The cultural dimension of environment: Ethnoscientific study on Santhal community in eastern India

This study explores the Santhal community to enhance the understanding of the human-nature relationship that fully captures distinct intricacies of ethnoecology. Relying on a qualitative research design, this study focuses on the perception and interpretation of environmental aspects using ethnoscientific methods among Santhals in West Bengal, India. It reveals that Santhals are still unique in perceiving the environment learned through folk models. Santhal’s perception of environmental domains is constituted by various cognitive elements (resource distributions, care, feelings, attachment, myths, and superstitious credence toward their environment) and multifaceted interpretations (living beings, nonliving objects, natural and built environment). Based on its evidence, this study recommends that indigenous worldview-based ethnoscientific knowledge is the identity of indigenity that shapes ethnoscientific knowledge can be used in sustainable resource management practice. Furthermore, the study proposes a view that ignoring this unique ethnoscientific knowledge-based worldview base may degenerate the indigenous culture.

Promoting New Psychological Understandings by Use of an Indigenous American Psychological Paradigm

Indigenous Americans are not well represented by mainstream psychology and its reductionistic tenets. As psychology developed, it could not help but to be implicitly biased by the surrounding hierarchical colonial culture—a culture in which Indigenous people and many others were conquered, oppressed, dehumanized, devalued, neglected, and excluded. An Indigenous worldview views humans as co-equal partners of an interdependent holistic system. Striving for healthy relationships with others is foundational to psychological health and well-being from an Indigenous perspective. Discrete entities (including self), independence, autonomy, and hierarchy are considered artificial mainstream conceptualizations that have negatively impacted the well-being of humans and the natural world. Indigenous American psychology appreciates the sacred nature of the whole and its entities, approaching professional psychology with the humility and respect that interacting with sacred entities warrants. Essential tenets of an Indigenous American Psychological Paradigm (IAPP) are discussed therein as an alternative to existing mainstream beliefs. An IAPP offers the ability to address intergenerational psychological problems holistically across time in ways that mainstream psychology has been unable. Psychology is ultimately strengthened by an ability to conceptualize psychology through the new lenses of alternative paradigms such as this one.

Kiwicitowek Insiniwuk: Nehinuw governance in Nehinuw terms

Indigenous nations have diverse, complex, and ancient governance theories and practices, yet settler governments have consistently tried to eliminate these theories and practices. Despite the objectives of colonization, Indigenous people have maintained the knowledge of Indigenous governance. To understand Indigenous governance, an effort must be made to understand these theories from a specific Indigenous worldview. In other words, what is Indigenous governance in Indigenous terms? This dissertation aims to address this question by exploring governance through the knowledge of the Nehinuw by asking, what does Nehinuw knowledge teach us about Nehinuw governance? To understand Nehinuw governance from a Nehinuw worldview, the author researched using a Nehinuw theoretical framework which included specific Nehinuw research methods and a method analysis based on the Nehinuw concept of Nistotên (to understand). The findings of this dissertation consider the complexity and diversity of Nehinuw governance theory and practice that challenge mainstream perspectives of Indigenous governance and provide valuable lessons for policymakers that work in the field of Indigenous governance. The outcome of this dissertation fills more than a gap in the literature because using the Nehinuw theoretical framework has enabled me to empower the communities covered in this dissertation, and develop, in partnership with local educators, educational resources on Nehinuw governance that can and will be used by the community to educate future generations on Nehinuw governance and become the foundation of future scholarly research and practice. Keywords: Indigenous Governance, Indigenous Knowledge, Nehinuw Governance, Nehinuw Knowledge

Kiwicitowek Insiniwuk: Nehinuw governance in Nehinuw terms

Indigenous nations have diverse, complex, and ancient governance theories and practices, yet settler governments have consistently tried to eliminate these theories and practices. Despite the objectives of colonization, Indigenous people have maintained the knowledge of Indigenous governance. To understand Indigenous governance, an effort must be made to understand these theories from a specific Indigenous worldview. In other words, what is Indigenous governance in Indigenous terms? This dissertation aims to address this question by exploring governance through the knowledge of the Nehinuw by asking, what does Nehinuw knowledge teach us about Nehinuw governance? To understand Nehinuw governance from a Nehinuw worldview, the author researched using a Nehinuw theoretical framework which included specific Nehinuw research methods and a method analysis based on the Nehinuw concept of Nistotên (to understand). The findings of this dissertation consider the complexity and diversity of Nehinuw governance theory and practice that challenge mainstream perspectives of Indigenous governance and provide valuable lessons for policymakers that work in the field of Indigenous governance. The outcome of this dissertation fills more than a gap in the literature because using the Nehinuw theoretical framework has enabled me to empower the communities covered in this dissertation, and develop, in partnership with local educators, educational resources on Nehinuw governance that can and will be used by the community to educate future generations on Nehinuw governance and become the foundation of future scholarly research and practice. Keywords: Indigenous Governance, Indigenous Knowledge, Nehinuw Governance, Nehinuw Knowledge

A Scoping Review of Nature, Land, and Environmental Connectedness and Relatedness

