Mother Earth Research Articles

Human and nature relations in Hooykaas Christiaan’s Enige Sasakse Volksvertelsels (Lombok): An ecocritical study

This study explores the intricate relationship between humans and nature, as depicted in the Sasak tribal folklore “Enige Sasakse Volksvertelsels (Lombok)” by Dr. C. Hooykaas employs Greg Garrard’s literary ecocriticism. The Sasak folklore delineates the human-nature relationship into two facets: humans as subjects and humans as objects in relation to nature. The former portrays humans viewing nature as the mother of Earth, guided by the ethics of care and a holistic understanding of nature. Conversely, the latter reveals instances of violence and exploitation of nature. By examining these dimensions, this research aims to foster discussions on environmental conservation and integrate awareness regarding its significance. Furthermore, this study contributes to the expansion of literary criticism, particularly within the realm of literary ecocriticism. It serves as a valuable initiative for preserving the local wisdom and folklore of the Sasak people on Lombok Island, Indonesia, emphasising the urgency of environmental consciousness.

The Web of Life: A Critique of Nature, Wilderness, Gaia and the «Common Household»

A two-word summary of the following article might be «Words matter». It matters whether we conceive of the non-built world as nature, as «wilderness», as Gaia/Mother Earth, or as «our common home». We analyze the emergence of each of these four notions. Nature, by far the most multi-layered of the words, has a complex history rooted in the Greek word phusis. Nature is problematic because of its opposites: supernatural; nurture, culture and civilization. Nature seems to require dualism. Wilderness started out as something terrifying (the realm of the wild beasts), later acquiring a specific American understanding of an area conserved for recreation, of nature partially preserved, all desirable goals inspired by John Muir. In the Scriptures, wilderness becomes filled by promise. Gaia is short for the Gaia hypothesis of Earth as a living, self-regulating organism. It was coined by James Lovelock and Lynn Margulis and discussed critically by Bruno Latour. Compared with the view of the Earth as dead matter, «Gaia» is conducive to respect for all living beings. When it is coupled with Mother Earth, the concept becomes problematic from a feminist point of view. The common home or household stem from the teachings of Pope Francis. Although Laudato si’ is rightly viewed as a prophetic text regarding ecology and spirituality, «common home» implies a domestication of all that lives in a worldview that remains anthropocentric (homes are artefacts). A better concept is the «web of life» of which humankind is a part, but not the master. It is such a decentering that may herald hope for the Earth.

Семантика повитухи в родильных обрядах традиционной культуры бурят

The study of maternity rituals in the traditional culture of the Buryats makes it possible to identify preserved and actively functioning archaic traces of the mother cult. Maternity rituals are associated with a developed complex of initiation rituals, when a large-scale change of spatial, temporal and cultural paradigms occurs for a newborn. This process takes place under the guidance of a midwife, who is the figurative embodiment of the cult of the Mother ancestor. According to mythological and ritual views, from the first moments of the birth of a child, thanks to the midwife, the sphere of the iconic is actualized when the newborn undergoes the processes of ritual transformation necessary for his socialization and integration into society. The analysis of the structure of maternity rituals revealed the semantic connection of the midwife with the archaic image of the Mother ancestor. This can be seen, firstly, in the special requirements – “to be a prosperous woman”. These include age, health, but most importantly, “offspring without loss”. Secondly, the concept of a midwife as a “utoodai” (grandmother) made it possible to identify the motive of the ancestry of the Mother Earth in the image of a “gray-haired old woman”, which is simultaneously identified with the image of a hoofed animal “possessing an udder”. Such a woman, with qualities and linguistic definitions corresponding to the characteristics of the maternal cult (“Mother Earth”, “Mother Beast”), conducted, firstly, the ceremony of transferring a newborn from another world to this one, fixing it as a living person, and secondly, constructing sexual identification, launched a male coding program or female stereotypes of behavior, introducing a newborn into the members of the generic society and the corresponding gender and age group. The use of modern research methods allowed us to substantiate the ancient traces of the mother cult preserved in the traditional Buryat society, associated with the vital activity of society, which was a key basis in the formation of such vital elements as external structures, linguistic definition, and internal sacred content.

