Valuing Indigenous Knowledge in the Highlands of Papua New Guinea: A Model for Agricultural and Environmental Education

2016 ◽  
Vol 32 (3) ◽  
pp. 243-259 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chris Radcliffe ◽  
Cesidio Parissi ◽  
Anantanarayanan Raman

AbstractCurrent methods of agricultural and environmental education for indigenous farmers in Papua New Guinea (PNG) fail to provide high level engagement. Indigenous knowledge (IK) forms the basis of natural resource management, agriculture and health of farmers in PNG, yet its value to agricultural and environmental education in PNG is rarely recognised. The argument made in this article is that valuing indigenous knowledge will enhance agricultural and environmental education. The purpose of this empirical study was to assess the application of a knowledge management model in understanding indigenous knowledge to enhance agricultural and environmental education. This article focuses on agricultural and environmental indigenous knowledge and culture in two villages in the Western Highlands of PNG. Participant observation, semi-structured interviews, and apprentice observations were methods to collect data from small-scale indigenous farmers. The study found that as farmers shift to cash crops, IK is devalued against Western knowledge. The study also found that trust, culture, and social barriers limit sharing of knowledge. The article concludes with recommendations for future agricultural and environmental education in the PNG highlands.

2019 ◽  
Vol 88 ◽  
pp. 104109
Author(s):  
Micah G. Scudder ◽  
Jack Baynes ◽  
Grahame Applegate ◽  
John Herbohn

1984 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. 269-275 ◽  
Author(s):  
William K. A. Agyei

SummaryA summary of 298 male and 358 female respondents in the Lae urban area of Papua New Guinea in 1981 revealed a relatively high level of contraceptive awareness, but the level of contraceptive use is low. However, the overall current usages of non-traditional methods for the wives of the male and for the female respondents are 34–2% and 37% respectively. The male and the female respondents have the same views on the ideal family size—approximately three children.


2012 ◽  
Vol 12 (5) ◽  
pp. 575-587 ◽  
Author(s):  
Neil Maclean

Drawing on Schutz’s treatment of the We-relationship and of meaning contexts, and on Michael Jackson’s exploration of the ambiguities of the intersubjective, this article examines the methodological implications of the empathic orientation developed in the context of intimacy for a discipline based on participant observation. I argue that moments of ‘breakdown’, a classic way in which ethnographic questions are revealed, are predicated on the intentional dynamics of intersubjective relationships. I draw on a particular experience of ‘breakdown’ on an overnight truck trip in Highlands Papua New Guinea juxtaposed with expectations of intimacy developed over long-term fieldwork spanning 12 years.


Zootaxa ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 4324 (1) ◽  
pp. 189 ◽  
Author(s):  
MACIEJ K. MAŃKO ◽  
AGATA WEYDMANN ◽  
GILLIAN M. MAPSTONE

Benthic siphonophores of the family Rhodaliidae (Cnidaria, Hydrozoa) are extremely fragile, difficult to collect, and therefore little studied. Only a few records exist worldwide, so their ecology remains largely unknown. Rhodaliids have been found at most depth horizons, but until now were believed to mainly inhabit deeper water over continental shelves, with only a few records from ca. 100 m. In this paper, a new rhodaliid is described based on an underwater photograph provided by a recreational diver via Facebook. This observation was made in Milne Bay (Papua New Guinea) at a depth of 26–27 m, and constitutes the shallowest record so far for any rhodaliid. The specimen was tentatively identified as Archangelopsis typica based on observable morphological characters and an approximate estimate of connectivity between all rhodaliid species in the Indo-Pacific region. Additionally, we highlight the scientific potential of citizen science. 


2013 ◽  
Vol 27 (2) ◽  
pp. 158-172 ◽  
Author(s):  
Danny O’Brien ◽  
Jess Ponting

This research analyzes a strategic approach to managing surf tourism in Papua New Guinea (PNG). Surf tourists travel to often remote destinations for the purpose of riding surfboards, and earlier research suggests the mismanagement of surf tourism in some destinations has resulted in significant deleterious impacts on host communities. The research question in this study addresses how surf tourism can be managed to achieve sustainable host community benefits in the context of a developing country. Primary data came from semistructured interviews and participant observation. The findings demonstrate how sport governing bodies can engage host communities in a collaborative framework for the sustainable utilization of sport tourism resources. The derived knowledge from this research may decrease host communities’ reliance on less sustainable commercial activities, and inform policy and practice on sustainable approaches to using sport tourism for community building and poverty alleviation.


