Major Ethnic Groups Research Articles

Аббревиатуры в послереволюционной прессе поволжских немцев как результат языковых и культурных контактов

The purpose of the study is to identify the structural and semantic specifics of abbreviations in the Volga Germans’ post-revolutionary press from the standpoint of a sociolinguistic approach. The paper considers the abbreviation processes from the perspective of their being conditioned by a wide range of extra- and intralinguistic factors in the setting where the Volga region variant of the German language had contact with the Russian language. Scientific novelty lies in introducing new factual material into scientific use. Abbreviations found in the press language of the Volga Germans minority ethnic group for the first time serve as a special object of research. As a result, it has been found that in the early Soviet period, the language of the majority ethnic group had a significant impact on the language of the Volga Germans’ press, in which abbreviation became a new productive way of word formation.

ISLAMIC INFLUENCE ON WOODCARVING MOTIFS IN JOHOR TRADITIONAL MALAY HOUSES

Woodcarving motifs can be influenced by various aspects, including religions and beliefs. Malaysia is known for its cultural diversity and is rich with traditional heritage. Malay is one of the major ethnic groups in Malaysia and is considered as the majority of the country's population, contributing to the significant heritage, including art, decoration, and even architecture. Traditional woodcarving is an intricate Malay heritage and is the symbol of Malay art. A study on Malay woodcarvings is critically needed in order to know the influence that occurs on the selection of the motifs. It is such a waste to see our woodcarving heritage destroyed unappreciated and undocumented, especially on Johor woodcarvings, as many studies in other states have done. More and more traditional Johor Malay houses are being demolished day by day before we know the historical influence on the existence. The objective of this paper was to identify the woodcarving motifs found in Johor Malay houses and to identify their influence. Site visits were conducted in which the woodcarvings of 50 houses were examined, photographed, and documented. Interviews were also conducted with the house owners and the woodcarvers. The samples were analyzed, and the results were verified by experts. The results show that floral motifs lead the statistic, and the pumpkin motif, known as 'labu maya', takes the highest percentage of the overall motifs. It is concluded that the Islamic religion is the biggest influence that contributes to the findings. The findings also show that the 'labu maya' motif is the identity of the Johor woodcarving motifs. It is hoped that this study can bring recognition to Johor woodcarvings, and contribute valuable guides for woodcarvers to apply these motif typologies into their future works to sustain and cherish the Johor local identity.

The Laws and Customs of the Yorùbá People by E.A. Ajisafe Moore (Undated, M. A. Ola Fola Bookshops, Abeokuta, Nigeria. 87 pages. Price $21.95 on Amazon.com)

The Laws and Customs of the Yorùbá People chronicles the prevalent customary practices and native laws of the Yorùbá people who have their ancestral home in South Western Nigeria and descendants in several cities around the world by virtue of forced and voluntary migrations. The book draws from extensive research – including painstaking collection of materials from several sub-groupings within the Yorùbá ethnic group. Ajisafe Moore acknowledges in the preface that the laws and customs of the Yorùbá people vary within the different Yorùbá sub-groupings. The book however sought to address customs and laws that are generally applicable across the entire Yorùbá ethnic group. It is not clear when The Laws and Customs of the Yoruba People (henceforth Laws and Customs) was actually published. The author’s reference in the preface to 1906 as the time when he commenced his research efforts for the book provides a first pointer to possible publication of the work in early twentieth century. Other sources such as the LitCaf Encyclopedia list laws and customs as being published in 1924, eight years after the publication of the first edition of Ajisafe Moore’s self-published work, History of Abeokuta in 1916 (reissued in 1948 and 1964 and now part of the United Kingdom’s Royal Collection Trust). James S. Coleman’s Nigeria: Background to Nationalism (1958) cites Laws and Customs as one of the “tribal and national histories of major ethnic groups” published in English in 1946 (Coleman, 1958: 327). Kash and Klare Bookshop, Lagos, Nigeria was listed as the publisher. Tis latter 320 Akinloye Ojo and Kingsley Opia-Enwemuche publication date of 1946 meant that Laws and Customs was a posthumous publication for Ajisafe Moore who passed away in 1940.