Paradigm Lost? Exploring Earth Jurisprudence in Bolivia

Earth jurisprudence stands out as a state-level approach to sustainability due to its potential to transform perspectives on nature at both the national and individual levels by establishing legal rights to nature to which the state is held accountable. Bolivia's progressive embrace of Earth jurisprudence, as demonstrated through the recognition of Mother Earth and Her rights in its 2009 constitution and national legislation (such as the Ley de Derechos de la Madre Tierra), offers a compelling case study for evaluating the impact and efficacy of this approach. This article delves into the historical, political, and social contexts of Bolivia to provide a deeper understanding of the application and effectiveness of Earth jurisprudence. Through original interviews with Bolivian activists, this research finds that Earth jurisprudence has had limited to no discernible influence on the effectiveness of environmental policy and protection in Bolivia. This research attributes this lack of impact to several factors, such as a weak democratic system, an economic dependence on extractive industries, a fragmentation of social movements, and a lack of international accountability.

Geographical reflections in the Bhagavad Gita: Lessons for the 21st century

Bhagavad Gita with reference to geographical reflection and environmental education for sustainability of modern world. The study is concentrated to reinterpretation of passages of Bhagavad Gita with reverence to geographical knowledge and insights for ecology, economy and societal sustainability. The method of the study is narrative by using qualitative approaches. The findings of the study clearly reveal that the insights of Bhagavad Gita is essential, important and useful for modern world in order to develop ethical and moral grounds for deep ecology i.e. co-existence of soil (mother earth), soul (spiritual value for connecting human action to universe) and society (equidistance of cultural values and traditions for the principle of live and late live).

Mother Earth is the Pluriversal Panarium of All: The Living and the Dead

Mother Earth is the panarium of all who live and die in it. This is not restricted to human beings only. The principle of the equality of all human beings demands peaceful coexistence and mutual respect. This is not the case in conqueror South Africa despite the new constitutional dispensation inaugurated since 1994. The successors in title to conquest in the unjust wars of Western colonisation continue to insist that Mother Earth is their exclusive panarium. The conquered peoples continue to resist this insistence.

Decolonising Pedagogy and Promoting Student Well-Being

In this paper, we position ourselves as Indigenous educators, involved in the creative healing arts, through filmmaking and community-based therapy. We discuss through an ongoing conversation our decolonising approaches to teaching and education, with a view to upholding student well-being and creating ‘communities of care’ in the classroom. This approach includes integrating the natural world into the process, encompassing Indigenous worldview, values and relationality with Mother Earth.

Regenerative agriculture through indigenous practice of using remains of livestock feed residues as a manure to boost groundnut productivity

Cow represents Mother Earth, as it is a source of goodness, its milk nourishes all creatures and dung is store house of millions of microorganisms’ acts as source of organic manure and her urine aids in decomposition of crop residues. It’s in practice for millennium but recently due to introduction of chemical fertilizer found to be disappearing in the farming community coupled with reduction in the livestock population. Application of manure prepared from livestock feed for four years resulted in mean groundnut pod yield of 1665 kg/ha as against application of FYM i.e., 1108 and control 818 kg/ha.

U.S. Scientists Work to Stave Off Desertification

With climate change doomsdayers conjuring up futuristic images of scorched earth landscapes and scenes more reminiscent of Mad Max than any Garden of Eden utopia, geologists may wonder what their workplace will be like in the years to come. The good news is that Share America says scientists have learnt from the past and are now able to reverse the trend of desertification to ensure mother earth continues to deliver its life sustaining produce in abundance. U.S. scientists are developing technologies and new approaches to reduce desertification, and in some cases return harmed land to its earlier fertile condition.

Systemic alternatives and the Buen Vivir: recognizing confluences

This article aims to contextualize the Buen Vivir in the universe of systemic alternatives under debate in the world and to point out confluences and complementarities between them, through a narrative literature review. To do so, initially, it presents the elements and foundations of the Buen Vivir, built from epistemology and ontology anchored in the "anti-imperial South" and based on the axes of Coloniality - which is opposed to Eurocentrism and racism - of the Rights of Nature - raised to the level of Human Rights - and State Reform - conducted from the emancipatory perspective of social movements and traditional peoples -, and indicates the incidence of these axes in the debate on development. It then demonstrates how the practices instituted by Coloniality organized the planet, structured global power, and constituted the crises we are experiencing - environmental, economic, social, geopolitical, institutional, and civilizational. Finally, it lists and characterizes political and economic movements - degrowth, ecofeminism, Mother Earth's rights, commons, deglobalization, ecosocialism, food sovereignty, solidarity economy, and ubuntu - alternatives to the hegemonic development model, to sensitize those interested in a new world order, inclusive, egalitarian and respectful of human rights and nature, for the necessary articulation and integration of theories and practices contrary to the methods and objectives of extractivism, financism, patriarchy, racism, consumerism, and warmongering

