Search

Strategies for tackling environmental issues, including the consequences of invasive species and corresponding control efforts, are frequently approached through a Western scientific lens that often overlooks Indigenous rights and Indigenous knowledge systems. This can cause numerous issues from costly delays in implementing control programmes, overlooking vital ecosystem information and alternative options, legal action due to infringement on rights, and perpetuating systems of oppression. This research uses social science and Indigenous methodologies to understand the Denny's Dam rehabilitation (DDR) as a case study for relationship-building and knowledge coexistence between the Saugeen Ojibway Nation and the Great Lakes Fisheries Commission in controlling sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus), an invasive species in the Laurentian Great Lakes. To evaluate the successes and shortcomings of the project, virtual semi-structured interviews (n = 14) were conducted with key decision-makers and others involved in the rehabilitation of Denny's Dam, a sea lamprey barrier. Analysis of these interviews identify four main factors that were crucial in the success of the DDR partnership: meaningful communication, funding and capacity, going beyond duty to consult requirements, and early engagement. The DDR shows how knowledge coexistence approaches, including Two-Eyed Seeing, can lead to equitable decision-making, foster collaboration, and contribute to addressing challenges like climate change, invasive species, and various environmental degradation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Oceania region has often been overlooked in fundamental hydrological research owing to assumptions that cultural complexities hinder such efforts. However, this perspective is somewhat naïve. Substantial evidence demonstrates that Pacific Islanders actively engage in research, contributing both local Indigenous knowledge and expert capabilities in “island hydrology.” Numerous projects and publications by Pacific Island scholars showcase this expertise. To enhance self-reliance in smaller Pacific nations, it is crucial to improve access to advanced hydrology education and secure funding to support it. Overcoming these challenges is essential to unlocking the full potential of future hydrological research in the Pacific Islands. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Addressing complex social-ecological issues requires all relevant sources of knowledge and data, especially those held by communities who remain close to the land. Centuries of oppression, extractive research practices, and misrepresentation have hindered balanced knowledge exchange with Indigenous communities and inhibited innovation and problem-solving capacity in all scientific fields. A recent shift in the research landscape reflects a growing interest in engaging across diverse communities and ways of knowing. Scientific discussions increasingly highlight the inherent value of Indigenous environmental ethics frameworks and processes as the original roadmaps for sustainable development planning, including their potential in addressing the climate crisis and related social and environmental concerns. Momentum in this shift is also propelled by an increasing body of research evidencing the role of Indigenous land stewardship for maintaining ecological health and biodiversity. However, a key challenge straining this movement lies rooted in colonial residue and ongoing actions that suppress and co-opt Indigenous knowledge systems. Scientists working with incomplete datasets privilege a handful of narratives, conceptual understandings, languages, and historical contexts, while failing to engage thousands of collective bodies of intergenerational, place-based knowledge systems. The current dominant colonial paradigm in scientific research risks continued harmful impacts to Indigenous communities that sustain diverse knowledge systems. Here, we outline how ethical standards in researcher practice can be raised in order to reconcile colonial legacies and ongoing settler colonial practices. We synthesize across Indigenous and community-based research protocols and frameworks, transferring knowledge across disciplines, and ground truthing methods and processes in our own practice, to present a relational science working model for supporting Indigenous rights and reconciliation in research. We maintain that core Indigenous values of integrity, respect, humility, and reciprocity should shape researcher responsibilities and methods applied in order to raise ethical standards and long-term relational accountability regarding Indigenous lands, rights, communities, and our shared futures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Community-based research with the Bad River Band of Lake Superior Ojibwe in northern Wisconsin illustrated that Water stewardship is an organizing practice, value-laden, that brings together tribal and non-tribal people. Lead author Conaway collaborated over four years with tribal members to create a network of university, natural resource agency, and indigenous experts. Ojibwe co-author Leoso provided expertise in protocols and traditional knowledge. We worked in community Water stewardship from concept to the dissemination of durable products of which the tribe took ownership. This article focuses on methodology for outsiders working in Indian country, emphasizing indigenous research methods, and culminating in a case study of Water stewardship that incorporates Native and Western science. A local Anishinaabemowin version of traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) is highlighted: mino bimaadiziwin, "living in a good way." Interviews with Bad River adults and Talking Circles with youth indicated that Ojibwe identity and value systems are bound to Water, shedding light on intangible dimensions of TEK. Water-based harvests, stewardship, sovereignty, and worldviews constitute an Ojibwe Water schema, Water TEK. We demonstrate that the vulnerability and resilience of Water and cultural traditions are intertwined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The Worldwide Voyage (WWV) was a 3-year (2014–2017) open-ocean voyage to circumnavigate the world using Indigenous knowledge and navigational skills aboard Hōkūleʻa, a traditionally designed Native Hawaiian (NH) voyaging canoe (waʻa kaulua). Each WWV segment included experienced crew and leadership who were recognized by their voyaging peers as highly experienced in Polynesian oceanic voyaging. This study explored the perceptions and insights of WWV-experienced ocean voyagers on the interconnection between human health and oceanic voyaging. Methodology: A constructivist approach with a storytelling-based moderator guide was used to conduct focus groups and informant interviews of experienced crew and voyaging leadership. Participants were interviewed and recorded transcripts were analyzed using content analysis. Triangulation of analysis included secondary thematic review by two independent NH cultural practitioners and participant member checking. Purposive sampling was used to enroll 34 of 66 eligible highly experienced voyagers (leadership n = 6; crew n = 28) in 5 focus groups and 4 informant interviews. Results: Six themes emerged: 1) Indigenous context (spiritual and natural environment); 2) Importance of relationships and community; 3) Description of life on the canoe; 4) Holistic health; 5) Mindfulness, stress reduction and emotional health; and 6) Opportunities for intervention. Themes 1–5 were inductive and intricately interrelated, and theme 6 was deductive in that it directly resulted from a moderator guide question. Theme 6 offers strategies to improve the impact of voyaging and health well beyond the physical voyage with recommendations for improved transition back to land and developing a waʻa community context, which reflects a traditional voyaging experience. Conclusions: Polynesian oceanic voyaging is strongly perceived as a positive and transformative holistic-health-promoting experience. Significance: Recommendations to promote generalizable health benefits of a voyaging lifestyle offers a promising and culturally grounded approach warranting future studies to understand mechanism and potential impact for improving health inequities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Acknowledging Australian Indigenous cultural diversity involves respecting local Indigenous knowledge and perspectives. This can be difficult for teachers who do not know about Indigenous people and their knowledge. The Differentiated Indigenous Pedagogies project evaluated digitally available information describing Indigenous in this paper, 'Indigenous' will be used when referring to First Nations and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, pedagogies, policies, and institutional contexts in Australia apart from references used which use other terminology. The authors acknowledge the contested nature of terminology and use the term 'Indigenous' as it is consistent with the title of the research project on which this article is based pedagogies in the Northern Territory. The