scholarly journals Cultural factors that affected the spatial and temporal epidemiology of kuru

2017 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 160789 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. T. Whitfield ◽  
W. H. Pako ◽  
J. Collinge ◽  
M. P. Alpers
Keyword(s):  
Papua New Guinea ◽  
Cultural Practices ◽  
Mortuary Practices ◽  
Cultural Group ◽  
Genetic Studies ◽  
Linguistic Group ◽  
Epidemiological Changes ◽  
Spatio Temporal ◽  
Linguistic Groups ◽  
Initial Pattern

Kuru is a prion disease which became epidemic among the Fore and surrounding linguistic groups in Papua New Guinea, peaking in the late 1950s. It was transmitted during the transumption (endocannibalism) of dead family members at mortuary feasts. In this study, we aimed to explain the historical spread and the changing epidemiological patterns of kuru by analysing factors that affected its transmission. We also examined what cultural group principally determined a family's behaviour during mortuary rituals. Our investigations showed that differences in mortuary practices were responsible for the initial pattern of the spread of kuru and the ultimate shape of the epidemic, and for subsequent spatio-temporal differences in the epidemiology of kuru. Before transumption stopped altogether, the South Fore continued to eat the bodies of those who had died of kuru, whereas other linguistic groups, sooner or later, stopped doing so. The linguistic group was the primary cultural group that determined behaviour but at linguistic boundaries the neighbouring group's cultural practices were often adopted. The epidemiological changes were not explained by genetic differences, but genetic studies led to an understanding of genetic susceptibility to kuru and the selection pressure imposed by kuru, and provided new insights into human history and evolution.

The History of the Judahite Bench Tomb

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew Suriano
Keyword(s):  
Iron Age ◽  
Hebrew Bible ◽  
Cultural Practices ◽  
Seventh Century ◽  
Mortuary Practices ◽  
Iron Age Ii ◽  
Gradual Development ◽  
History Of ◽  
The Dead ◽  
Insight Into

The history of the Judahite bench tomb provides important insight into the meaning of mortuary practices, and by extension, death in the Hebrew Bible. The bench tomb appeared in Judah during Iron Age II. Although it included certain burial features that appear earlier in the Middle and Late Bronze Ages, such as burial benches, and the use of caves for extramural burials, the Judahite bench tomb uniquely incorporated these features into a specific plan that emulated domestic structures and facilitated multigenerational burials. During the seventh century, and continuing into the sixth, the bench tombs become popular in Jerusalem. The history of this type of burial shows a gradual development of cultural practices that were meant to control death and contain the dead. It is possible to observe within these cultural practices the tomb as a means of constructing identity for both the dead and the living.

scholarly journals Ethno-linguistic Groups during an Economic Recession: Low-income Earners in the 1990s’ Finland

2014 ◽  
Vol 49 ◽  
pp. 87-103
Author(s):  
Camilla Härtull ◽  
Jan Saarela
Keyword(s):  
Welfare State ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Economic Recession ◽  
Register Data ◽  
Educational Reforms ◽  
Constitutional Rights ◽  
Linguistic Group ◽  
English Speaking ◽  
Economic Position ◽  
Linguistic Groups

Little is known about low-income earners in the Swedish-speaking community in Finland, and particularly how this ethno-linguistic group positioned itself as compared with the Finnish speakers during the severe economic recession in the 1990s. Relating to the ethno-linguistic English-speaking minority in Quebec, we set out to study whether also Swedish speakers experienced a worsening of their economic position. Using register data from 1987–1999, we find that they did not, but rather improved their relative situation as compared with the Finnish speakers, although they on average had a higher propensity for being low-income earners also after the recession. In contrast to the situation in Quebec, no unfavourable language acts or educational reforms were imposed on the Swedish speakers during the study period. We see the results as reflecting a well-functioning welfare state, in which language acts and constitutional rights have worked to protect both ethno-linguistic groups.