Knowledge Management: The Siku, an Aboriginal Aymara Ethnic Group and Cultural Heritage of the Andean Highlands

Objective: The study aims to apply the models proposed in Knowledge Management (KM) for the rescue of the cultural heritage of the Siku instrument, with the Peruvian Altiplano as a scenario. Theoretical Framework: The siku originates from the Aymara people and is a cultural manifestation rooted in the Andean highlands. It is considered a gift from Mother Earth and symbolizes the connection between the human being and the sounds it emanates. Method: The methodological approach was approached from a qualitative perspective, using the ethnomethodological method through an inductive approach. We worked with two groups of participants, the first one composed of four members of the Conjunto de Arte y Folklore Sicuris "Juventud Obrera", who are considered heirs of the Aymara tradition; and the second one was constituted by six young people from the urbanization El Progreso, who reflected on the meaning of the cultural heritage of the native peoples in the Andes. Results: The results are presented in two categories: a) diagnosis, b) final assessment, where a real socio-critical transformation mediated by adequate QA can be observed. Conclusions: It highlights on a large scale the role of the Siku as an aboriginal Aymara ethnic group and cultural heritage of the Andean Altiplano; likewise, by way of projection, three essential questions stand out, which are: what measures can the State take to rescue Peru's ancestral traditions? What programs can be developed through education so that society appropriates the millenary cultural heritage? Could this experience be replicated in other aboriginal communities with other thematic approaches?

Deep Respect for Mother Earth: An Indigenous Perspective on One Health: In Conversation with Gisela Illescas Palma and Laura Vanessa Reyes

Deep Respect for Mother Earth: An Indigenous Perspective on One Health: In Conversation with Gisela Illescas Palma and Laura Vanessa Reyes

Spiritual origin of national patriotic education in the military chaplaincy system

The article examines the role of military chaplaincy in the formation of national-patriotic education of the Ukrainian army. The relevance and novelty of the research lies in determining the essence of Ukrainian military patriotism’s spiritual foundations, which is formed on the archetypes of "clan", "Father", "Mother", "Family". Historically, "Father" embodies power, dominion not only over the body, but also over the soul, he brings conscience and moral grounds for subordination in the entire military family, based on the principles of fraternity. The archetype of "Mother" was formed from ancient Slavic ideas about Berehynia, in the Christian era it receives a new incarnation in the image of the Mother of God as the heavenly protector of the entire human race.
 One of a woman-mother archetype’s varieties in Ukrainian spiritual culture is Mother Nature, which transforms into the archetype of Mother Earth, which in turn is transferred to the paradigm of the native land - "Nenka-Ukraina", creating the archetype of the Motherland. The lack of desire to conquer others and the desire to preserve one's original, native, defines the essence of the Ukrainian army’s patriotism. It has been established that the Orthodox tradition of military chaplaincy is based on the spiritual union of Cossacks and monasticism during the liberation struggle. Later, the formation of the Ukrainian military clergy was closely connected with the Greek Catholic Church, which at that time had the greatest experience in moral and spiritual support of the Ukrainian national liberation struggle participants in the western Ukrainian lands. The dangers of the destructive influence of pro-Russian denominations’ priests on the moral and psychological state of military personnel are analyzed. It was noted that the armed aggression against Ukraine led to the intensified use of the church and the clergy’s potential for consolidation of the population and strengthening of patriotic feelings in servicemen of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, as well as to expose and isolate pro-Russian religious communities. On the basis of the positive experience of the leading world’s countries, an own system of professional training and education of personnel was created, which was based on defining principles: national dignity, patriotism, Christian morality, fidelity to the oath, fidelity to military duty.