PERCEIVED PERVASIVE DISCRIMINATION AND PSYCHOLOGICAL WELL-BEING AMONG A NIGERIA ETHNIC SAMPLE: IMPLICATIONS FOR RESTRUCTURING NIGERIA

In recent times, there has been calls for restructuring of the Nigeria nation by people of diverse ethnic origins, especially the Igbos and the Yorubas in Southern Nigeria. Such calls have resulted in varying activities that may have caused Nigeria and Beninese governments to arrest Mazi Nnamdi Kanu (Igbo) and Chief Sunday Adeyemo (Yoruba) security agencies respectively. Until now, the Igbos, Yorubas, and Hausa/Fulanis (constituting the major ethnic groups in Nigeria) have lived together in peace. It is generally assumed that the calls for regional independence that now pervades the polity must have been ignited by perceived lopsidedness in authoritative resource allocation; among others. This study therefore set out to find out whether perceived discrimination could be a factor for the call for restructuring among ethnic Nigerians. A survey research was conducted with 197 (101 males and 96 females with a mean age of 34.02 years) residents of Akinmorin community in Oyo State, Nigeria, using a questionnaire that comprise of the Everyday discrimination scale and Psychological well-being scale. Results of analyses of data revealed that perceived pervasive discrimination does not influence psychological well-being among research participants. However, it was found out that both purpose in life and positive relations with others are significantly influenced by perceived pervasive discrimination among research participants. Findings were discussed in line with available literature and recommendations were made.

The Heart of Silk Road "Xinjiang," Its Genetic Portray, and Forensic Parameters Inferred From Autosomal STRs.

The Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of China (XUARC) harbors almost 50 ethnic groups including the Uyghur (UGR: 45.84%), Han (HAN: 40.48%), Kazakh (KZK: 6.50%), Hui (HUI: 4.51%), Kyrgyz (KGZ: 0.86%), Mongol (MGL: 0.81%), Manchu (MCH: 0.11%), and Uzbek (UZK: 0.066%), which make it one of the most colorful regions with abundant cultural and genetic diversities. In our previous study, we established allelic frequency databases for 14 autosomal short tandem repeats (STRs) for four minority populations from XUARC (MCH, KGZ, MGL, and UZK) using the AmpFlSTR® Identifiler PCR Amplification Kit. In this study, we genotyped 2,121 samples using the GoldenEye™ 20A Kit (Beijing PeopleSpot Inc., Beijing, China) amplifying 19 autosomal STR loci for four major ethnic groups (UGR, HAN, KZK, and HUI). These groups make up 97.33% of the total XUARC population. The total number of alleles for all the 19 STRs in these populations ranged from 232 (HAN) to 224 (KZK). We did not observe any departures from the Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium (HWE) in these populations after sequential Bonferroni correction. We did find minimal departure from linkage equilibrium (LE) for a small number of pairwise combinations of loci. The match probabilities for the different populations ranged from 1 in 1.66 × 1023 (HAN) to 6.05 × 1024 (HUI), the combined power of exclusion ranged from 0.999 999 988 (HUI) to 0.999 999 993 (UGR), and the combined power of discrimination ranged from 0.999 999 999 999 999 999 999 983 (HAN) to 0.999 999 999 999 999 999 999 997 (UGR). Genetic distances, principal component analysis (PCA), STRUCTURE analysis, and the phylogenetic tree showed that genetic affinity among studied populations is consistent with linguistic, ethnic, and geographical classifications.

Социальная сплоченность, этническая принадлежность и изменения благополучия: результаты интервенционного исследования в Кыргызстане

When looking at important indicators of well-being, there is extensive evidence that levels of life satisfaction differ between ethnic groups, such that minority groups by and large tend to report lower levels of life satisfaction than majority ethnic groups. A growing body of literature has begun investigating the relationship between an individual’s community and their own levels of life satisfaction. While community deprivation and community ethnic composition are important factors for understanding individual ethnic disparities in life satisfaction, there is a gap in understanding the role of community social cohesion, as well as the effect on change in life satisfaction over time. Using panel survey data from 5.207 adults living in 30 sub-districts of rural Kyrgyzstan, we conduct a multilevel analysis of whether social cohesion serves as a moderator for the relationship between ethnicity and change in life satisfaction. While results do not demonstrate a positive effect of community social cohesion on change in life satisfaction, they do indicate that higher levels of community social cohesion minimize the ethnic group disparities in change in life satisfaction. These findings imply that social cohesion may be one additional piece of the puzzle in understanding ethnic disparities in life satisfaction.