Mental Structures in Transition Culture

2008 ◽  
Vol 22 (4) ◽  
pp. 901-927 ◽  
Author(s):  
Triin Vihalemm ◽  
Veronika Kalmus
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Practices ◽  
Minority Group ◽  
Value Orientations ◽  
Cultural Reproduction ◽  
Social Changes ◽  
Common Elements ◽  
Linguistic Groups ◽  
The Empirical Analysis ◽  
Generational Continuity ◽  
Level Analysis

Based on the concept of transition culture, the article discusses patterns of generational continuity and disruption in post-Soviet Estonia. We suggest a tool for meso-level analysis: factor structures of self-identification and value orientations. The empirical analysis of population survey data collected in 2005 shows that such mental structures have significant correlations with indices of perceptions about social changes and everyday social and cultural practices. Our analysis focuses on mental patterns of three generations among two main ethno-linguistic groups: ethnic Estonians and the Russian minority. The results reveal considerable differentiation between older and younger generations. We suggest that post-Soviet transition has brought about generational disruption in cultural reproduction, which is particularly visible among the ethnic minority group: Russian youngsters differ from their parents to a greater extent than do young Estonians from theirs. Moreover, the mental patterns of young Estonians and Russians have common elements.

Language, culture and cognition: The view from space / Sprache, Kultur und Kognition: Die Betrachtung vom Raum

2006 ◽  
Vol 34 (1-2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Penelope Brown
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Science ◽  
Cultural Practices ◽  
Spatial Language ◽  
Frames Of Reference ◽  
Linguistic Group ◽  
Spatial Frames Of Reference ◽  
The Social ◽  
Language And Cognition ◽  
Cultural Explanation ◽  
Core Role

AbstractThis paper addresses the vexed questions of how language relates to culture, and what kind of notion of culture is important for linguistic explanation. I first sketch five perspectives - five different construals - of culture apparent in linguistics and in cognitive science more generally. These are: (i) culture as ethno-linguistic group, (ii) culture as a mental module, (iii) culture as knowledge, (iv) culture as context, and (v) culture as a process emergent in interaction. I then present my own work on spatial language and cognition in a Mayan languge and culture, to explain why I believe a concept of culture is important for linguistics. I argue for a core role for cultural explanation in two domains: in analysing the semantics of words embedded in cultural practices which color their meanings (in this case, spatial frames of reference), and in characterizing thematic and functional links across different domains in the social and semiotic life of a particular group of people.

scholarly journals Ecosystem Services of Chariganga and Arpara Beel in Nadia District, West Bengal: A Geographical Enquiry

2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 155-167
Author(s):  
Mehedi Hasan Mandal ◽  
Anup Kumar Dey ◽  
Arindam Roy ◽  
Giyasuddin Siddique
Keyword(s):  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Cultural Practices ◽  
Freshwater Wetlands ◽  
Floodplain Wetlands ◽  
Economic Activities ◽  
Goods And Services ◽  
Ecological Resources ◽  
Utilisation Pattern ◽  
Spatio Temporal ◽  
Index Value

The ecological set up of the deltaic Bengal has immensely been benefitted by the ecosystem services extended by the freshwater wetlands. Along with the diverse ecological benefits, those floodplain wetlands serve the adjacent agrarian community through the provision of free goods and services. The present study has attempted to identify the ecological resources provided by the Chariganga and Arpara Beel and its impact on the livelihood patterns of the rural inhabitants. Both qualitative and quantitative techniques have been used for the study. Ecosystem Service Index (ESI) has been computed to quantify the values of ecosystem services in each category for the dry and wet periods. Nearly 33 ecosystem services are identified which have significantly influenced the socio-economic lifestyle of the inhabitants of three adjacent villages like Arpara, Gotpara, and Sultanpur but not homogeneously in terms of space, time, and status of stakeholders. The computed ESI values reveal that the maximum index value in each category of ecosystem services has been recorded at Chariganga Wetland in both dry and wet seasons.  Moreover, the fluctuation of ESI between the two seasons is least at Chariganga Wetland (0.03) compared to Arpara Wetland (0.28). Spatio-temporal variation in availability of resources has conspicuously altered the yearlong utilisation pattern of wetlands’ resources and put a noticeable imprint upon the diverse economic activities and cultural practices of the beneficiaries. The seasonal transformation of a large segment of the studied wetlands in wet and dry months has noticeably influenced the livelihood strategies of the natives. As a consequence, dynamism in utilisation pattern and contrasted societal views concerning the wetland-people interdependency has come into existence.