Ritual Sweat Bath in a Cross-Cultural Perspective

AbstractThis article traces differences and similarities in the ritual sweat bath usage through a comparative perspective that includes contemporary practice in Poland and the central and the north American traditions that inform it. I argue that there exist continuity and consistency of representations related to sweat bathing across time and space, which can be identified by the metaphors designating certain elements of the ritual. The bathhouse from a cross-cultural perspective can be considered a sacred and liminal space, a gateway that enables the transcending of ordinary space–time dimension and interaction with primordial creation–destruction forces. Fertility appears as only one aspect of these ambivalent forces. It manifests itself in the main metaphors of the Mother Earth’s womb and death–rebirth process in ritual’s contemporary descriptions in Poland. The similarities in the way the sweat bath experience is conceptualised reveal the influence of particulr elements of the ritual that induce specific bodily sensations, intrinsically related to the human organism conditions.

Roots

Colonialism disconnects Indigenous peoples from their Ancestral lands and waters, which significantly impacts Indigenous Peoples’ spiritual, emotional, physical, and mental wellness (Adelson, 2005; Richmond & Ross, 2009). In Canada, the settler state has designed legal and jurisdictional barriers that continue to restrict access to land and prevent land from being returned to Indigenous Peoples, thereby ensuring Indigenous Peoples’ wellness remains vulnerable to the effects of colonialism (Kim, 2019; Tomiak, 2017). I wrote this poem as an expression of my personal attempts to re-establish a meaningful, reciprocal connection with Land as a mixed-ancestry Algonquin Anishinaabe ikwe with roots in Mattawa/North Bay and community within Katarokwi (greater Kingston, Ontario). Despite the imposed barriers of colonialism, Indigenous Peoples across Turtle Island are seeking out ways to reclaim Indigenous lands, connect with Mother Earth, and support their overall wellness.

Anthropocentric & Eco Ethical Perspective In Jean Giono’s “The Man Who Planted Trees”

In recent decades, the environment has posed enormous threats to human society and Mother Earth. Nature is indeed a very powerful force but it also takes care and a soft hand and a kind heart to support the growth of go green life style and well-being of environment especially trees. Trees are the most vital part for life but report says that we are experiencing a huge rapid deforestation in our country. The Widespread misuse of natural resources has kept us at the edge of the ditch. Deforestation of tropical rain forests, rapid depletion of fossil fuels, disordered seasons, frequent global ecological disasters and our environment is on the verge of collapse. In this context, a new theory of reading nature writing called ecocriticism emerged in the last decade of the last century. It is a world- born movement that exists as a reaction to man's anthropocentric attitude towards nature. The purpose of this paper is to explore the ecocritical perspective in Jean Giono's short story “The Man Who Planted Trees”. The story depicts a Shepherd, who stand apart from all of us. His environmental virtues and act of planting revives the environment and revives life in the desert. This environmental oriented literary study promotes the ecological literacy of the reader. This paper therefore not interested in the characteristic of the story, but rather in its representation of the environment influences and as an effective tool to cope up with his hazardous situations and motivate the reader as well as people to plant more trees like Elzeard Bouffier. This paper can also be read as an interpretive tool for analysing nature writing and how it linked to Environmental criticism, Animal studies Green cultural studies Eco philosophy, deep ecology, Eco spiritualism, and more. Key words: Ecocriticism, Anthropocentric, Environmental virtues, Deforestation, Eco-Ethics

LOCAL WISDOM AS AN ENVIRONMENTAL CONSERVATION ENDEAVOR IN SELALEJO VILLAGE AND EAST SELALEJO VILLAGE, MAUPONGGO DISTRICT, NAGEKEO REGENCY

The indigenous community of Selalejo possesses a local wisdom known as "Tanda," which proves highly effective in the preservation of the environment. "Tanda" signifies the act of providing symbols or codes in the form of young palm leaf shoots, primarily attached to trees at specific locations along with the jawbone of a pig, after its meat has been consumed during a customary ritual signifying the commencement of indigenous law related to "Tanda”. Through the presence of "Tanda," the environment, including land, forests, plantation crops, and crops, is safeguarded from logging, harm, and the threat of looting or theft through the symbolic messages conveyed by the arrangement of leaves and pig jawbones hung on these trees. The philosophical foundation of "Tanda" is rooted in the idea that humans and the natural environment are inseparable entities. This connection is grounded in the belief that the earth and water constitute the body and blood of humanity, which manifest in the form of a mother (Mother Earth) upon which all plants and vegetation thrive. Moreover, various religions hold the view that the entire universe (earth, water, and the life upon it) is the creation of God. Human beings are entrusted with the responsibility of stewardship, which entails safeguarding, preserving, and managing these resources in a responsible and non-arbitrary manner. The existence of the "Tanda" customary law within the indigenous community of Selalejo serves as a social control mechanism and a tool for social engineering aimed at transforming undesirable behaviors related to irresponsible and arbitrary resource utilization. In cases of violations of the "Tanda" customary law, enforcement is carried out by traditional institutions.

