (2015-2020), respectively. During fishing, 78% of fishermen also suffered from red-eye problems, dizziness, and headache, and 68% struggled with musculoskeletal complaints during the last 5 years. Extreme cyclonic occurrences and sudden storms were experienced by 66% and 32% of fishermen, respectively, during the last 5 years. Local pharmacies were visited by 46% of fishermen for treatment due to ease of access. Sixty-four per cent of participants applied their local indigenous knowledge to treat health-related problems. Twenty-eight per cent and 32% of fishermen used a first aid box and stored medicine on board, respectively. Most of the fishers are in great risk of medium- to high-range danger while fishing in the SSF sector in Bangladesh. Many countries have developed protocols for safe and responsible fishing. In Bangladesh, adequate attention is needed for the sustainable development of the SSF sector.

Awakening Indigenous Knowledge: Perspectives and Experiences of Indigenous Early Childhood Education Diploma Students

We draw on a focus group discussion amongst four Indigenous northern Ontario early childhood educators (ECEs) from an Indigenous postsecondary institution’s ECE diploma program, to show the important contributions of programs offered by Indigenous postsecondary education institutes to Indigenous cultural revitalization. We are the Indigenous Elder, two instructors, and senior administrator of the program, as well as a non-Indigenous university professor. We argue for Indigenous community-generated curricula that embody local Indigenous cultural knowledge, values, and practices, drawing on themes arising from analysis of focus group data: participants felt that they brought limited knowledge of their Indigenous language and culture to their program, and participants experienced an awakening of Indigenous knowledge through their participation in Indigenous practices outside the core curriculum.

Fostering Indigenous young people’s socio-environmental consciousness through place-based learning in Ecuadorian Amazonia

ABSTRACT Education has a fundamental role in preparing youth to address the socio-environmental challenges that threaten Indigenous territories in Ecuadorian Amazonia. In this study, we focus on place-based learning and analyse how diverse learning spaces in the everyday lives of the Indigenous youth allow them to engage with diverse knowledges on socio-environmental issues. We conducted participatory mapping, photo elicitation, and interviews in three upper secondary schools in Pastaza province of Ecuador to study young people’s perceptions and teachable moments about socio-environmental issues. The findings suggest that young people’s daily embodied experiences, family life, and community meetings offer rich grounds for learning about local socio-environmental issues, Indigenous knowledge, and cosmovision (worldview). However, in the intercultural bilingual upper secondary schooling, socio-environmental issues are discussed mostly as detached global phenomena, while more explicit connections to local issues and knowledge would contribute to pluriversalizing education and supporting students’ territorial ties and critical socio-environmental consciousness.

Assessment of drought, its causes and consequences in connection with local wisdom: a case study of Kohat basin drought-2017, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan

Extreme weather events are significantly increasing around the globe. Among these, drought is a unique environmental hazard. Its uniqueness is the length of time between the first indications and impacts upon the community. Droughts may occur for months, years and in some cases decades, affecting large geographical areas. This study aims to assess the occurrence, causes and impacts of drought regimes technically by using the Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI) technique and culturally by assessing the local people's indigenous knowledge. For this purpose, both primary and secondary data were collected. Historically recorded rainfall data were used to calculate SPI values to identify rainfall deficits for 3, 6 and 12 months timescales. Data about the indigenous knowledge was collected through focus group discussions and interviews with the community. Secondary data were collected from Agriculture Department, Irrigation department, BARANI research station and Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD). The study results revealed that mild and moderate droughts are decreasing as the timescale increases. Contrary, severe and extreme droughts increase with the increase in timescales from 3 months to a year. Results also highlighted three extreme drought events recorded in the study area based on SPI-3 and SPI-6 timescales from 1954 to 2017. The number of extreme droughts based on SPI-12 is five in the selected timeframe. Furthermore, there was a significant reduction in agriculture production particularly in crops and vegetables during drought-2017. The findings of the study recommend that there is a need to improve the irrigation system. Wastage of floodwater should be controlled and conserved in small dams. Coordination amongst the stakeholders, advanced early warning system, awareness and planning at the local are significant measures to be taken in the study area to combat the problem.