PEMBENTUKAN CITRA POSITIF H. SAHBIRIN NOOR MELALUI GELAR PAMAN BIRIN

Democracy is a system that makes the people as holders of power, Indonesia is a democratic country that determines leaders through general elections for both president and regional head. In the 2015 election, a candidate for governor of South Kalimantan Province H. Sahbirin Noor used the title Paman Birin as an Empathy and Homophily approach to build a positive image of himself, it is interesting to research with the title "The Formation of H. Sahbirin Noor's Positive Image through the Title of Paman Birin", with the formula problem: How is H. Sahbirin Noor's Positive Image Formed through Paman Birin's title. The research objective: To see how the formation of H. Sahbirin Noor's positive image through the title of Paman Birin. With a qualitative approach and descriptive analysis, this study is aimed at analyzing or interpreting written material based on its context. Data is taken from observations, namely making direct observations from studies from books, journals, related news that are published through electronic mass media, or other sources that support this research. Based on the results of the analysis, it was found that, said Paman, it is commonplace in the ears of the public, the embedding of the title of Paman Birin succeeded in building a positive image, reducing distance and causing communication intimacy towards the person of H. Sahbirin Noor for the community, making the majority ethnic group and the wider community accept and making him the winner in the 2015 South Kalimantan Provincial elections.

Illegal trade in pangolins in Nepal: Extent and network

There are two species of pangolins –Chinese (Manis pentadactyla) and Indian (M. crassicaudata) – in Nepal. Despite being one of the most illegally traded group of mammals in the world, there is scant information on pangolin trade in Nepal. We synthesized nation-wide information on pangolin seizures for 2015–2020 period to elucidate extent and network of illegal pangolin trade in Nepal. We recorded a total of 56 pangolin seizures in Nepal in 2015–2020 period. Pangolin scales were confiscated in all 56 seizures totaling to 154.12 kg along with confiscation of live and dead pangolins, and whole pangolin hide in some seizures. That amount of scales would have fetched up to $19,922 in local market and the price could reach up to $116,993 in an international black market. At least 209 pangolins could have been killed and illegally traded in Nepal between 2015 and 2020. Pangolin trade is widespread throughout Nepal with seizures recorded from almost a quarter of all 77 districts and almost third of 61 districts where pangolins are found. Most seizures occurred in country’s capital Kathmandu (n = 29). Additionally, we identified districts adjoining Kathmandu, and districts bordering Nepal-China and Nepal-India as major routes and points in pangolin trade network. A total of 95 people were involved in pangolin poaching that included local residents from 26 districts in Nepal. The pool of convicts was dominated by males and Nepali nationals between 20 and 30 years old. Most major ethnic groups in Nepal were involved in pangolin trade with the highest involvement of people from the Tamang ethnicity (36%). Presence of pangolins is reported from all 18 districts from where seizures were recorded and 26 districts from where convicts originated suggesting active involvement of locals in pangolin poaching and trafficking. We have generated baseline information on illegal pangolin trade in Nepal for 2015–2020. We expect that this information will be helpful to law enforcement agencies to curb existing pangolin trade in Nepal.

Application of machine learning techniques to understand ethnic differences and risk factors for incident chronic kidney disease in Asians

IntroductionChronic kidney disease (CKD) is increasing in Asia, but there are sparse data on incident CKD among different ethnic groups. We aimed to describe the incidence and risk factors associated...

Community perspectives and caregivers' healthcare practices and responses to the four major childhood killer diseases in Nigeria.

Two-thirds of Nigeria's childhood deaths is attributable to four preventable/curable diseases-diarrhoea, malaria, meningitis and pneumonia (DMMP). Community perspectives and caregivers' practices about these child-killer diseases are poorly documented. Drawing on individual and group interviews (n=259), we explored community members' perspectives, and caregivers' practices/responses regarding DMMP among children across Nigeria's three major ethnic groups. Using deductive reasoning and data analysis in Atlas.ti, results from the narratives formed four thematic issues-respondents' perception and knowledge about the causes of the diseases; perception and knowledge about prevention; perception and knowledge of symptoms and fatality of the diseases; and caregivers' practices regarding the prevention and management of the diseases. Results demonstrate significant misconception about the aetiology of pneumonia and meningitis. We found ostensible disconnection between knowledge and practice. Interventions including health education programmes/sensitizations on the causes, prevention/management of DMMP are necessary to achieve reduction in the burden of childhood mortality in Nigeria.

