Whose Knowledge Counts? A Reflection on the Field Narratives of Indigenous Health Knowledge and Practices (original) (raw)

https://doi.org/10.3126/DSAJ.V16I01.50947

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Abstract

relevant for agriculture and animal husbandry, health and medicine, nature conservation and resource management, climate change mitigation and disaster risk reduction, sustainable development, and poverty alleviation (Gumbo, 2021). On the one hand, there is a growing concern over the intergenerational erosion of indigenous knowledge

The indigenous knowledge debate in life sciences: what about Indian indigenous knowledge?

2017

In the recent uproar in South Africa about ‘decolonisation of the Life Sciences curriculum’ and the integration of indigenous knowledge into the curriculum, it is important to not only consider indigenous knowledge from an African perspective. South Africa also has a large Indian population, with their own rich indigenous knowledge system, notably that of Ayurveda, an aspect not previously considered as warranting integration into the South African Life Sciences curriculum. In this paper, which is primarily conceptual in nature, the authors focus on the five basic tenets of Ayurveda as an indigenous knowledge system, and how it can be infused into the South African Life Sciences Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement. Ayurveda aims to achieve positive health and wellbeing by suggesting precise yet practical ways in which humans should conduct their daily and seasonal activities to avoid pain, disease and ultimately suffering. Ayurveda has survived through the ages by having the ...

Indigenous Peoples: Traditional knowledges, climate change, and health

PLOS Global Health, 2023

Indigenous Peoples around the globe make up approximately six percent of the global population, yet they sustainably care for around eighty percent of the world's remaining biodiversity. Despite continued political, economic, and racial marginalization, as well as some of the worst health inequities on the planet, Indigenous Peoples have worked hard to maintain their cultures and languages against all odds. Indigenous Peoples' close connections to land, water, and ecosystems, however, have placed them at increasing vulnerability from the effects of climate change. With this, the health risks from climate change have unique considerations within Indigenous Nations for both mitigation and adaptation responses that are largely unappreciated. This Indigenous narrative review will synthesis the current climate and health landscape of Indigenous Peoples at a global, high-level scale, including relevant international mechanisms and considerations for Indigenous Peoples' health. This Indigenous narrative review will also explore and reflect on the strengths of Indigenous traditional knowledges as it pertains to climate change and health.

Two-Eyed Seeing: A Framework for Understanding Indigenous and Non-Indigenous Approaches to Indigenous Health Research

This article presents two-eyed seeing as a theoretical framework that embraces the contributions of both Indigenous and Western “ways of knowing” (worldviews). It presents key characteristics and principles of these different perspectives and suggests ways in which they might be used together to answer our most pressing questions about the health of Indigenous people and communities. Presenting a critique of positivism, which has historically undermined and/or dismissed Indigenous ways of knowing as “unscientific,” it discusses the origins of both Western and Indigenous approaches to understanding health; the importance of giving equal consideration to diverse Indigenous and non-Indigenous worldviews such that one worldview does not dominate or undermine the contributions of others; and how balanced consideration of contributions from diverse worldviews, embraced within a two-eyed seeing framework, can reshape the nature of the questions we ask in the realm of Indigenous health research.

Indigenous and Traditional Knowledge

Knowledge systems originate in human cultures animating societies and their relationship to the other human cultures, the earth and the cosmos. What is “indigenous knowledge?” What is “traditional knowledge?” How do they differ? How are they the same? Is indigenous knowledge or traditional knowledge applicable to illuminating or answering humanities’ pressing challenges such as poverty, food security, climate change, war and peace, illness and disease, and the myriad of other quandaries threatening human security? As indigenous peoples actively engaged as participants in local, regional and global efforts to solve complex problems created by human action or natural phenomena, academics, country decision-makers, non-profit organization and business planners recognized the significance and relevance of indigenous knowledge and traditional knowledge to the development of new strategies for meeting the challenges of the twenty-first century.