The importance of nature and the environment in relation to human health is coalescing, as demonstrated by the increased research that attempts to measure nature connectedness and relatedness. These findings align with constructs of cultural connectedness that assess for land connectedness as part of Indigenous ways of knowing. From an Indigenous worldview, relationships with the environment are critical to wellbeing. The purpose of this comprehensive systematic scoping literature review was two-fold: (1) identify and summarize existing measures of land, nature, and/or environmental connectedness, relatedness, and attitudes and (2) evaluate the psychometric properties of these scales. In total, 1438 articles were retrieved from select databases including PubMed/MEDLINE, PsycINFO, CINAHL (EBSCO), and Academic Search Complete (EBSCO). The final searches and application of the inclusion/exclusion criteria resulted in 57 unique articles and 38 scales categorized as connectedness and relatedness scales (n = 9 scales), attitudinal and values-based scales (n = 16 scales), cultural and spiritually based scales (n = 9 scales), and paradigm-based scales (n = 4 scales) (articles could be placed in multiple categories). Psychometric properties and general outcomes associated with nature-related scales are reported, with implications for future education, research, practice, and policy.

“ENCLOSURES WITH INCLUSION” VIS-À-VIS “BOUNDARIES” IN ANCIENT MEXICO

Recent in-depth research on the Nahua Corpus Xolotl, as well as on a large variety of compatible sources, has led to new insights on what were “boundaries” in preconquest Nahua thought. The present article proposes that our modern Western concept of borders and political boundaries was foreign to ancient Mexican societies and to Aztec-era polities in general. Consequently, the article aims to add a novel angle to our understanding of the notions of space, territoriality, and limits in the indigenous worldview in central Mexico during preconquest times, and their repercussions for the internal social and political relations that evolved within the Nahua-Acolhua ethnic states (altepetl). Furthermore, taking its cue from the Corpus Xolotl, the article reconsiders the validity of ethnic entities and polities in ancient Mexico and claims that many of these polities were ethnic and territorial amalgams, in which components of ethnic outsiders formed internal enclaves and powerbases. I argue that in ancient Mexico one is able to observe yet another kind of conceptualization of borders/frontiers: “enclosures with inclusion,” which served as the indigenous concept of porous and inclusive boundaries, well up to the era of the formation of the so-called Triple Alliance, and beyond.

Measuring health care experiences that matter to Indigenous people in Australia with cancer: identifying critical gaps in existing tools

Background Measurement of patients’ healthcare experiences is increasingly used as an indicator of quality of care, but there are concerns that existing measures omit information that is meaningful to patients and that results may not be used systematically to inform service improvement. Further, current approaches may be inadequate for some population groups, such as Indigenous people in Australia, whose healthcare experience is impacted by the context of colonisation and discordance between Indigenous understandings of health and the Western biomedical health system. This study aimed to assess the extent to which existing patient experience measures used in Australia collect information about critical aspects of cancer care, as previously identified by Indigenous people affected by cancer and their health care providers. Methods A two-stage process was used to examine the adequacy of existing patient experience measures for Indigenous people in Australia: (1) relevant tools and measures were identified and assessed, and four measures selected as suitable comparators; (2) comparators were examined in detail and mapped against topics identified in earlier research as important to Indigenous people with cancer. Gaps in topic coverage in comparators were identified. Results No comparators completely captured the critical aspects of cancer care identified by Indigenous people affected by cancer and their health care providers. The number of topics ‘partially’ captured by the four comparators ranged from 4 to 7 out of 9. While most topics were partially covered, the lack of questions around culture and cultural safety was notable. Conclusions Existing tools are likely to miss key aspects of Indigenous peoples’ experiences of cancer care in Australia. Failure to adequately assess care experiences related to cultural safety may compromise efforts to improve health outcomes. Addressing gaps requires development of experience measures that are strengths-based, reflect an Indigenous worldview and measure aspects of experience relevant to Indigenous people.

Reflexive Reflection Co-created with Kehte-ayak (Old Ones) as an Indigenous Qualitative Methodological Data Contemplation Tool

The aim of this paper is to propose a new way of understanding data contemplation for Indigenous methodologies. There is a need for Indigenous methods that allow us to explore and organize findings that are steeped in the contextualized story and grounded in the research relationship. A study that asked Cree Kehte-ayak (Old Ones) about the relevance in harmonizing Indigenous and Western ways of knowing in healing from addiction shows that Reflexive Reflection (RR) offers a respectful way for discovery. RR offers epistemological underpinnings for data consideration when engaging Indigenous methodologies. Culturally rooted addictions research can contribute to Indigenous wellness and cultural renewal by bringing awareness to the link between colonialism and addiction and by actively re-centring an Indigenous worldview and governance in the research process (Hall et al., 2015). While challenging colonialism is vital, the strength of Indigenous culture must be central to the overall project, with relational accountability that implies all parts of the research process are related, and that the researcher is responsible for nurturing and maintaining this relationship with the research process and with “all relations.” Indigenous research inquiry involves moments of contemplation that explore dreams, intuition, teachings, and connection to land. It also involves spending intimate hours listening to stories of the “old ones” that are rooted in a sense of kinshipresponsibility that relay culture, identity, and a sense of belonging that are essential to the life of the researcher. Reframing the language around aftercare services for Indigenous Peoples can take place through reflexive investigation and knowledge creation.