DARFUR PEACEKEEPERS, REVIEW

DARFUR PEACEKEEPERS, REVIEW

Decoding Representation of Ethnicity Identity and Ideology in ‘Half of a Yellow Sun’: An Audience and Critical Analysis

For a decade now, Nigeria’s Nollywood, like such other social institutions as education, government and religion, has continued to attract popular discourses about issues and social groups in the country. Considering that media narratives are part of the complex processes involved in the construction of meanings by informing the ways we make sense of the world around us. This study therefore questioned the point of intersection between theories and Nigerian’s pragmatic experiences in the face of socio-cultural constructions around identity, ideology and representation of ethnic difference through BiyiBandele’s movie an adaptation of Chimamanda Adichie’s literary narrative entitled ‘Half of a Yellow Sun’. However, the assumption that the media (films) can bring about certain deliberate and unwitting characteristics and behaviors anchored this study on critical reader and active audience theory. The research therefore focused on Decoding Audience representation of ethnicity, identity, and ideology in Half of a Yellow Sun. This study employed a mixed research instrument FGD and critical thematic analysis to determine the audience perception of ethnicity, identity and ideology in the movie. However, 24 super fans of the movie were selected through the snow balling technique and determined from among the three major ethnic groups of Nigeria for the FGD. Findings from the study indicated that the dominant themes of ethnicity, identity and ideology expressed and were largely perceived by the southeastern discussants as inciting, as the movie brought back unpleasant memories of the war and Nigerian’s ethnic diversity. As a result of the inciting nature of portrayals in the movie according to the Focus Group Discussants, the study therefore recommended that it is high time stakeholders in the Nigerian media industry especially Nigerian censorship board made genuine and conscious effort to change certain inciting and divisive contents featured in most Nollywood movies before they are taken to the market.

Redefining the Role of the Second National Language Teacher: Existing Perceptions vs. Changing of Practices

Sri Lanka is a multicultural country with a diverse population coming from three major ethnic groups, Sinhalese, Tamils and Muslims. Though they have been living together for several centuries in the country, it is not without conflict. After three decades of an atrocious war which erupted as a result of these ethnic clashes, currently the country is enjoying some peaceful times. To make this peace last for long the government has taken several important measures and teaching the second national language in the school for children, and appointing the first language speakers as the second national language teachers is one of the most important. Nevertheless, second national language teachers have a very different interaction with their students when compared to other teachers. They are required of an unusually high level of cultural nuance as members of a different culture to their students and need to develop cultural intelligence to overcome this challenge. This study attempts at finding the present cultural perceptions of these teachers and suggesting ways of changing practices to bridge this gap.

Breast Cancer Screening in Semi-Rural Malaysia: Utilisation and Barriers.

Breast cancer (BC) is the commonest cancer in Malaysia. Delayed diagnosis is a significant cause of BC mortality in the country. Early diagnosis and screening are vital strategies in mortality reduction. This study assessed the level of utilisation and barriers for breast self-examination (BSE), clinical breast examination (CBE) and mammogram in a semi-rural population in Malaysia and compared these across the different ethnic groups. This cross-sectional study was conducted among women aged 40 years and above, embedded within a health and demographic surveillance site (HDSS) in Segamat, Malaysia. Trained data collectors collected data on screening and barriers during home visits. Study participants (n = 250) were aged 59.4 ± 10.9 years and represented Malaysia’s three major ethnic groups. Practice of regular BSE, CBE uptake (ever) and mammogram (ever) was 23.2%, 36% and 22.4%, respectively. Regular BSE practice was highest in the Malay ethnic group and least among the Chinese. Regular CBE was very low in all ethnic groups (<5%). Mammogram uptake was highest among Chinese (34.4%), followed by Indians (30.4%) and Malays (16.6%). After adjusting for other socio-demographic variables, Malay ethnicity was positively associated with regular BSE (adjusted OR = 5.26, 95% CI 2.05, 13.50) and negatively associated with having had a mammogram (adjusted OR = 0.3, 95% CI 0.15, 0.57). Lower education was negatively associated (adjusted OR = 0.36, 95% CI 0.17, 0.74) with mammogram attendance (ever). Emotional and financial barriers were the most reported types of barriers, specifically, fear of diagnosis (74.8%), cost of diagnosis (69.6%) and fear of losing a breast (66.4%). Malay women more commonly reported most barriers compared to other ethnic groups. Screening uptake was low among semi-rural women in Malaysia. Implementing culturally appropriate interventions that consider ethnic differences is crucial to empowering women to engage in BC screening initiatives in these communities.