Native American Perspectives on Health and Traditional Ecological Knowledge

Environmental Health Perspectives

BACKGROUND: Traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) is a conceptual framework that highlights Indigenous knowledge (IK) systems. Although scientific literature has noted the relevance of TEK for environmental research since the 1980s, little attention has been given to how Native American (NA) scholars engage with it to shape tribal-based research on health, nor how non-Native scholars can coordinate their approaches with TEK. This coordination is of particular importance for environmental health sciences (EHS) research exploring interdisciplinary approaches and the integration of environmental and human health. OBJECTIVE: Our perspective on TEK arose from a series of Health and Culture Research Group (HCRG) workshops that identified gaps in existing EHS methodologies that are based on a reliance on Euro-American concepts for assessing environmental exposures in tribal communities. These prior methods neither take into account cultural behavior nor community responses to these. Our objective is to consider NA perspectives on TEK when analyzing relationships between health and the environment and to look at how these may be applied to address this gap. DISCUSSION: The authors-the majority of whom are NA scholars-highlight two research areas that consider health from a TEK perspective: food systems and knowledge of medicinal plants. This research has yielded data, methods, and knowledge that have helped Indigenous communities better define and reduce health risks and protect local natural food resources, and this TEK approach may prove of value to EHS research. CONCLUSION: NA perspectives on TEK resulting from the HCRG workshops provide an opportunity for developing more accurate Indigenous health indicators (IHI) reflecting the conceptualizations of health maintained in these communities. This approach has the potential to bridge the scientific study of exposure with methods addressing a tribal perspective on the sociocultural determinants of health, identifying potential new areas of inquiry in EHS that afford nuanced evaluations of exposures and outcomes in tribal communities.

Science, research and social change in Indigenous health ? evolving ways of knowing

Australian Health Review, 2009

History tells us of the overwhelming destructive influence of exotic culture, politics and knowledge forms upon the worldview and wellbeing of Indigenous Australians. The power of dominant culture to oppress, control and dominate traditional Indigenous ways of knowing and being has been identified as a being a crucial influence on the health status, future hopes and aspirations of Indigenous Australians. Fundamental to this assertion is that the alienating effect of the belief in and application of the scientific method in relation to learning and knowing is a phenomenon that is incompatible with the law and cultural ways of traditional Indigenous people. The establishment of the Centre of Clinical Research Excellence (CCRE) is predicated upon and responds to a deep need in our community today to synthesise the ideological and epistemological premises of an increasing range of cultures and world views. It recognises that clinical research, for example, is important to the health of ...

The Long Story of an Indigenous Health Research Project

2023

Indigenous health inequities represent a significant challenge for health research and programming. The research seeking to address these inequities also faces significant challenges. To guide researchers through these challenges, several resources exist. That said, the real world of Indigenous research is complex and contains much that, as experience suggests, is not accounted for by the existing resources. Therefore, this article tells the full and honest story of conducting research within largely Western systems and the barriers they present to Indigenous community-based health research that respects self-determination, OCAP, CARE and FAIR principles, and culture. When relevant to discussion, examples are provided from a recently completed COVID-19 vaccine promotion research project. In telling this story, many questions are posed, some of these are tentatively answered, and many are left for contemplation and future work. When answers are provided, they often stem from personal experience, and so, conclusions should be approached cautiously. Regardless, prioritizing respectful and authentic relationships appears to be a universal compass that can guide researchers to the good way. Still, more consistent and honest reporting of barriers, failures, and opportunities may be needed to truly reflect the challenging realities of ethical Indigenous research.