Indigenous knowledge and local practices for disaster risk reduction: A study of Kailali district

Disasters which are resulted due to the natural or anthropogenic environmental damage processes such as deforestation, desertification, loss of biodiversity, soil erosion etc. and are increasing day by day. As such there are potentialities for outbreaks and their high risk at any places at any time. There are many literatures which suggest the possibility of disaster risk reduction and early warning through local indigenous knowledge and practices. The present study is an attempt to explore, evaluate andanalyse the local knowledge and skills that are being practiced and used to reduce the risk of various types of natural hazards. Kailali district lying in the Sudur Paschim Province of Nepal is chosen as the study area. Chure rural municipality lying within Hill areas and Tikapur urban municipality lying within Terai plain areas of the district were selected as the research sites to evaluate the landslide and flood related local indigenous knowledge and practices respectively. Using a multi-assessment methodology of collecting information through targeted group discussions, key informant interviews, household surveys, and field observation methods, an attempt has been made to analyse the data to explore indigenous local knowledge, skills, and traditional practices related to disaster risk and mitigation in the study area. The indigenous knowledge, skills and practices on disaster risk reduction and early warning system have been developed by generations and tested in the absence of the scientific developments. However, many communities have lost their local knowledge, skills, and traditional practices because of non transfer by the senior citizens to the young generations. The findings of the study indicate that indigenous and local knowledge and practices are valuable resources that can support in the process of disaster management, prevention, preparedness, and cost-effective disaster risk reduction. Therefore, the researchers view that it would be wise decision focusing the policy framework by integrating indigenous and local knowledge, wisdom, and skills of the local people.

Mary Seacole’s plant matter(s): vegetal entanglements of the Black Atlantic in Wonderful Adventures of Mrs. Seacole in Many Lands

ABSTRACT This article offers a new reading of Mary Seacole’s autobiography from the perspective of material ecocriticism. The Black Atlantic origins of Seacole’s pharmacopoeia reveal a troubled, complex engagement with histories of medicine and cure, with local indigenous knowledges, and with the often-violent circulation of plants and people across the planet. Paying close attention to instances in the text when plants meld and move with humans, within and beyond the Atlantic medical complex, the article links together vegetal materiality and medical, botanical histories of slavery, the plantation, and resistant black ecologies. To foreground the vibrant plant-human encounters at work in the text, the article selects three plants from Seacole’s medicine chest and follows their routes across the Black Atlantic, articulating how Seacole used her pharmacopoeia to save white Anglo patients while inadvertently addressing the long histories of slavery and colonialism.

Connecting the world through local Indigenous Knowledge

This paper focuses upon the importance and value of local Indigenous Knowledge and how it is being threatened in today’s modern world rather than being leveraged to catalyze development. The author specifically calls out three types of Indigenous Knowledge: (1) medicinal knowledge related to human health, i.e., herbal medicine; (2) sacred groves – geographic areas set aside to preserve plants and animals and that can help to mitigate the impact of climate change; and (3) living libraries – communities of people who are also holders of cultural wisdom and history and who are custodians of all knowledge relating to the history of their own community. The author makes a call to action, requesting that scientists, librarians, publishers, and others in the information community collaborate and move forward together to save and build upon global Indigenous Knowledge.

Indigenous Shamanic Worldviews as Dialogical Eco-Cosmology

This article deals with indigenous shamanic worldviews and indigenous knowledge as dialogical eco-cosmology. It shows the relevance of eco-cosmology as local indigenous ecological and spiritual knowledge in the context of global biodiversity and sustainability discourses.

Vulnerability and Adaptation to Flood Hazards in Rural Settlements of Limpopo Province, South Africa

Climate change has increased the frequency of extreme weather events such as heavy rainfall leading to floods in several regions. In Africa, rural communities are more vulnerable to flooding, particularly those that dwell in low altitude areas or near rivers and those regions affected by tropical storms. This study examined flood vulnerability in three rural villages in South Africa’s northern Limpopo Province and how communities are building resilience and coping with the hazard. These villages lie at the foot of the north-eastern escarpment, and are often exposed to frequent rainfall enhanced by orographic factors. Although extreme rainfall events are rare in the study area, we analyzed daily rainfall and showed how heavy rainfall of short duration can lead to flooding using case studies. Historical floods were also mapped using remote sensing via the topographical approach and two types of flooding were identified, i.e., those due to extreme rainfall and those due to poor drainage or blocked drainage channels. A field survey was also conducted using questionnaires administered to samples of affected households to identify flood vulnerability indicators and adaptation strategies. Key informant interviews were held with disaster management authorities to provide additional information on flood indicators. Subsequently, a flood vulnerability index was computed to measure the extent of flood vulnerability of the selected communities and it was found that all three villages have a ‘vulnerability to floods’ level, considered a medium level vulnerability. The study also details temporary and long-term adaptation strategies/actions employed by respondents and interventions by local authorities to mitigate the impacts of flooding. Adaptation strategies range from digging furrows to divert water and temporary relocations, to constructing a raised patio around the house. Key recommendations include the need for public awareness; implementation of a raft of improvements and a sustainable infrastructure maintenance regime; integration of modern mitigations with local indigenous knowledge; and development of programs to ensure resilience through incorporation of Integrated Development Planning.