scholarly journals The Mitochondrial DNA Landscape of Modern Mexico

Genes ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (9) ◽  
pp. 1453
Author(s):  
Martin Bodner ◽  
Ugo A. Perego ◽  
J. Edgar Gomez ◽  
Ricardo M. Cerda-Flores ◽  
Nicola Rambaldi Migliore ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Forensic Application ◽  
Dispersal Patterns ◽  
Mt Dna ◽  
Genetic Studies ◽  
Control Region Sequences ◽  
European Colonization ◽  
Distinct Frequency ◽  
Pan American ◽  
Linguistic Groups ◽  
The Impact

Mexico is a rich source for anthropological and population genetic studies with high diversity in ethnic and linguistic groups. The country witnessed the rise and fall of major civilizations, including the Maya and Aztec, but resulting from European colonization, the population landscape has dramatically changed. Today, the majority of Mexicans do not identify themselves as Indigenous but as admixed, and appear to have very little in common with their pre-Columbian predecessors. However, when the maternally inherited mitochondrial (mt)DNA is investigated in the modern Mexican population, this is not the case. Control region sequences of 2021 samples deriving from all over the country revealed an overwhelming Indigenous American legacy, with almost 90% of mtDNAs belonging to the four major pan-American haplogroups A2, B2, C1, and D1. This finding supports a very low European contribution to the Mexican gene pool by female colonizers and confirms the effectiveness of employing uniparental markers as a tool to reconstruct a country’s history. In addition, the distinct frequency and dispersal patterns of Indigenous American and West Eurasian clades highlight the benefit such large and country-wide databases provide for studying the impact of colonialism from a female perspective and population stratification. The importance of geographical database subsets not only for forensic application is clearly demonstrated.

scholarly journals Attribution Des Noms Et Pratiques En Santé Materno-Infantile : Approche Socio-Anthropologique Des Enfants Sacrés En Pays Abouré Et Baoulé De Cote d’Ivoire

2017 ◽  
Vol 13 (11) ◽  
pp. 182
Author(s):  
Sylvie N’Goran ◽  
Maxime Oga
Keyword(s):  
Child Health ◽  
Data Collection ◽  
Cultural Identity ◽  
Significant Influence ◽  
Cultural Practices ◽  
Traditional Practices ◽  
Cultural Group ◽  
Survival And Development ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Pratiques En Santé

The birth of a child is considered as a joyous event and comes along with celebrations and festivities according to the tradition of each cultural group. The name given to the new-born may be that of a living grandparent, one of the parents, or a friend of the child’s father. However, the name given may also be related to the birth order. The birth of a child, who is a fragile and vulnerable being, gives rise to indispensable rituals that takes into account its rank. These rituals are not only for its survival and development, but also for its socialization and the transformation of its identity. Tradition also involves cultural identity through name assigning in order to protect the child from all kinds of diseases. Moreover, traditional practices regarding the issue of child health serves as forms of protection, humanization, and integration of the child into the society. What about the Aboure and N’Zipkly people? From a comprehensive perspective on the specificity of the names given from birth, this study aims to grasp the plausible influences on child health based on the relationships between the child and his name as perceived by the Abouré and N’Zipkly people. To achieve this, we asked ourselves the following questions: Why does a name has a significant influence on the health of the newborn? What is the relationship between child health and name? What are the socio-cultural practices of sacred children? Furthermore, there were various questions that led to data collection by observing activities and practices related to sacred children. The data collection was done using interview guides for mothers with children aged 0 to 5 years, grandparents, and traditional therapists.

scholarly journals The Argobba of Ethiopia are not the Language they Speak

Aethiopica ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
pp. 7-22
Author(s):  
Abbebe Kifleyesus
Keyword(s):  
Ethnic Groups ◽  
Cultural Practices ◽  
First Language ◽  
Great Ease ◽  
Market Transaction ◽  
Linguistic Groups ◽  
Central Claim ◽  
As If

The Argobba of southeastern Wällo and northeastern Šäwa live amongst and speak the languages of the Amhara and the Oromo with great ease as if they are members of these ethnic groups. For them Amharic and Afaan Oromoo are the languages of administration and market transaction and therefore important for Argobba survival in a region domi-nated by these two ethno-linguistic groups. Yet the Argobba I met in these lands identified themselves as Argobba, and they were known as such, despite the fact that several of them had Amharic or Afaan Oromoo as their first language. The central claim of this article is therefore that the Argobba of this region define themselves as Argobba based on their traditions, customs, beliefs, values, and total cultural practices and not on the basis of who can or cannot speak the Argobba language.

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