The Value of Global Indigenous Knowledge in Planetary Health

Challenges , 2018

In order to fulfill a broader vision of health and wellness, the World Health Organization (WHO) 2014-2023 strategy for global health has outlined a culturally sensitive blending of conventional biomedicine with traditional forms of healing. At the same time, scientists working in various fields-from anthropology and ecology to biology and climatology-are validating and demonstrating the utility of Indigenous knowledge. There is a misperception that Indigenous peoples are in need of Westernized science in order to "legitimize" our knowledge systems. The Lancet Planetary Health Commission report calls for the "training of indigenous and other local community members" in order to "help protect health and biodiversity" (p. 2007). Such calls have merit but appear authoritarian when they sit (unbalanced) without equally loud calls for the training of (socially dominant) westernized in-groups by Indigenous groups "in order to help protect health and biodiversity." The problems of planetary health are both profound and complex; solutions can be found in a greater understanding of the self and the universe and the land as a medicine place. The following message was delivered as part of a keynote at the inVIVO Planetary Health Conference in Canmore, Alberta, Canada-20 points of consideration for a planetary health science in its pure, raw form, on behalf of the Indigenous elders.

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  54. Bamdev Subedi (https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6843-6412) is a Medical Anthropologist with a deep interest in social science in health. He holds an M.A. in Anthropology from Tribhuvan University and MPhil and PhD in social medicine and community health, from Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi. He has more than a decade of working experience in the health and development sector in Nepal. His research interests include traditional medicine, medical pluralism, and the political economy of health. His MPhil research was on 'Indigenous Healing Practices' and his PhD on 'Medical Pluralism'. He has presented a dozen papers in seminars and conferences, and has published eight research papers in edited volumes and research journals. Currently, he is working on his forthcoming book on Medical Pluralism in Nepal. Email: bamdevsubedi@gmail.com

Indigenous Knowledge Initiatives at the World Bank, the National Institutes of Health, and Pennsylvania State University

2008

The impacts of colonization and modernization have undermined and neglected local or indigenous knowledge -not only in current day developing countries but also for select communities in industrialized or developed countries. Over the last decade, however, there has been an increased international interest to revitalize and restore indigenous knowledge. Multilateral development organizations, local and global NGOs, policymakers, education institutions and the private sector, such as pharmaceutical industries, are among the institutions that have shown interest in indigenous knowledge.

Healing Mainstream Health: Building Understanding and Respect for Indigenous Knowledges

Cultural Competence and the Higher Education Sector, 2020

We first encountered one another around a decade ago when sharing an office at a rural health campus of The University of Sydney, where both of us were working on health research projects. From that first meeting we were intuitively drawn to each other, and soon discovered shared interests, and some surprisingly common perspectives and opinions on health services, seen with an Indigenous Australian lens.

Dismantling the Divide Between Indigenous and Scientific Knowledge

Development and Change, 1995

In the past few years scholarly discussions have characterized indigenous knowledge as a significant resource for development. This article interrogates the concept of indigenous knowledge and the strategies its advocates present to promote development. The article suggests that both the concept of indigenous knowledge, and its role in development, are problematic issues as currently conceptualized. To productively engage indigenous knowledge in development, we must go beyond the dichotomy of indigenous vs. scientific, and work towards greater autonomy for ‘indigenous’ peoples.

The Relevance of Indigenous Knowledge to Contemporary

2010

Abstract:The subject of Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) is currently attracting interest from many quarters, including biologists and philosophers as well as the more traditional mix of anthropologists and other social scientists. Given rapid contemporary rates of change, as well as the novel species and environments being created by six billion humans, what is the relevance of TEK for today’s world? Why would a working ecologist be interested in this area, and are there implications for practitioners in other fields related to contemporary resource analysis and management? This essay will discuss three of many possible related answers to these questions. First, most ecologists only encounter their study systems over very limited time spans. Thus, there is a wealth of local observations at the level of populations and species that can be contributed by astute observers whose lives and livelihoods are tied to the land in complex ways. Second, conventional science, particularly...

Indigenous and scientific knowledge: some critical comments

Development and Change, 1995

The distinction between indigenous and Western/scientific knowledge can present problems for those who believe in the significance of indigenous knowledge for development. This article examines some of the contradictions and ironies involved in accenting the importance of indigenous knowledge, with a view to eliciting a dialogue on the subject. The last part of the article tentatively explores a number of possible ways out of the dilemma.