Tshiota Rituals among the Luba People of Kasai Central in the Democratic Republic of Congo

Among the Luba people, the tshiota is one of the powerful types of indigenous manga (charms) used by the community. Tshiota is a traditional fire of power used for rituals, where invocations are made to the departed ancestors, spirits, and angels. It is a place of purification, cleansing, blessings, and making sacrifices. The study employed a qualitative research that was rooted in phenomenology. The concentration of the study was on the Kasai Central Province for two main reasons: one, the region has one of the major ethnic groups in the country and thus adequate evidence exists of use of manga in the area. The target population for the study was the Luba people who lived in Kasai Central Province. From this target population, charm givers, militia and political leaders were selected as the units of observation by the researcher.The findings of the research established tshiota is used to perform rituals and invocations to call upon the ancestors for help when there is a problem in the community. This help includes protection of community members before they go out to perform an activity on behalf of the community. This includes activities such as fighting during war. Tshiota fire was used also by the militia including Kamwina Nsapu who were fighting the government. They were initiated through fires of tshiota and drinking a powerful potion called tshizaba. Manga made the militia to be very powerful and strong in their fight for justice and good governance in Kasai. Through this abilities, they were able to fight and win against the modern day government in their effort to bring change and accountability in modern political leadership. Manga were used to deal with corruption and other mal-practices, hence bring forth justice and good governance in Kasai Central Province, in DRC.

Validation of a multi-gene qPCR-based pharmacogenomics panel across major ethnic groups in Singapore and Indonesia.

Aim: The clinical utility of pharmacogenomics (PGx) has been gaining traction alongside growing evidence that adverse drug reactions (ADRs) have significant genetic associations. Nala PGx Core® is a multi-gene qPCR-based panel of 20 allele variants, comprising 18 SNPs and two CYP2D6 copy number markers across four pharmacogenes - CYP2C9, CYP2C19, CYP2D6 and SLCO1B1. Methods: In this study, we validated the performance of Nala PGx Core® against benchmark methods, on the Singaporean and Indonesian populations. Results & conclusion: Nala PGx Core® demonstrated robust and accurate genotyping when compared with other established benchmarks. Furthermore, the panel successfully characterized alleles of clinical relevance, such as CYP2D6*10 and CYP2D6*36, across major ethnic groups present of Singapore and Indonesia, suggesting its potential for adoption in clinical workflows regionally.

End stage liver disease etiology & transplantation referral outcomes of major ethnic groups in British Columbia, Canada: A cohort study.

Liver disease etiology and transplantation outcomes may vary by ethnicity. We aimed to determine if disparities exist in our province.We reviewed the provincial database for liver transplant referrals. We stratified cohorts by ethnicity and analyzed disease etiology and outcomes.Four thousand nine hundred sixteen referrals included 220 South Asians, 413 Asians, 235 First Nations (Indigenous), and 2725 Caucasians. Predominant etiologies by ethnicity included alcohol (27.4%) and primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) (8.8%) in South Asians, hepatitis B (45.5%) and malignancy (13.9%) in Asians, primary biliary cholangitis (PBC) (33.2%) and autoimmune hepatitis (AIH) (10.8%) in First Nations, and hepatitis C (35.9%) in Caucasians. First Nations had lowest rate of transplantation (30.6%, P = .01) and highest rate of waitlist death (10.6%, P = .03). Median time from referral to transplantation (268 days) did not differ between ethnicities (P = .47). Likelihood of transplantation increased with lower body mass index (BMI) (hazard ratio [HR] 0.99, P = .03), higher model for end stage liver disease (MELD) (HR 1.02, P < .01), or fulminant liver failure (HR 9.47, P < .01). Median time from referral to ineligibility status was 170 days, and shorter time was associated with increased MELD (HR 1.01, P < .01), increased age (HR 1.01, P < .01), fulminant liver failure (HR 2.56, P < .01) or South Asian ethnicity (HR 2.54, P < .01). Competing risks analysis revealed no differences in time to transplant (P = .66) or time to ineligibility (P = .91) but confirmed increased waitlist death for First Nations (P = .04).We have noted emerging trends such as alcohol related liver disease and PSC in South Asians. First Nations have increased autoimmune liver disease, lower transplantation rates and higher waitlist deaths. These data have significance for designing ethnicity specific interventions.