How Did the Cultural Revolution Affect Your Culture?

ABSTRACT As an international expert at the Research Institute of Anthropology and Ethnology, Jishou University, Xiangxi Autonomous Prefecture, China, on UNESCO Local Indigenous Knowledge Systems/UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues/UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs projects with Kam people and ministries responsible for ethnic development, I asked my colleagues this question: How did the Cultural Revolution affect your culture? This article details their answers.

A triangulation approach for assessing and mapping land degradation in the Lepellane catchment of the greater Sekhukhune District, South Africa

ABSTRACT Land degradation is a complex environmental problem that requires robust decision-making processes that embrace diversity of local indigenous knowledge. Participatory approaches are essential in capturing the complexity in land degradation processes while overcoming limitations presented by scientific methods that disregard socio-economic factors. Hence, the triangulation approach can be used to combine participatory expert maps with satellite imagery by overlaying both maps to enhance understanding of land degradation. This study incorporated social and physical factors that cause land degradation through an expert assessment. This was achieved through a participatory expert mapping exercise using the World Overview Conservation Approaches and Technology (WOCAT) mapping questionnaire and remote sensing techniques to map land degradation severity that was integrated by overlaying, i.e. triangulation approach. The WOCAT results were validated using field observations and discussions on land covers. Climatic variability, improper soil management and unsustainable land-use practices were identified as leading causes of land degradation while soil erosion and loss of vegetation cover were the perceived prominent types of land degradation. The land degradation severity modelling assessment achieved an accuracy of R2 0.86, RMSE 7.72 and relRMSE 12.94% in estimating bare soil cover, which was used as an indicator of potential land degradation severity. Variables such as leaf area index (LAI) and soil adjusted vegetation index (SAVI) were essential in determining degraded landscapes. The severity maps indicated that low-lying areas are moderately degraded due to overgrazing. The study concluded that a triangulation approach provides a better understanding of land degradation.

Pioneering political ecology: perceptions of nature, Indigenous practices and power relations during Alexander von Humboldt's travels in Latin America

This article is an attempt to discuss the image of Alexander von Humboldt as a pure natural scientist with a humanist ethos, and to highlight that he was in fact one of the first thinkers who anticipated positions known today as political ecology. We outline that his universal knowledge obviously has contradictory perspectives, and was interpreted in several directions. On the one hand, there is the position taken by post-colonial critics that Humboldt showed Eurocentric and imperialist thinking during his travels to the Americas, as Pratt has advocated. On the other hand, and in explicit contrast to the post-colonial critique, Humboldt has been regarded by Sachs as a founding figure of American environmentalism and as "perhaps, the first ecological thinker." Furthermore, Wulf's biography titled The Invention of Nature tries to show that Humboldt wanted to bridge the gap between the emerging natural sciences and Romanticist aesthetics. However, based on his writings, we argue that his perception of nature has been misread and that his position was shaped by a view akin to open and critical political ecology, as opposed to pure nature constructivism without including local humans. We show this by focusing on his research methods that were open to local Indigenous ecological knowledge, his appraisal of Indigenous socio-cultural systems, his perception of nature as Indigenous cultural landscapes degraded by colonial and early capitalist market forces, his openness towards Indigenous ontologies of what we call nature, and finally his focus on local institutions for the sustainable governance of resources.

Local indigenous knowledge of salmea scandens (l.) Dc. (asteraceae), a medicinal and nutritional resource from oaxaca, Mexico

Salmea scandens is a plant that grows in America tropics and is known for its medicinal and nutritional applications. Derived from local indigenous knowledge, the species is used for its analgesic properties, especially as remedy in dentistry in communities of the southern highlands of Oaxaca, Mexico. Important information on local knowledge and uses of S. scandens was gathered using a bibliographic review and with open and semi-structured interviews conducted in a Zapotec community in the Southern Mountains of Oaxaca. In the community studied people recognize and use two morphotypes of the plant that differentiate by the color of the bark (black and white). We reported two not documented uses for this species, one nutritional and one medicinal. In the nutritional form, the plant is used to season traditional dishes and as the main ingredient of other recipes. In medicinal uses, the plant treats dental pain, gastritis, and boils. Community prefer the white morphotype for nutritional use, but there is no preference for any of them for medicinal use. The medicinal use of S. scandens is related to problems that involve an inflammatory process, suggesting that the species has a potential in the search for new products to treat odontalgia.
 