What is missing? Reflections on Indigenous Health - Interview with Axel Kroeger and Francoise Barbira-Freedman

2020

Axel Kroeger is a professor on International Community Health at the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine/University of Liverpool, and is currently engaged in undergraduate and postgraduate teaching at Freiburg University in Germany. He is supporting the World Health Organization in Geneva (TDR-WHO) with the Special Program for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases. Axel has several works regarding Health focused in low and middle-income countries in Latin America and Asia and has done extensive fieldwork in those places. He was for four years a medical doctor in the rainforest of Ecuador and has maintained links to this area until now. Françoise Barbira-Freedman is an affiliated lecturer in the Department of Social Anthropology at the University of Cambridge. She has done long periods of fieldwork among Keshwa Lamas (formerly known as Lamistas) people throughout the years, and has had a lifetime dedication on analysing childbirth, with a series of inspiring publications refle...

Native American Perspectives on Health and Traditional Environmental Knowledge

Environmental Health Perspectives, 2018

Abstract: Background: Traditional Ecological Knowledge is a conceptual framework that highlights Indigenous knowledge systems. Although scientific literature has noted the relevance of TEK for environmental research since the 1980s, little attention has been given to how Native American (NA) scholars engage with it to shape tribal-based research, nor how non-Native scholars can coordinate their approaches with TEK. This coordination is of particular importance for environmental health sciences (EHS) research exploring transdisciplinary approaches and the integration of environmental and human health. Objective: Our perspective on TEK arose from a series of Health and Culture Research Group (HCRG) workshops that identified gaps in existing EHS methodologies that are based on a reliance on Euro-American concepts for assessing environmental exposures in Tribal communities. These methods neither take into account cultural behavior nor community responses to these. Our objective is to consider NA perspectives on TEK when analyzing relationships between health and the environment and to look at how these may be applied to address this gap. Discussion: The authors—the majority of whom are NA scholars—highlight two research areas that consider health from a TEK perspective: food systems and knowledge of medicinal plants. This research has yielded data, methods and knowledge which have helped Indigenous communities better define and reduce health risks and protect local natural food resources, and this TEK approach may prove of value to EHS research. Conclusion: NA perspectives on TEK resulting from the HCRG workshops provide an opportunity for developing more accurate Indigenous health indicators reflecting the conceptualizations of health maintained in these communities. This approach has the potential to bridge the scientific study of exposure with methods addressing a Tribal perspective on the socio-cultural determinants of health, identifying potential new areas of inquiry in EHS that afford nuanced evaluations of exposures and outcomes in tribal communities.

Indigenous Knowledges and native science as partners: a rejoinder

Cultural Studies of Science Education, 2008

In this response to commentators on our article entitled, How might Native science inform ''informal science learning''?, we offer elaboration on the role of Indigenous Knowledges (IK) in informing Native Science. In the response, we argue that IK is not only pertinent to the conversation of Native Science, but that it is a necessary piece in the conversation. Rather than addressing the commentaries directly, we attempt to point to the ways that the commentaries support and challenge our original arguments.

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Integrating Traditional Healers into the National Health Care System: A Review and Reflection

Rural Health - Investment, Research and Implications [Working Title], 2023

This paper reviews and reflects on the policy efforts to integrate traditional healers in Nepal. Most people in rural Nepal rely on traditional healers for their primary health care needs, not only because health facilities in rural areas are poorly functioning but also because these healers meet various health care needs. The kind of traditional medicine provided by traditional healers (such as herbalists, bone setters, faith healers, and traditional midwives) is much more accessible to them than the practitioners of biomedicine and scholarly traditional medicine (such as Ayurveda, Unani, and Homeopathy). However, traditional healers have not been recognized as legitimate practitioners. Policy initiatives are needed to facilitate recognition, accreditation, or licensing of traditional healers so that they can be integrated into the formal structure of the health care system. Nepal’s recent initiative of registration of traditional healers is an important policy effort in this direc...