2003 ◽  
Vol 60 (3) ◽  
pp. 267-298 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. F. STEVENS

New species of Ericaceae recently collected in Papua New Guinea necessitate a re-evaluation of the status of Agapetes subgenus Paphia section Paphia. The combination of molecular and morphological data confirms that Agapetes, currently a genus of about 100 species from Fiji, New Caledonia and Queensland to mainland SE Asia, and most diverse in the latter area, cannot be maintained in its current circumscription. Various taxonomic solutions that do justice to our current knowledge of the morphology and relationships of the two main parts of the genus are discussed. The reinstatement of Paphia does least violence nomenclaturally. All 23 taxa recognized in Paphia are listed, 14 new combinations of Agapetes from the New Guinea–SW Pacific area are made in Paphia, three new species are described (P. megaphylla, P. vulcanicola and P. woodsii), and an incompletely known taxon is characterized. A key to all taxa is presented. In Dimorphanthera, five new species are described (D. angiliensis, D. anomala, D. antennifera, D. cratericola and D. inopinata), three reduced to synonymy, one reduced to a variety and one variety recognized as a species (D. continua). A key to the 87 taxa currently recognized in the genus is presented.


ILUMINURAS ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (54) ◽  
Author(s):  
Vitor Rebello Ramos Mello

Resumo: Este estudo etnográfico discute o processo de construção de identidades dos migrantes nordestinos na cidade do Rio de Janeiro, tendo como referência a transformação da Feira de São Cristóvão no Centro Municipal Luiz Gonzaga de Tradições Nordestinas. Parte integrante da dissertação Memórias repentinas: a construção poética do Nordeste pelos repentistas da Feira de São Cristóvão (RJ) defendida no Programa de Pós-Graduação em Memória Social/ UNIRIO[1], a presente análise faz uso da ideia de sociodinâmica da estigmatização para compreender as relações estabelecidas entre cariocas e nordestinos, bem como utiliza o conceito de lugares de memória para entender a importância da Feira enquanto bastião da cultura para a população migrante. Para tanto, fez-se um trabalho de campo entre 2010 e 2012, realizando observação não-participante e entrevistas semiestruturadas com atores sociais locais, além de pesquisa na hemeroteca digital do Centro Nacional de Folclore e Cultura Popular e revisão bibliográfica sobre o tema. Palavras chave: Feira de São Cristóvão. Identidade Nordestina. Nordeste. Rio de Janeiro  FROM A REGIONAL FAIR INTO A CENTRE OF TRADITIONS: THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE BRAZILIAN NORTHEASTERN IDENTITY IN RIO DE JANEIRO.  Abstract: This ethnographic study discusses the process of northeastern migrants' construction identities in the city of Rio de Janeiro, taking as reference the change of the São Cristóvão Fair into the Luiz Gonzaga Municipal Centre of Northeastern Traditions. As part of the dissertation Sudden memories: the poetic construction of the northeast region by the troubadours of the São Cristóvão Fair (RJ) defended in the Post-Graduation Program in Social Memory / UNIRIO, the present analysis makes use of the ideia of the sociodinamic of stigmatization to understand the relationships established between cariocas and northeasterners, using as well the concept of places of memory to comprehend the importance of the Fair as a bastion of culture for the migrant population. To this end, a fieldwork was performed out between 2010 and 2012, with a non-participant observation and semi-structured interviews with local social actors. Besides, researches were made in the digital library of the National Center for Folklore and Popular Culture and a bibliographic review about the topic. Keywords: São Cristóvão Fair. Brazilian northeastern identity. Brazilian northeast. Rio de Janeiro [1] Esta pesquisa contou com bolsa de estudos da CAPES.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Anna Marisen Joskin

<p>The purpose of this study was to investigate how policy intentions of the curriculum were received and practiced by teachers and to evaluate the effectiveness of the implementation process. The study probed three levels of an implementation process of an Outcomes-Based English Education curriculum in two urban secondary schools in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea. The specific focus of implementation was on: the initial introduction process, teachers’ beliefs and attitudes, and classroom practices. This research was an exploratory one using focus group discussions, structured interviews, participant observations, and document analysis. A case study method was used; two qualitative studies situated within the constructivist and symbolic interactionism paradigms were used to probe alignment of policy with practice using the diffusion of innovation theoretical lenses. Content, discourse, and document analyses were used to give interpretations to themes resonating with the research focus; these themes were derived both deductively and inductively from data. Findings revealed that the curriculum change was challenging as policy expectations failed to align with practices. There were little shared meanings between teachers’ views and classroom practices; this lack of connection contradicted policy intentions. There also appeared to be no connection by policy makers of the inbuilt tensions inherent in the outcomes-based model of education adopted for PNG. In relation to this, findings from this study revealed the need for collaborative professional development if policy is to be aligned with practice. Hence, this study offers a working tool called a Kibung PD framework as a priority for curriculum implementation at the classroom level.</p>


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