purpose was to consolidate findings to increase positive intercultural actions in the wider education community. An important aspect of the project is addressing gaps in western, non-Indigenous teacher knowledge pertinent to the diversity within Indigenous language groups and regions. Through searching for available Indigenous pedagogies as a teacher might, we found information differs in description and levels of relationality. Pedagogies are presented in numerous ways which complicates teachers' cultural understandings. Common themes from search results and Indigenist educational research are used to define ways teachers can actively engage in more respectful, relational, and reconciliatory ways to develop a differentiated approach for themselves to use when working with Indigenous pedagogies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Amidst globalization and the Fourth Industrial Revolution, indigenous language preservation and promotion gain paramount significance. These languages encapsulate rich cultural, historical, and ecological value, embodying unique knowledge systems and identities. Nevertheless, challenges stemming from historical, social, resource, and institutional constraints impede preservation, with digital media technology thus emerging as a pivotal tool in this endeavour. This paper meticulously explores the role of digital media technology in indigenous language preservation during the Fourth Industrial Revolution. Through a comprehensive review of reputable literature, including scholarly articles, case studies, and expert insights, the paper underscores the imperative of language preservation, delving into the obstacles hindering preservation efforts and spotlighting the pivotal role of digital media technology in rejuvenating indigenous languages. The paper also examines various digital tools and applications that facilitate preservation, emphasizing their accessibility and engagement, while also underscoring the importance of collaborative efforts involving indigenous communities, linguists, and technology experts. Ethical considerations, encompassing intellectual property rights and informed consent, are of paramount importance in indigenous language preservation, and thus this paper also consolidates insights derived from the findings and provides recommendations for effective preservation strategies, underlining the necessity of ethical guidelines and emphasizing the indispensable role of government support. The study concludes by addressing prospects and challenges in indigenous language preservation, providing a comprehensive view of safeguarding linguistic heritage in the digital age. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drawing on recent literatures that explore the complicated role of 'Indigenous intermediaries' within histories of geographical exploration, and bringing these into dialogue with research exposing the colonial nature of geographical knowledge, this article studies the ways in which information extracted from an Indigenous Arctic informant named Nocum was crucial in the formation of troubling geographical understandings regarding Inuit 'origins' and migration. The article analyses the extractive nature of the intellectual contributions offered by the American traveller and scholar William Healey Dall, and situates them amidst their troubling imperial and racialised context. The article concludes by arguing that geographers must continue to identify and reflect critically on the role of indigenous peoples within the historical (co)production of geographical knowledge, but that they must be equally attentive to the ways this knowledge was regularly used to inform and justify various forms of imperial intervention and colonial violence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, Indigenous and non-Indigenous scholars used a decolonial conversation framework to build a meaningful bridge between Indigenous and Western worldviews. Our decolonial conversations approach is a unique and transformative space where Indigenous and Western knowledge systems intersect, facilitating a rich exchange of valuable insights for fostering intercultural dialogue and breathing new ways of knowing and acting into Indigenous cultures. The decolonial conversation provides a platform for transmitting Indigenous knowledge and cultural practices across generations by uniting Indigenous land-based knowledge, community members, and Western researchers. Integrating Indigenous and Western knowledge systems in these environments fosters collaboration, dispels stereotypes, and forges partnerships grounded in reciprocity and trust. Through this collaborative process, traditional cultural camps emerge as potent catalysts for instilling cultural pride, fostering community resilience, and co-creating knowledge. This collaborative approach aligns with the broader objectives of decolonization and cultural revitalization. In our exploration following the decolonial learning conversation, we, comprising an Indigenous woman land-based educator and a racialized academic scholar, focused on the transformative potential and synergies realized by integrating these knowledge systems within the context of traditional cultural camps. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is a growing call for health researchers to address the inequities in healthcare experienced by indigenous populations by focusing on the development of culturally responsive research approaches. This article presents a contextual example from Aotearoa New Zealand (NZ) of how indigenous (Māori) knowledge and practices helped reimagine and enhance an existing qualitative descriptive research protocol exploring clinicians' perspectives of robotic rehabilitation for people with stroke. The intent was to develop a research design that upheld and valued mātauranga Māori (indigenous knowledge systems) alongside Western clinical sciences knowledge. To achieve this, a collaboration of non-indigenous (tauiwi) and indigenous researchers with experience in Qualitative and Kaupapa Māori (indigenous) methodologies, and clinical practice was formed. The researchers undertook a cyclical process of relationship building, engagement with mātauranga Māori, discussion and exploration of how indigenous knowledge and practices could inform and shape the existing study design. Key influences in adapting the research design were drawn from Māori ethical principles, Māori frameworks of health and wellbeing, and Māori cultural practices for clinical engagement. Drawing on indigenous knowledge and practices to develop a Māori-centred research method resulted in significant changes to the study design, methods, and interview approach. Focused development of a culturally responsive approach enabled the researchers to engage indigenous participants in a research process that was safe, respectful, and culturally appropriate. Transformation occurred within the researcher-participant relationship from one often characterised as transactional, to one of deeper connection and reciprocity, which facilitated a richer and more in-depth inquiry. The explicit valuing and integration of indigenous knowledge and practices in adapting the research method strengthened the cultural responsivity of the research. Central to the process was prioritising working in relational partnership. Non-indigenous researchers' self-reflection on their own culture, alongside being attuned to the influence of historical, political, and social contexts of the participants experiences proved essential. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change is having a detrimental effect on the environment's natural equilibrium. The population that depends on agriculture is suffering from rising temperatures, sporadic droughts and famines, unpredictable dry spells, and irregular rains. Deploying Climate Smart Agriculture (CSA) is a terrific strategy to cut greenhouse gas emissions and boost crop output for food security and climate change adaptation. The primary objective of this study is to provide an organized appraisal of current advancements in the field of climate-smart agriculture. For this study, the Scopus database was used to analyze 157 papers that were published between 2013 and 2022. However, the use of climate-smart agriculture technology that considers local knowledge is still quite low in developing countries. Therefore, raising the importance of indigenous knowledge in the context of climate change could aid smallholder agricultural groups in their adaptation. Improving adaptability, developing capacity, and fusing indigenous knowledge with climate-smart agricultural practices may all be necessary to increase a community's effective resilience to climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The book "Indigenous Amazonia, Regional Development and Territorial Dynamics: Contentious Issues" edited by Walter Leal Filho, Victor T. King, and Ismar Borges de Lima provides a comprehensive overview of contemporary issues faced by Indigenous communities and the environment in the Amazon region. It explores the adequacy of current laws, mechanisms, and policies in protecting Indigenous peoples, their knowledge, and their territories from neocolonial actions and resource exploitation. The book emphasizes the importance of Indigenous knowledge and highlights the various perspectives, experiences, and research with Indigenous peoples across the Amazon countries. It also addresses topics such as Indigenous land demarcation, mega development projects, deforestation, and possible solutions for the region. The book covers a range of disciplines and offers insights into the complexities of Indigenous community-based tourism, ecotourism, and the ontological turn in human geography and Latin American studies. Overall, it provides a valuable resource for understanding the challenges faced by Indigenous communities in the Amazon and how to improve development efforts in the region. [Extracted from the article]