Association between individual and environmental factors with body mass index for age z-score in female adolescents living in North-West of Iran

PurposeThe purpose of this study was to investigate the association of individual and environmental indicators with body mass-index-for-age-z-score (BAZ) of female adolescents living in the North-West of Iran.Design/methodology/approachIn this cross-sectional study, 380 female adolescents aged 16-18 years were selected from two major ethnic groups (Azeri and Kurd) in Urmia city selected by stratified cluster sampling method. In total, 13 high schools (9 public and 4 private) were selected across all municipality zones of Urmia city. BAZ was calculated by Anthro-Plus software. Demographic and socioeconomic information of samples were collected by a questionnaire through interviews. Home environment features (including physical activity facilities, television, computer games and social media use, food consumption habits and family rules) and school environment features (including socioeconomic status [SES], physical activity facilities, food consumption habits) were evaluated by two separate self-constructed questionnaires via an interview with adolescents and schools’ deans, respectively.FindingsAzeri adolescents had parents with higher education and job level and higher SES compared to Kurds (p = 0.000). A higher percent of Azeri adolescents were obese than their Kurd counterparts (p = 0.006). No association was found between individual factors and BAZ in each ethnic group. Considering home environment characteristics, in Kurd adolescents, the maternal occupational level was positively associated with BAZ (p = 0.02). With regard to school environmental features, accessibility of physical activity facilities in school was inversely associated with BAZ only in Kurds (p = 0.005).Originality/valueTo the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study to investigate various environmental factors in association with adolescent’s overweight/obesity prevalence in different ethnical groups in northwest Iran.

Ethnic identities, public spending and political regimes

Do democracies discriminate less against minorities as compared to non-democracies? How does the dominance of an ethnic group affect discrimination under various political regimes? We build a theory to analyse such questions. In our model, political leaders (democratically elected or not) decide on the allocation of spending on different types of public goods: a general public good and an ethnically-targetable public good which benefits the majority ethnic group while imposing a cost on the other minorities. We show that, under democracy, lower ethnic dominance leads to greater provision of the general public good while higher dominance implies higher provision of the ethnically-targetable good. Interestingly, the opposite relation obtains under dictatorship. This implies that political regime changes can favour or disfavour minorities based on the ambient level of ethnic dominance. Several historical events involving regime changes can be analysed within our framework and are consistent with our results.

Traditional food preparation of wild edible vegetables among the ethnic groups of Mizoram, North East India

Exploration of ethnic traditional food recipes has an immense contribution to the preservation and sustainability of traditional food habits and culture. The main objective of this study was to explore and document traditional food recipes prepared from wild edible vegetables among two ethnic groups of Mizoram, Northeast India. The method employed for this study was mainly based on a household survey; randomly selected 35 households in Aizawl district representing the major ethnic groups, namely Hmar and Paihte. Information was collected on different types of wild edible vegetables ethnic food, as prepared and consumed by the local people. Twenty-four types of traditional food recipes were documented according to their seasonal availability, and the affinities of choices in food consumption are comparable among the two ethnic groups. It was also reported that wild edible vegetables play a significant role in safeguarding food security and improve nutrition in diets. The present work documents the wild edible vegetables used traditionally by two ethnic groups of Mizoram for various recipes and highlights the necessity of conserving such traditional knowledge besides throwing light on their economic potential. The study suggests that future investigation be carried out to evaluate the nutritional and bioactive properties of wild edible vegetables.