 Salmea scandens es una planta que crece en los trópicos de América y es conocida por sus aplicaciones medicinales y nutricionales. Derivado del conocimiento indígena local, la especie se utiliza por sus propiedades analgésicas, especialmente como remedio en odontología en comunidades de las tierras altas del sur de Oaxaca, México. Se recopiló información importante sobre el conocimiento local y los usos de S. scandens mediante una revisión bibliográfica y con entrevistas abiertas y semiestructuradas realizadas en una comunidad zapoteca en las montañas del sur de Oaxaca. En la comunidad estudiada, las personas reconocen y usan dos morfotipos de la planta que se diferencian por el color de la corteza (blanco y negro). Reportamos dos usos no documentados para esta especie, uno nutricional y uno medicinal. En forma nutricional, la planta se utiliza para sazonar platos tradicionales y como ingrediente principal de otras recetas. En usos medicinales, la planta trata el dolor dental, la gastritis y los forúnculos. La comunidad tiene preferencia por el morfotipo blanco para uso nutricional, pero no hay preferencia por ninguno de ellos para uso medicinal. El uso medicinal de S. scandens está relacionado con problemas que implican un proceso inflamatorio, lo que sugiere que la especie tiene potencial en la búsqueda de nuevos productos para tratar la odontalgia.

Transformative or Tokenistic?

Transformative or Tokenistic?

Enabling Sustainable Development by Embedding Tongan Knowledge into University Science Curricula

Sustainable development requires the valuing of Indigenous knowledges. The complex and intertwined processes of coloniality and globalisation have contributed to spreading a dominant set of Western knowledge, values, and practices discrediting local Indigenous knowledges and wisdom (Thaman, 2003). Achieving Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG4), to “ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all”, requires educators to recognise that non-Western students continuously negotiate the disconnect between their formal Western education and their cultures. Developing educational sustainability requires resetting this educational imbalance. Culturally sustaining pedagogy acknowledges and encourages cultural pluralism something often absent in the teaching of Western Modern Science. Here I describe the ‘Ulungaanga faka-Tonga Fonumodel, a response to Thaman’s directive that embedding Indigenous knowledges in higher education institutions’ formal curriculum enriches student experience by providing diverse understandings, perspectives, and wisdoms. This model demonstrates a way to engage with Tongan knowledge in formal teaching spaces.

Sharing Indigenous Knowledge through intergenerational digital storytelling: Design of a workshop engaging Elders and youth

ABSTRACT Within many First Nations communities, storytelling, led by Elders recognized as knowledge holders, is a deeply valued aspect of teaching and learning history, language, place, culture, and Indigenous Knowledge. The purpose of this study was to design and evaluate the first iteration of an intergenerational digital storytelling workshop that brought Elders and school children from a First Nations community in Canada together to co-create digital stories and share local Indigenous Knowledge. Using a community-based participatory research approach, the research team, school, and community members designed and implemented a ten-session program held during a six-week period. Thirty-one grade six and seven students were paired with thirteen Elders. Elders told a range of stories including personal experiences, legends, and local knowledge of hunting and medicine. Students created a digital version of the stories, adding images, sound, and music. Students learned about local knowledge, built connections with Elders, and increased their digital literacy. Future recommendations included expanding the program over the full year and integrating it with other classes such as having Carrier language as a key component of the digital stories and incorporating art and music created by the students.

Using community‐led development to build health communication about rheumatic heart disease in Aboriginal children: a developmental evaluation

ObjectiveA high prevalence of acute rheumatic fever (ARF) and rheumatic heart disease (RHD) among Aboriginal children in northern Australia is coupled with low understanding among families. This has negative impacts on children's health, limits opportunities for prevention and suggests that better health communication is needed. MethodsDuring an RHD echocardiography screening project, Aboriginal teachers in a remote community school created lessons to teach children about RHD in their home languages, drawing on principles of community‐led development. Access to community‐level RHD data, previously unknown to teachers and families, was a catalyst for this innovative work. Careful, iterative discussions among speakers of four Aboriginal languages ensured a culturally coherent narrative and accompanying teaching resources. ResultsThe evaluation demonstrated the importance of collective work, local Indigenous Knowledge and metaphors. As a result of the lessons, some children showed new responses and attitudes to skin infections and their RHD treatment. Language teachers used natural social networks to disseminate new information. A community interagency collaboration working to prevent RHD commenced. Conclusions and implications for public healthAction to address high rates of RHD must include effective health communication strategies that value Indigenous Knowledge, language and culture, collaborative leadership and respect for Indigenous data sovereignty.