Local Traditional Knowledge Research Articles

Listening to Oral Traditions in a Re-searching for Praxis in a Non-western Context

The relevance and appropriateness of western oriented psychology in practice and research is a concern in developing and non-western contexts. It is difficult to address this problem from any alternative position other than the western academic frame if one is situated in a tertiary educational institution in South Africa. In acknowledgement, this article explores the academic context including some local voices from the field in a search for possible congruent research methodologies, which may echo knowledge systems of the traditions of the local context in South Africa and its broader context in the continent. Constraining factors to the development of an appropriate praxis have been suggested to include epistemological issues, western academic hegemony and the perceived elitism of psychology as a discipline. In particular, this article explores the adoption of a narrative literary stance for research in psychology. Literary theory and discussions of the narrative from Bakhtin's writings are drawn on in an attempt to bridge a perceived epistemological divide between local traditional knowledge systems and western academia. From this perspective the oral tradition of Africa is considered at the interface of local and western knowledge around healing /helping traditions.

The role of traditional local knowledge and innovation in the life long process of undertaking/enterprising

A szerző a hagyomanyos helyi ismeretek es az innovaciora valo kepesseg egyeni problematikajat vizsgalja a 20. szazadi Magyarorszag gyorsan valtozo kontextusaban. A helyi elittel szoros kapcsolatban allo csaladban, 1932-ben szuletett asszony elettortenetet elemezve egyreszt bemutatasra kerul a kulonboző tarsadalmi kontextusokban es eletszakaszokban szervezett profit es non-profit vallalkozasok sora, masreszt az, ahogyan az uj kihivasokkal valo megkuzdesben a kitűnő kepessegekkel rendelkező asszony a kulturalis es anyagi erőforrasait, tarsadalmi tőkejet, a sajat es az ősei tapasztalatait hasznalta. Bemutatjuk azt is, hogy a hagyomanyos utak elzarodasanal hogyan talal uj utakat. A generaciok kozotti kapcsolatokat es konfliktusokat elemezve a szerző arra keresi a valaszt, hogy a megorokolt kulturalis tőke atvetelet miert utasitja vissza a fiatalabb generacio, es miert nem tudjak a szocialis intezmenyek es kulturalis mintazatok hatarait ujrarajzolni. Adatgyűjtes: terepmunka, onkitoltős kerdőiv, felig struktura...

FollowingGarkman, the frog, in North Eastern Arnhem Land (Australia)

The research presented here focused on the ethnozoology of frogs as viewed by two Aboriginal communities: Gangan and Gapuwiyak, which are both located in north-east Arnhem Land (Yolngu territory), Northern Territory. The aim of this research was to record traditional Aboriginal knowledge about frogs as viewed by Dhalwangu, a Yolngu clan. Particular emphasis was placed on amphibian traditions and beliefs, local nomenclature, and natural history as conceived by the Dhalwangu. A full understanding of the symbolism of Garkman, the frog, and its relatedness to other aspects of the culture is only beginning to be realised by the researchers.Traditional ecological knowledge illustrates how Aboriginal people have learned to survive and live in their environment, but the gradual loss of such knowledge (especially with the death of senior men and elders) and the devastation of ecosystems by invasive pests threaten local traditional knowledge. For example, the recent spread of the introduced cane toad (Bufo marinus)...

Politics of Environmentalism and Ecological Knowledge at the Intersection of Local and Global Processes