The book "Indigenous Amazonia, Regional Development and Territorial Dynamics: Contentious Issues" edited by Walter Leal Filho, Victor T. King, and Ismar Borges de Lima provides a comprehensive overview of contemporary issues faced by Indigenous communities and the environment in the Amazon region. It explores the adequacy of current laws, mechanisms, and policies in protecting Indigenous peoples, their knowledge, and their territories from neocolonial actions and resource exploitation. The book emphasizes the importance of Indigenous knowledge and highlights the various perspectives, experiences, and research with Indigenous peoples across the Amazon countries. It also addresses topics such as Indigenous land demarcation, mega development projects, deforestation, and possible solutions for the region. The book covers a range of disciplines and offers insights into the complexities of Indigenous communities promoting community-based tourism and ecotourism. It also discusses the ontological turn in human geography and Latin American studies, emphasizing the importance of traditional ecological knowledge. Overall, the book provides a valuable resource for understanding the challenges faced by Indigenous communities in the Amazon region and offers suggestions for improving development efforts. [Extracted from the article]

There is growing attention to the idea of a relational turn in sustainability science. Scholarship that names and discusses this trend briefly recognizes Indigenous knowledge traditions as relevant to relational turn conversations, but it has not yet elaborated on this deep source of insight. To begin this elaboration, we describe how Indigenous understandings offer practices and approaches that are highly relevant to sustainability science's relational turn. We engage in this elaboration with two core goals. The first is recognitional (or epistemic) justice – that is, to recognize and credit the foundational and profound elements of relationality within Indigenous thinking, which has embodied, understood and practiced deep relationality for millennia. The second goal is to elucidate how Indigenous thinking can help to re-envision the practices of sustainability science – specifically, via the directive that research must be conducted in service of the needs of the larger, beyond-human collective. We summarize three tenets of Indigenous thinking strongly related to sustainability science's relational turn: a centering of natural law, ethics and protocols rather than human well-being; a focus on a collective beyond humans; and relationality that involves more than ontology. We describe how Indigenous understandings can inform sustainability science on three levels: researchers' internal processes and motivations; conceptual foundations; and research practice. We close with reflections on the role of Indigenous epistemologies in a paradigm shift in sustainability science. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, the global environmental science-policy interface has come to include a greater variety of knowledge. Social scientists have joined natural scientists at the policy table, and Indigenous and local knowledge is being taken ever more seriously. But this pluralisation raises political, normative, and epistemic challenges for environmental expert organisations, including with respect to how knowledge is managed, how it is judged to be valid, how it is made policy-relevant, and how it is presented to policy-makers and decision-takers. Based on an interview study of experts involved in the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES), we identify three broad approaches to these challenges: the integrationist logic, which seeks to combine all knowledge into a single ontology; the parallelist, which looks for similarities and connections between irreconcilable ontologies; and the pragmatist, which strives to apply knowledge when and where it will have the greatest positive impact. Rather than champion any one of these approaches, the paper explores their origins and how they negotiate paralyses to the timeliness of work. In avoiding ultimate formalisation of how value and knowledge pluralism are to be handled, IPBES allow more contextually sensitive practices to come to the fore. The paper concludes by discussing implications for environmental expertise more broadly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As individuals and communities around the world confront mounting physical, psychological, and social threats, three complimentary mind-body-spirit pathways toward health, wellbeing, and human flourishing remain underappreciated within conventional practice among the biomedical, public health, and policy communities. This paper reviews literature on psychedelic science, contemplative practices, and Indigenous and other traditional knowledge systems to make the case that combining them in integrative models of care delivered through community-based approaches backed by strong and accountable health systems could prove transformative for global health. Both contemplative practices and certain psychedelic substances reliably induce self-transcendent experiences that can generate positive effects on health, well-being, and prosocial behavior, and combining them appears to have synergistic effects. Traditional knowledge systems can be rich sources of ethnobotanical expertise and repertoires of time-tested practices. A decolonized agenda for psychedelic research and practice involves engaging with the stewards of such traditional knowledges in collaborative ways to codevelop evidence-based models of integrative care accessible to the members of these very same communities. Going forward, health systems could consider Indigenous and other traditional healers or spiritual guides as stakeholders in the design, implementation, and evaluation of community-based approaches for safely scaling up access to effective psychedelic treatments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Indigenous knowledges play a critical role in addressing the environmental crisis, and the United Nations system has adopted a suite of international treaties to protect and strengthen Indigenous peoples' rights, which are often described as biocultural rights. Because World Heritage Areas are nominated and monitored by UNESCO, an initial hypothesis in this study was that such areas would be subject to higher than normal standards in regard to Indigenous people's biocultural rights. By reference to the Greater Blue Mountains World Heritage Area, Australia, this research examined how the international legislative framework influences conservation practices. We held semi‐structured interviews with conservation and Indigenous local experts and compared park management practices in the Area against those used in an Indigenous Protected Area. Findings align with the literature and suggest that Indigenous and scientific knowledge systems can generate new insights for the Area and other sites. Yet, Indigenous knowledges are only marginally applied in practice. Some barriers to full participation of Indigenous people are specific to the colonial history of the area. Yet, findings point to a lack of action by Australian governments and UNESCO, and that needs to be redressed. The study calls attention to the need to support and resource Indigenous people to enable collaborative partnerships to yield significant benefits for biodiversity and protection of Country. Using interviews, we engaged with experts and Indigenous peoples in the Blue Mountains to identify how Indigenous biocultural rights could be improved for park management, biodiversity conservation, and caring for Country. We consider some of the shortcomings of the UNESCO World Heritage guidelines and implementations in the Blue Mountains. The Australian government needs to better resource and support Indigenous leadership and co‐management in the park. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the conflict surrounding the integration of Indigenous knowledge into education policy, exploring debates about its value, application, and policy protections. Topics include the Aotearoa–New Zealand government's decision to give equal value to Indigenous knowledge in the school curriculum, arguments against it, and the potential complementarity between science and Indigenous knowledge.