Significance of Trees: Ecocriticism in Select Sanskrit and Pali Text

Objective: The following study, which is grounded on ecocriticism, uses text analysis to identify the significance of trees in ancient religious texts (Pali's Jataka Tale) and nonreligious texts (Sanskrit's Panchatantra Tales). Method: According to the ecocritical theory, it provides new insights into how people think about non-humans like Plants, fairly and legitimizes their subject positions within the lens of eco-critical concerns for improving the environment and requirements for evolution from “eco-awareness to eco-consciousness.” Result: The tree nourishes and protects us and it also keeps the environment green which gives us many aesthetic values. Therefore, we must do everything to protect trees and save them before they disappear completely, additionally, scholars Tisnawijaya & Kurniati claimed that “Trees are Mother Earth.” However, the reality is that Mother Earth is currently facing various ecological problems. Conclusions: Literature from the past teaches us how to have happy lives in harmony with the natural world. These eco-literary masterpieces speak eloquently to the interplay and interdependence between humans and the environment, which is a central subject in eco-literature. The more ecocritical literature is read and discussed, the more man will come to understand how-to live-in harmony with nature and address the current global environmental crisis.

Mityczny potwór Kampe w „Fasti” Owidiusza

The paper discusses Greek and Roman literary sources describing Campe or Kampe (Gk. Κάμπη), a mythical female monster killed by the god Dionysus (Diodorus, Bibl. III 72) or by Zeus (Ps.-Apollodorus, Bibl. I 2,1; Nonnos, D. XVIII 233–264). Campe was a large monster who guarded the Cyclopes and Hundred-Handers prisoned in Tartarus (according to Pseudo-Apollodorus and Nonnos). The same mythical monster seems to be attested in Ovid’s Fasti (III 793–808). The Roman poet presents an unknown version of the Greek myth, describing a wondrous monster (line 799: monstrum mirabile), born of Mother Earth (l. 799: Matre satus Terra). She is portrayed with the upper body of a bull and the tail of a serpent in place of legs (l. 799–800: taurus parte sui serpens posteriore fuit). Ovid does not mention the Greek or Latinized name of this mythical monster but introduces the acrostic CAMPH (= Gk. Κάμπη) in his description (Ov., Fast. III 797–801). Unfortunately, the Ovidian acrostic in question is preserved in the corrupted form CQMPH in most medieval manuscripts. It is suggested that the ancient editor, who prepared the final version of the six books of the Fasti after Ovid’s death (18 AD), failed to notice the Ovidian acrostic and introduced his own improvement in line 798 (quaeque instead of atque or the like).

Martuwarra Fitzroy River Watershed: One society, one river law

The paper is an account of the work undertaken within ‘Martuwarra’, the Fitzroy River Watershed, in the Kimberley region of Western Australia. It is led by the sacred ancestral River, Martuwarra, who is given agency as a published author, and the creator of First Law, Warloongarriy Law. Poelina and Perdrisat come to this story through their lived experience as a Yi-Martuwarra marninil, Nyikina Warrwa Indigenous Australian women who belong to Martuwarra. McDuffie comes as a long-time non-Indigenous friend, family, filmmaker, who completed her doctoral research continuing her deep and enduring relationship with Nyikina people. Our work examines the colonial approaches still in use by government and industry, which are responsible for the ongoing injustices experienced by Indigenous Australians, our environment, and our non-human kin. It suggests implications for future research, education and policy, with a focus on watershed approaches, on moving from dis-ease towards health, through modelling economic and social well-being for the sustainability of the lifeways of everything and everyone around us. We see ourselves as ‘one society’ of planetary citizens, working to transform watersheds, globally, seeing cultural flows in all forms of living water as life, critical to sustain humanity within our common home, Mother Earth. We believe this can only be achieved by valuing the wisdom of Indigenous peoples, igniting our dialogic actions through an ethics of care, love, and peace.