Abstract This article scrutinizes the intersection of globalized and localized environmentalism in Lajes do Pico, Azores, Portugal, at the historical juncture when whale-watching superseded whale hunting in this village. In so doing, the article explains how localized environmentalism-including the ecological knowledges and practices of local inhabitants-was reproduced, learned, and transformed within the context of globalized environmental concerns, and vice versa. Using ethnographic materials I collected in Lajes do Pico between 1998 and 2000, I suggest that, rather than constituting two clearly distinct types of knowledge, through comparison and dialogical articulation local and scientific knowledge are typically locked in a process of mutual knowledge formation. This entailed the emergence of 'glo-cal' meta-knowledge context for environmental dilemmas. Ultimately, both former whalers and environmentalist scientists overcame some of their differences through mutual learning-an issue that has not often been explored within the scholarly literature on the relation between indigenous and scientific knowledge. Introduction Anthropologists have long been concerned with dismantling dichotomies between scientific and local-traditional knowledge instead of taking their dualistic connotation for granted. Levi-Strauss (1966:3-5), for instance, pointed out that non-westerners frequently comprehend and relate to the world in ways that approximate those that are characteristic of western scientists (see also Saaristo 1998). Agrawal (1995a, 1995b) crystallized the critique of distinction between native (local specific) and scientific (abstract-general) knowledge to unveil the fallacy of these distinctions. It became clear that, whether by portraying the former as the manifestation of a harmonious pristine relation with nature, or by reifying the later as a product of efficacious intervention and control, processes of knowing were being objectified into knowledge typologies (Berlung 1998; Edgerton 1992; Ingold 2000:13-18, 27-34, 43-47). It is more accurate and predictive to assert that traditional knowledge and scientific knowledge processes will display varying degrees of similarity, difference and potential overlap-depending on context and comparison criteria-and that these relations will change through time. While traditional and scientific knowledge are distinguishable, they are not opposites. As Berkes (1999:9-10) points out, indigenous ecological knowledge is inextricably related to the cultural, social, political, and material context from which it emerges. Unlike scientific knowledge, traditional ecological knowledge seems incoherent when presented abstractly (Berkes 1999). Nevertheless, even though abstract science is quite comprehensible universally, it too can be better understood once situated in the socio-cultural-historical settings of its production (e.g., Bourdieu 1988:21-35; Gould 2003:13-25, 113-129; Kuhn 1970:4-7, 23-25; Latour 1993:1-9, 130-132). After all, as Tsing has recently shown, universals are produced at specific historical, spatial and cultural junctures. Subsequently, these universals move across these junctures thus mobilizing new constituencies and ideas (Tsing 2005:7). Political and economic elites often do objectify scientific knowledge to dislodge and disempower place-specific processes of environmental knowing and practices (e.g., Beck 1992:19-89,1995:109,128-130, 138-139; Brush 1993; Gare 2002; Giddens 1990:8389; Habermans 2005:36-49; Ingold 2000:314-315, 329; Shiva 1997:1-11). On the other hand, as the literature on indigenous people and conservation initiatives demonstrates, aspects of local knowledge and ecological embeddedness are often selectively mobilized towards the attainment of specific political and/or conservationist goals within increasingly globalized contexts (e.g., Igoe 2005:378; Niezen 2003:181-191). Such studies suggest that we must try to account for that productive moment of friction where universals and particulars meet to produce effects with which we live (Tsing 2005:4). …

Legal Claims to Culture in and Against the Market: Neoliberalism and the Global Proliferation of Meaningful Difference

Under conditions of neoliberalism legal claims to protect, preserve, maintain, and to exploit culture have assumed a new urgency. Cultural diversity has become a matter of state concern and fears of cultural homogenization animate movements to promote a revitalized realm of cultural policy. Municipal governments see cultural amenities, attractions, and social values as important resources to attract labor and capital and engage in cultural planning exercises as they seek to brand urban space. Rural spaces become culturalised as traditions are constructed to establish market distinctions for local goods and traditional knowledge is valorized in international environmental treaties. But if culture is clearly delineated for the purposes of state management and the creation of new intellectual properties, it is also evoked in anti-globalization movements that contest growing forms of corporate hegemony. Finally, we witness the emergence of a new cultural politics of difference in place-based movements that draw upon international indigenous and human rights traditions to establish their claims to livelihood resources, territories, and cultural survival. Critical scholarship is needed to explore the conditions under which neoliberal regimes of govern-mentality are supported and challenged by the legal recognition of cultural assertions and the stakes and limitations of cultural claims.