Wild edible fruit (WEF) plant species are species that are not cultivated or domesticated but are available in their natural habitat and are an important food source for indigenous communities. In recent times, WEFs have been threatened by various factors - particularly over-exploitation, land-use changes, and biodiversity loss. The aim of the study, therefore, is to investigate the diversity and ethnobotany of WEF species used by indigenous people in West Sumatra, Indonesia. The study was conducted in five villages of Pesisir Selatan district, West Sumatra, Indonesia - namely, IV Koto Mudiek, Sungai Nyalo IV Koto Mudiek, Taratak Tempatih IV Koto Mudiek, IV Koto Hilie, and Taluk Tigo Sakato. The plant materials were collected from the study area, while local knowledge was gathered through semi-structured interviews involving 393 respondents that were selected using random sampling. A total of 75 WEF plants from 30 botanical families were found in the study area. These plants were used for multiple purposes - including food, medicine, construction materials, agricultural tools, fuel wood, and fodder. Artocarpus integer, Baccaurea polyneura, Pometia pinnata, Baccaurea macrocarpa, Bellucia pentamera, Mangifera foetida, Durio oxleyanus, Mangifera odorata, and Baccaurea racemosa were the most popular species for local people in the study area. Loss of traditional knowledge among generations is a major threat to the availability and existence of these species. Indigenous and local knowledge is essential for the use, management, and conservation of WEF plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is a contemporary trend in many major research institutions to de‐emphasize the importance of natural history education in favor of theoretical, laboratory, or simulation‐based research programs. This may take the form of removing biodiversity and field courses from the curriculum and the sometimes subtle maligning of natural history research as a "lesser" branch of science. Additional threats include massive funding cuts to natural history museums and the maintenance of their collections, the extirpation of taxonomists across disciplines, and a critical under‐appreciation of the role that natural history data (and other forms of observational data, including Indigenous knowledge) play in the scientific process. In this paper, we demonstrate that natural history knowledge is integral to any competitive science program through a comprehensive review of the ways in which they continue to shape modern theory and the public perception of science. We do so by reviewing how natural history research has guided the disciplines of ecology, evolution, and conservation and how natural history data are crucial for effective education programs and public policy. We underscore these insights with contemporary case studies, including: how understanding the dynamics of evolutionary radiation relies on natural history data; methods for extracting novel data from museum specimens; insights provided by multi‐decade natural history programs; and how natural history is the most logical venue for creating an informed and scientifically literate society. We conclude with recommendations aimed at students, university faculty, and administrators for integrating and supporting natural history in their mandates. Fundamentally, we are all interested in understanding the natural world, but we can often fall into the habit of abstracting our research away from its natural contexts and complexities. Doing so risks losing sight of entire vistas of new questions and insights in favor of an over‐emphasis on simulated or overly controlled studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wild edible plants provide a wide range of dietary benefits in the form of bioactives, minerals, and fibers. Pteridophytes (ferns and lycophytes) are an important source of edible plants and play a significant role among rural communities in India and elsewhere. Despite many phytochemical and biological studies of pteridophytes, much less attention has been paid to traditional knowledge of their dietary, medicinal, and other uses. We address this gap with an overview of traditional uses of wild edible and economically important pteridophytic species in India, their pharmacological importance, and major phytochemicals. A total of 142 species belonging to 26 families and 66 genera were noted as edible and economically important species. The data show a strong relationship between indigenous communities and wild pteridophytic species as a potential source of their livelihood. This local ecological knowledge on pteridophytes can be preserved and utilized to combat dietary deficiencies, improve the livelihoods of rural communities, and could guide future research programs to encourage socioeconomic development in rural areas and biodiversity conservation. This is the first report to broadly review the edible and economic uses of pteridophytes in India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Indigenous knowledge systems play pivotal roles in the lives of Indigenous communities. This study utilises ethnographic methods of talanoa (Pacific method of informal dialogue), memory reconstruction with village elders, household surveys, focused group discussions, and participant observation to draw on the unique and unexplored traditional salt-crafting knowledge and cultural assets such as the māqa (the site holding historical and cultural significance for salt crafting), matoji (well), mahima (salt), dōgō (mangrove) used in the salt-crafting process by the Indigenous community of the Vusama Village, Nadroga-Navosa Province, Viti Levu, Fiji. The study endeavours to examine how such Indigenous knowledge systems and cultural assets can help increase social cohesion, empower women, youth, and children, and stimulate societal responsibility for ecological and community well-being, including the role they can play for informing interventions that can contribute towards environment sustainability and climate resilience for Indigenous communities such as Vusama. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many conservation researchers and practitioners argue that knowledges traditionally conceptualized as nonacademic are useful for guiding environmental decision-making and stewardship. As demonstrated by the articles in this special issue, bringing Indigenous and local knowledges to bear on environmental conservation requires forging new relationships and, de facto, new political arrangements. In this article, we seek to clarify what is at stake in such efforts to change (or maintain) what counts as knowledge by applying rubbish theory to the volume's case studies. Redrawing the boundaries of what counts as conservation knowledge in engagements between academic researchers and practitioners trained to "do conservation" according to western science traditions, on the one hand, and Indigenous peoples and local communities who possess knowledge generated in non-academic contexts, on the other, effects demarcations of expertise and so challenges existing social hierarchies. Unsurprisingly, tension emerges about how far such changes should go. By increasing awareness of the relationship between (re)defining knowledge and (re)configuring social and political hierarchies, we hope to make it easier for participants to manage such collaborations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Meinit sociocultural community widely use wild plants for food, medicine, and income generation. However, the diversity of wild edible plants is declining drastically, and the indigenous knowledge on their preservation and utilization is disappearing. Objective: The study was conducted to document the available knowledge on wild edible plant species (WEPS) used by the Meinit socio-cultural community of Southwestern Ethiopia. Material and Methods: An ethnobotanical study was conducted on the use of WEPS by Meinit community in Bench-Maji Zone, Southwestern Ethiopia, from May 2019 to March 2021. Individual interviews were conducted using a semi-structured interview questionnaire and focus group discussions. A total of 198 participants aged between 18 and 70 years were drawn from the community and interviewed. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the data. Results: A total of 66 wild edible plants were recorded, which belong to 34 families and 50 genera. The genus Asteraceae and Fabaceae contributed six species each, followed by Amaranthaceae and Moraceae, each of which contributed five species. Of these species, 28 are herbs, 14 are shrubs, 13 are climbers, and 11 are trees. Leaves (42), fruits (19), roots and tubers (5), seeds (3) and aerial parts (2) of the WEPS were found to be used for food. From the documented WEPS, 12 species were identified to have medicinal values, and one has a market value. The WEPS are consumed as raw, boiled, and local beverage. The anthropogenic factors are major potential threats to WEPS and associated knowledge. Conclusions: It is concluded that a high diversity of WEPS exists in the study districts, and the identified plant resources are used by the community mainly for food, medicine, and income generation. The tesults imply that WEPS can play significant roles in dietary diversity, food security, and health of rural households if they are conserved and used for food and medicine and further developed and improved. Therefore, these plant species should be domesticated, and their nutritional, phytochemical, and toxicological properties studied for enhanced use and conservation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Masewal (Indigenous people who live in the Huasteca region, Mexico) associate Chikomexochitl (seven flower or corn-child) to a ritual practice and also with the five stages of the development of corn, from seed until the harvest is completed. Just as corn grows, the five stages of the development of corn provides us with a framework to centre the importance of building relationships of trust that grow over time when doing research with Indigenous communities. First, we provide a description of the Huasteca region. We then engage in a critical discussion to challenge the dominant western positivist approach in research, which has historically served to undermine Indigenous perspectives as less valid forms of knowledge. Masewal people's narratives give meaningful insight into the Masewal worldview and the importance of corn and the corn plant. Finally, we propose the use of Chikomexochitl as an Indigenous research methodology rooted in the Masewal worldview. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Childhood diseases remain an increasing health problem in many developing countries and also associated with an enormous financial burden. In South Africa, many people still rely on traditional medicine for their primary healthcare. However, inadequate documentation of medicinal plants used to manage childhood diseases remain a prominent gap. Hence, the current study explored the importance of medicinal plants to treat and manage childhood diseases in the North West Province, South Africa. An ethnobotanical survey was conducted with 101 participants using semi-structured interviews (face-to-face). Ethnobotanical indices such as Frequency of citation (FC), Use-value (UV) and Informed Consensus Factor (ICF) were used for data analysis. A total of 61 plants from 34 families were recorded as medicine used for managing seven (7) categories of diseases resulting from 29 sub-categories. Skin-related and gastro-intestinal diseases were the most prevalent childhood health conditions encountered by the study participants. Based on their FC values that ranged from approximately 0.9–75%, the most popular medicinal plants used by the participants were Aptosinum elongatum (75.2%), Commelina diffusa (45.5%), Euphorbia prostrata (31.6%) and Bulbine frutescens (31.7%). In terms of the UV, A. elongatum (0.75), C. diffusa (0.45), E. prostrata (0.31), H. hemerocallidea (0.19) and E. elephantina (0.19) were the dominant plants used for treating and managing childhood diseases. Based on ICF, skin-related diseases dominated with the highest ICF value of 0.99. This category had 381 use-reports, comprising 34 plants (55.7% of total plants) used for childhood-related diseases. Particularly, B. frutescens and E. elephantina were the most-cited plants for the aforementioned category. Leaves (23%) and roots (23%) were the most frequently used plant parts. Decoctions and maceration were the main preparation methods, and the plant remedies were mainly administered orally (60%) and topically (39%). The current study revealed the continuous dependence on the plant for primary health care relating to childhood diseases in the study area. We generated a valuable inventory of medicinal plants and associated indigenous knowledge for child healthcare needs. However, investigating the biological efficacies, phytochemical profiles and the safety of these identified plants in relevant test systems remain essential in future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This scoping review focused on the experiences of Indigenous families and their children in accessing quality early learning and child care in a Canadian urban context. This scoping review was conducted to contribute to the field and frame a more extensive study involving focus groups and case studies. The analysis revealed a range of quality indicators that included the following: (1) families, educators, and community members must establish a definition of quality that best reflects their personal life experiences and cultural context; (2) many families express a desire for child care focused on developmental milestones, social skills, and Indigenous knowledge; (3) families value connections made between the home and the center that foster identity, encourage child and family autonomy, implement programming relevant to culture, and stimulate learning within the context of family; and (4) families desire child care that focuses on relationship building increased cultural safety. Results from the scoping review related to quality educator dispositions found the following: (1) families seek centers that are flexible, family-focused, and culturally relevant; (2) families value educators who value diversity and decolonization; and (3) some families favor a cultural match with educators from similar backgrounds. These findings point to several areas for further consideration that can improve the overall experiences of Indigenous children and families accessing quality early learning and child care in a Canadian urban setting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Photovoice is an emerging qualitative research method used to engage community members in research that highlights their lived experiences and initiate change. Photovoice offers potential benefits to research conducted by and with Indigenous communities through privileging Indigenous knowledge and perspectives. There is a lack of synthesized evidence about the usage, benefits, and challenges of conducting Photovoice research by and with Indigenous communities, which this systematic methods review aims to address. We specifically focus on Indigenous young people in Canada, Australia, Aotearoa New Zealand, and the United States. Five databases were searched systematically for articles including keywords for 'Indigenous' and 'Photovoice'. Empirical studies and methods papers reporting the use of Photovoice with majority cohorts of young Indigenous participants were included. Relevant data were extracted and Photovoice methods analysed using an integrative approach. Database searches yielded 1402 articles, with 109 reviewed in full and 41 included in the review. These articles represented 37 unique studies, with most from Canada (n = 17), and the United States (n = 14). Our analysis revealed great variability in how Photovoice has been applied across studies with Indigenous young people. However, some notable commonalities include recruitment of participants via community networks, and participant involvement in data collection and analysis. The potential benefits associated with using Photovoice with Indigenous young people included: fostering participant autonomy and authority; photography being familiar and fun; the visual medium being culturally appropriate for Indigenous peoples; and the method