The Neglected Key to Successful Biodiversity Conservation and Appropriate Development: Local traditional knowledge

The need to conserve the worlds’ biodiversity is no longer a controversial issue. However, the question of how to conserve biodiversity is a pressing issue. The evidence of this is seen in the continued loss of biodiversity, especially in the rich biodiversity countries of the world, despite the efforts by many governments and non-governmental or-ganizations and individuals. Similarly, the need for coun-tries to develop is not an issue but which types of develop-ment and how development is implemented are important issues. So how do we arrive at successfully conserving biodiversity and achieve appropriate development pro-grams? This paper presents local traditional knowledge as the neglected key to successful biodiversity conservation as well as appropriate development programs. Successful biodiversity conservation and the implementation of ap-propriate development programs, it is suggested, may be ccomplished by consciously targeting and harnessing lo-cal traditional knowledge. The effectiveness is based on the various relationships that exist between people of di-verse cultures and the other elements of biodiversity in their respective areas.

Yu Duan Practices as Embodying Tradition, Modernity and Social Change in Chiang Mai, Northern Thailand

ABSTRACT In this paper I examine the traditional postpartum beliefs and practices which still exist in northern Thailand today. The paper is based on qualitative research involving in-depth interviews with 30 women in Chiang Mai province. Beliefs and practices remain an essential part for postpartum care for women and have important consequences for women's health and well-being in northern Thailand. Many Thai women see their reproductive health problems as the consequence of inadequate postpartum practices. Thai women also believe that the effects of postpartum taboos would continue for the rest of their lives. Although the traditional postpartum beliefs and practices abound, the level of adherence differs according to the social structure of the women and their families. Poor rural women seem to hold on to their traditions more strongly than their urban counterparts. Urban middle class women in particular embody modernity in their thinking and behaviors concerning postpartum practices. But modernization has brought with it medical dominance. Due to their medical knowledge, doctors retain authority over both knowledge and status. The consequence of this dominance is the attempt to dismiss local traditional knowledge and practices. Although the pattern of traditional postpartum beliefs and practices is changing, it is still observed in northern Thailand. I contend that postpartum care for women incorporates local traditions so that women's health can be optimized at the time when they are in the most vulnerable stage of their lives.

Huna Tlingit Traditional Environmental Knowledge, Conservation, and the Management of a “Wilderness” Park

A study of Huna Tlingit traditional gullegg harvests in Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve, Alaska, indicates that local traditional environmental knowledge includes a sophisticated appreciation of glaucouswinged gull (Larus glaucescens) nesting biology and behaviorin particular, an understanding of this gull as an indeterminate layer with a modal clutch size of three. The community has applied knowledge to the design of sustainable eggharvesting strategies. The dominant strategy is to take eggs from nests with one or two eggs but leave nests with three or more; an alternative strategy advocates partial harvests from threeegg clutches. The case study is related to a critical review of work questioning the contributions of traditional environmental knowledge to sustainable resource management, past and present. In particular we argue against a new orthodoxy that discounts the capacity of indigenous communities to conserve the natural resources of their lands.

The Canadian Arctic and the Oceans Act: the development of participatory environmental research and management

In recent years in the Canadian Arctic, participatory and pluralistic approaches have become common in several areas of environmental management relevant to the resolution of multiple-use conflicts: fish and wildlife, protected area planning, integrated coastal zone management, ecosystem health monitoring, contaminants research, environmental assessment, and climate change. This paper analyzes the emergence and development of aboriginal participation in resource management in each of these areas, with emphasis on the Canada Oceans Act. Policy change seems to parallel the emergence of aboriginal land claims and the general political movement towards greater self-government. Increasing political power of northern populations in general, and aboriginal groups in particular, have led to a modification of the environmental decision-making process, and to the incorporation of local values, priorities, and traditional environmental knowledge in environmental research and management. Especially important in this process has been the emergence of traditional environmental knowledge as a mechanism by which participatory approaches can be implemented.

An Ethnopharmacological Study from Thane District, Maharashtra, India: Traditional Knowledge Compared with Modern Biological Science

This paper is a synthesis of local traditional knowledge of plants used as medicine and western biological science. In many areas women are responsible for curing their family members and others for various illness. Ethnomedical uses of 51 plants by women in hamlets/villages of Jawhar and Mokhada talukas in Thane district, Maharashtra, have been recorded. Information from scientific literature for each plant collected has been incorporated with traditional knowledge to explain or substantiate traditional medicinal uses.