being effective for engaging the whole community. Challenges associated with Photovoice included: engagement difficulties between researchers and participants; issues with photography; and ethical complexities. These findings suggest that Photovoice is an appropriate and largely effective method to engage young Indigenous people in research. However, there are logistical and ethical issues associated with the method that require careful consideration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Amazon deforestation damages nature, people, and their closer biocultural relationship, eroding fundamental elements for its reproduction. The recognition and use of traditional knowledge to plan and implement restoration efforts are essential to its success. This study identified forest tree species of biocultural value for indigenous communities, quilombolas, and settled farmers in Maranhão state, eastern Brazilian Amazon. Semi-structured interviews, informal conversations, Free Lists, and guided walks were carried out in three different landscapes to identify species with ecological importance and/or use-value according to local communities' perceptions. Eight categories of species use were defined (food, woody, medicinal, income, cultural, hunting, honey, and energy); and the Smith Salience Index (S) was utilized to identify species with higher importance. A total of 58 native trees (S > 0.1) were listed as biocultural species, five of which were cited for ecological importance only, without a use-value associated. The highest number of species with cultural salience (S > 0.1) was reported in the indigenous group (47), followed by settlers (11) and quilombolas (9). Among the indigenous, we identified a higher number of uses for the same species, and a remarkable spiritual relationship with plants from their cosmological vision. The reproduction of biocultural values in societies needs to receive more attention in the restoration science and praxis. The identification of species of biocultural value can serve as an important ally for the assertive design of conservation and restoration initiatives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Indigenous or traditional knowledge (IK) holders face a lack of respect and appreciation for such knowledge. Respect for culture means following protocols, accepting diversity and recognizing indigenous cultures as living and continuously evolving. This is a 'hot topic', and the central goal of this article is to advance understandings to allow cultural memory institutions (libraries, archives and museums) to respect, affirm and recognize indigenous ownership of their traditional and living indigenous knowledges and to respect the protocols for their use. The various ways of managing and preserving indigenous knowledge, especially using new technologies in the digital era, will be explored and ideas on how to respect the indigenous culture, even in the process of documenting or preserving in academic libraries, will be outlined. Libraries involved in IK preservation will be encouraged to develop protocols by collaborating with each other and engaging the community, to preserve each unique culture in a respectful manner. Intellectual property rights of knowledge holders, respect for these rights and procedures to adopt will be described. Activities undertaken to preserve indigenous knowledge are assessed and suggestions made on how library and information science professionals could more efficiently handle indigenous knowledge preservation as respect for culture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article aims to report the results of an extension project that promoted dialogues on Interculturality and Ethnomathematics through interactions with teachers of children aged 4 to 5 years and 11 months. The interventionist methodology considers collaborative work as an emerging point of indicator for action with indigenous peoples in Mato Grosso do Sul (MS) within the context of an ongoing training experience aimed at equipping pedagogical practices for working with mathematical language in the care of indigenous children. We conducted studies, reflections, planning, and validation of proposals that value indigenous play as a way of recreating childhood experiences in their interpretation of the world. Implementing actions to value indigenous knowledge in favor of an education that sees differences as a fundamental part of social inclusion represents the strengthening of ethnic identities in the Brazilian historical-political-social scenario and is an emerging topic for Early Childhood Education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Evaluation has often been associated with Northern paradigms in its formulation and practice. It is extractive in nature and often a top-down approach that implies that those who receive aid or interventions have no voice and no rights. The African Evaluation Principles (AEPs) are aimed at addressing power asymmetries that exist within the evaluation ecosystem in Africa while giving agency, voice and power to Africans. Objectives: The article explores the role that colonisation has played and continues to influence how development is carried out and therefore, how and when evaluations are carried out and who performs the evaluation. Specifically, it explores the AEPs and how they could be used to contribute to addressing inequalities and power asymmetries. Methods: The article reviews secondary data and uses one's own experiences on the continent and observation. Results: The article discusses how the AEPs could contribute to making the concept of equitable evaluation more relevant and applicable in the practice of evaluations in Africa. The article highlights the role of African indigenous knowledge and ways of knowing, values and traditions to inform what equitable evaluation could look like from an African perspective. Conclusion: The article concludes that there is much work and commitment needed to ensure the use of the AEPs to contribute towards the practice of true equitable evaluation where this is genuinely practiced with the aim of addressing power asymmetries and inequalities. This requires a change of mindsets, challenging one's own biases as well as the power imbalances. Contribution: This article contributes to better understanding of AEPs and how they could be used to achieve equitable evaluation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We examine the Indigenous uses, oral histories, and knowledge of native Guadua bamboo species in southwestern Amazonia. Two Guadua species form dense stands in which individual plants die en masse at regular intervals of about 28 years. Scholars suggested that pre-colonial earth builders took advantage of these die-off events as a natural aid in removing the forest to construct geometric earthworks. Our results show that Guadua species have a significant position in Indigenous socio-cosmologies, land use, and as a protector of diverse resources. Indigenous ontological understandings cannot be separated from discussions of the abundance and geographical distribution of Guadua as a critical controlling factor in the vegetation structure and function of southwestern Amazonian rain forests. Furthermore, oral histories point to the connection between land management and bamboo, as well as bamboo and the use of fire, conforming to the suggestion of opening ceremonial spaces in bamboo patches in pre-colonial earthwork societies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Writing in the Malay-language press from the late 1910s to the 1930s, literate women in colonial Java and Sumatra engaged deeply with understandings of modernity mediated through concepts of healthfulness and hygiene. Piecing together the views of writers who participated in conversations about health, child-rearing, child-feeding, and socio-political progress, and situating them against the backdrop of both imperial policies of hygienic modernity and systems of indigenous knowledge, this article argues that these women deployed their own agency and negotiation efforts to articulate a singular paradigm of progress. The article focuses on practices of infant-feeding, showing that these literate colonized women's conscious manipulation of the colonial discourse on scientific modernity was grounded in their awareness of the racial project of control of their own bodies. The promotion of 'traditional' breastfeeding was a way to affirm a path to progress that shared the underlying conditions for, but not the modalities of, Western modernity. Examining the processes of negotiation and subversion that emerged in these women's writings provides a productive space to question and reframe scholarly understandings of 'modernity' as a category of analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

INSIGHTS The United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UND-RIP), the most comprehensive international human rights instrument concerning Indigenous peoples, was adopted in 2007 by 144 countries to ensure protection of Indigenous rights and self-determination (1). Researchers' responsibility to uphold Indigenous rights MOVING FORWARD Researchers have a responsibility to uphold Indigenous rights by reflecting on the articles of UNDRIP as they relate to their research. As Indigenous and non-Indigenous researchers with backgrounds and experiences partnering with Indigenous peoples, we reviewed the articles of UNDRIP to identify those relevant to researchers. [Extracted from the article]

Knowledge about how social changes affect children's access to education in Africa is still limited. Intending to bridge this gap, this article discusses the effect of the emerging social changes on children's right to indigenous knowledge and formal education among the Guji people− the agro-pastoral society in Ethiopia. The article demonstrates how children's present realities deprive their right to not only school education but also the indigenous ways of learning. It presents that the fast-changing social realities among the agro-pastoral society impacted children's right to education in two ways. Firstly, the changes affect the indigenous ways of intergenerational knowledge transmission. Secondly, the changes constrained the quality of children's learning in school and limited the relevance of formal education for children's local ways of life. Data discussed in this article were collected through six months of ethnographic fieldwork among the Guji people in southern Ethiopia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Questions: Traditional pastoralists attribute high numbers of plateau pikas (Ochotona curzoniae) to impoverished soils that favor more and better forage for pika, suggesting a bottom-up control of pika density. Conversely, government policies focus on excessive numbers of this small mammalian herbivore as the primary top-down cause of degradation in Tibetan rangeland. Despite concerted campaigns to reduce pika abundance in recent decades, the sustainability of Tibetan rangelands remains uncertain. Location: Alpine meadows on the Tibetan Plateau. Methods: We proposed a conceptual model based on indigenous knowledge that predicted pika numbers from soil condition and plant traits. At three alpine meadow sites lightly grazed by livestock, we tested whether spatial variation in pika burrow density could be explained by changes in the functional composition of the plant community attributable to species turnover and intraspecific trait variation associated with changes in soil fertility. Results: Due primarily to intraspecific trait variation, changes in the functional composition of the meadow community accounted for 56%-68% of the spatial variation in pika density, changes in the proportion of plant functional groups for 62%-74%, and changes in edaphic conditions for 71%-82%. Greater pika density was associated with a decline in soil phosphorus availability and a lower-growing vegetation profile enriched in both the quantity and quality of forage preferred by pikas. Conclusions: These results, which are in accord with indigenous knowledge, suggest that compensating soil phosphorus losses and maintaining a well-calibrated grazing rotation can better manage pika populations and improve the sustainability of Tibetan rangelands. By combining trait-based ecology and traditional knowledge, our study provides new insight into both understanding the dynamic complexity of grazing regimes and managing rangeland sustainability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drawing on research with Inuit mothers from Arviat, Nunavut, this article explores child welfare social services in Nunavut, Canada. Since its inception in the 1950s, the state's model for child welfare has always been at odds with Nunavummiut life, culture, and beliefs. This article highlights how the design and execution of model of child welfare has provided the majority of decision-making power to Qallunaat (non-Inuit). Through an examination of the experiences of Arviarmiut mothers (Inuit mothers from Arviat, Nunavut), this article considers this model of child welfare in light of how it contributes to fear and a lack of understanding concerning child welfare involvement, as well as its impact on child and family well-being. Based within literature that supports the development of an alternative Indigenous model to child welfare, this study offers critical insights concerning child welfare within Inuit communities in Arctic Canada, and describes Arviarmiut mothers' recommendations for an Inuit-developed and -led, culturally centered model of child and family wellness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Indigenous Knowledge Systems and their underlying ethical qualities guide social interaction and the process by which Indigenous children learn what it means to be a person within family and community life. Using the Learning by Observing and Pitching In (LOPI) framework as a starting point, this paper explores a case study of a death in the Cowichan Tribes community to illuminate four ethical qualities (relationality, reciprocity, responsibility, respect) associated with (1) the social organization of the community guided by a sense of community consciousness and (2) Indigenous concepts of time and space. Using the social organization of the community and Indigenous concepts of time and space as broad themes, we aim to illustrate how culturally determined ethical qualities guide every social interaction and thus inform human development and learning, broadly. By including ethics that guide social relationships in the LOPI framework, educators and researchers may gain a deeper understanding of how children learn in communities and how their participation in community activities informs their sense of self. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Standard Australian reading assessment tests are criticized for being culturally inappropriate for use with Australian Indigenous children, particularly for those living in remote and very remote regions, as these tests are culturally biased towards mainstream Australian culture and imperceptive to Indigenous knowledge, language, concepts, and contexts. Based on an established understanding of the relationship between reading acquisition and visual perceptual development, we sought to examine the visuospatial processing ability of Indigenous and non-Indigenous children to determine whether visuospatial tasks that measure dorsal and ventral processing – two key visual processes associated with reading – can provide an indicative measure of reading aptitude across cultures, independent of reading ability. Using a coherent motion task to test dorsal processing we found that dorsal processes develop similarly for age-matched Indigenous and non-Indigenous children (Study 1) and appear to facilitate early reading acquisition for both cultural groups, independent of age (Study 2 and subsequent analyses). Together, these results suggest that while dorsal processes may facilitate reading, reading is not necessary to facilitate dorsal development. Additionally, using a coherent form task to test ventral processing, we found an interactive association between ventral development and reading acquisition, particularly for non-Indigenous children. In interpreting these findings, we discuss possible cultural factors that may explain development of dorsal and ventral processes for Indigenous and non-Indigenous children, and why a relationship between ventral processing and reading acquisition was not evident for Indigenous children. We also consider the potential for scaffolding literacy learning for Indigenous children based on neurocognitive strengths. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the past few decades, issues including globalization and the transition to the cash economy have increasingly hindered the transmission of Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) in Indigenous communities throughout the world. The imparting of TEK across generations of Indigenous Peoples is essential in sustaining cultural practices and maintaining their subsistence lifestyles. In this study, we used semi-structured interviews to assess the level of participation in subsistence activities and the acquisition of subsistence skills among Indigenous children in Guyana. We also assessed whether the level of participation or acquisition of skills was explained by location and social characteristics such as age, gender, and occupation of mother/father. We found that Indigenous children in the South Rupununi are highly involved in subsistence activities and the majority conserve subsistence-related skills. Traditional gears, such as the bow and arrow are still dominant among Indigenous children in South Rupununi, particularly for hunting purposes, but also for fishing. Results also suggest that children's participation (through work or play) in subsistence activities is key to the acquisition of subsistence knowledge and skills. Among indigenous children in South Rupununi, participation in subsistence activities varies according to gender and is linked to the main occupation of the parents. While participation in subsistence activities is primarily motivated by the need to search for food, those activities are also explicitly described as providing opportunities for skill development and as sources of fun or amusement. The study concludes by advocating the need to revive connections to subsistence ways of life and the integration of more situated learning experiences within the regular school curriculum for indigenous youth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

By emphasizing the natural course of life, migrant indigenous knowledge can complement dead human bodies research for contributing to a one health perspective. It can be argued that since they believe that death is a natural process and so leaving their dead during migration struggles, instantiating new forms of ontologies and compact forms of living, they contribute to an ecological knowledge of oneness. [Extracted from the article]

This paper presents the first phase of a community engagement project that explores (re)connecting to coming-of-age teachings grounded in Indigenous ways of knowing and doing for urban Indigenous youth in foster or away-from-home care. An intergenerational group of urban Indigenous Knowledge Holders in and around Victoria, British Columbia, Canada came together to discuss what a culturally appropriate coming of age could look like for urban Indigenous youth in care and how delegated Indigenous child and family service organizations could be involved. Four questions were discussed, and the conversations were recorded and subsequently themed. The event reflected the community's commitment to supporting youth in their coming-of-age journey. Delegated organizations, in addition to acting as legal guardians for the youth, are cultural resources for the community and help connect youth to culture in their ancestral/home and urban communities. Communities work to ensure that youth have access to safe spaces where they can self-determine their identities as they enter adulthood. (Re)connecting to coming-of-age teachings is important because the imposition of Euro-Western child welfare legislation prevented the passing of cultural teachings. Our findings are consistent with literature that indicates culturally grounded, positive-action initiatives, like traditional coming-of-age rites of passage, help youth to cultivate resilience that can support the transition to adulthood. This aligns with evidence that demonstrates intergenerational cultural continuity is protective to health and wellness for Indigenous youth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article explores the increasing recognition of Indigenous knowledge and the role it can play in addressing contemporary challenges. It highlights the establishment of the Center for Braiding Indigenous Knowledges and Science (CBIKS) by the U.S. National Science Foundation, which aims to bridge Indigenous and Western sciences for sustainable solutions.

The educational agenda of indigenous groups is in tension with the expansion of schooling. The authors follow an ethnographic approach to analyse an educational programme that seeks to preserve indigenous knowledges in a megacity. The initiative promotes daily activities with the communities' native educational counsellor called apoyo pedagógico and the supervision of the sabedor (wiseman). The programme seems to: (1) apply the concept of interculturality insofar as both mestizos and indigenous children learn to recognise each other´s cultural heritage blurred by colonialism; (2) solve the central problem of the lack of bilingual teachers; and (3) prevent potential weaknesses in basic skills often present in ethno-education teacher training programmes in rural areas. Native languages are preserved but the joint design of a curriculum in language, numeracy, arts, nutrition, ethics and political engagement needs to be strengthened. They conclude, reflecting on the institutional stability needed by programmes aiming to protect indigenous cultures threatening to disappear. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Conflicting attempts between indigenous caregivers trying to exercise their healing practices in hospitals have been recorded in the Brazilian Amazon. In this work, we present an interview with the Baniwa indigenous anthropologist Francy Baniwa. In an external and colonial interpretation, it was previously stated that indigenous people attribute the origin of snakebites as supernatural and that indigenous medicine, when it saves a patient from complications and death, has symbolic efficacy. In this interview, we observed that this form of interpretation is asymmetric because, for indigenous people, their understanding of nature is broader than ours, with more possibilities of ways of existence, including non-human entities as well or ill-intentioned as humans. The interaction of humans with these identities produces a form of existence with its own clinical reality, which is full of symbolism. Effective communication between health agents and indigenous patients and caregivers must undergo this exercise of otherness and interculturality. • In Brazil, there is an excessive burden of snakebites on indigenous populations. • Snakebite antivenom is not provided in indigenous community health centers. • Low acceptability of western medical care by indigenous patients was recorded. • This conflict is related to the historical subalternity of the indigenous knowledge. • An exercise of interculturality is suggested to reduce this epistemic asymmetry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article discusses the experiences of Sanöma indigenous women when they perform a cosmopolitics (Stengers 2018), when they slow down the construction of a common, encompassing world, and articulate multiple worlds. In such situations, hegemonic narratives linked to state actions in the health field are questioned. The movement of these women explores already consolidated paths to reach other strands of coexistence, acting on colonizing p rocesses that intend to promote a tension in indigenous socialities by transferring western care practices that question the knowledge of indigenous women. Thus, they resist in infrapolitic, the agency of these women has the power in itself to constitute realities that reject the meanings and social organization structured by the Western power. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]