A Review of Małgorzata Mastalerz-Krystjańczuk, “Ostatni Mohikanie Pomorza”: Ludność rodzima znad jezior Łebsko i Gardno w publicystyce polskiej lat 1945–1989. Gdańsk; Słupsk: Instytut Kaszubski; Akademia Pomorska w Słupsku, 2019, 452 ss.

The collection of articles “The Last Mohicans of Pomerania”: The Indigenous Population of Łebsko and Gardno Lakes in Polish Nonfiction 1945–1989, edited by contemporary Polish historian Małgorzata Mastalerz-Krystjańczuk, includes several dozen articles published in Polish newspapers and magazines from 1945 to 1989 dedicated to the Kashubian ethnographic group of Slovincians who lived in Poland until the 1970s. The post-war nonfiction, written by professional ethnographers, linguists, historians, as well as journalists, travelers and social activists, was intended to acquaint the Polish reader with the specificities of the small indigenous ethnic group of Pomerania, fully incorporated into Poland as a result of the Second World War. An extensive preface by Dr. Mastalerz-Krystjańczuk will allow the reader to learn about the specificities of the inclusion of Slovincians in Polish social and political life, the historical and cultural context in which the texts about Slovincians were created, their thematic content, as well as the role played by censorship on the practice of depicting modern Slovincians. As the materials of the collection show, Slovincians had taken a specific position in Polish scientific and political ethno-classifications. Being German-speaking Lutherans, the Slovincians—due to their Slavic origin and the expected Slavic language practice—had to play the role of an important argument in legitimizing West Pomerania’s inclusion in the imagination of the Polish authorities. The review provides a brief survey of the main themes, images, and stories about Slovincians circulating in numerous articles of this collection.

Earthen–wooden hybrid houses built by the Dai in Dehong Prefecture, South China

The Dai (or Tai) are an indigenous ethnic group distributed across the upper part of Southeast Asia and South China. Whereas the majority of the Dai living on the Southeast Asian mainland build wooden houses on stilts, Dai populations in South China, especially in Dehong Prefecture, are known for the distinctive architectural style of their hybrid earthen–wooden houses, which stems from their enduring social contact and cultural assimilation with Chinese settlers. This paper, which draws on comprehensive fieldwork conducted in Dai villages in Dehong Prefecture, explores the Dai’s hybrid earthen–wooden architecture. Specifically, it examines the development of forms, the relationship between settlement layouts and house plans, as well as building materials, structures and constructions characterising this architecture using data from qualitative surveys, architectural measurements and interviews. The hybrid architecture of the Dehong Dai demonstrates the fusion of two building cultures—earthen and wooden—that has shaped a vernacular architectural identity that is unique to this area. This paper also presents illustrative examples of earthen–wooden houses, thereby contributing to advancing knowledge about this eclectic, hybrid architecture that remains a gap in the academic literature.

Emancipatory Urban Greening in the Global South: Interdisciplinary and Intercultural Dialogues and the Role of Traditional and Peasant Peoples and Communities in Brazil

This article discusses theoretical, methodological and political issues related to urban greening in the Global South, as well as emancipatory alternatives to envisioning more inclusive, democratic, sustainable and healthy cities. We sustain that the role of traditional and peasant peoples and communities – including indigenous, quilombolas and others - is strategic for thinking about alternatives and actions aimed at the paradigmatic transition that surpasses the vision of Eurocentric modernity. It generates artificial barriers that divide countryside and cities, society and nature, life and economy, as well as subjects and objects in producing and sharing knowledge. These peoples and communities designates a diversity of social situations that have as a common denominator conditions of existence considered to contrast with “modernity,” situated on the margins of the representations of “development” and “progress” of the hegemonic economic and political powers. Our arguments are empirically based on experiences developed in Brazil with interdisciplinary and intercultural dialogues carried out in recent years. The events called “Meetings of Knowledges” brought together academic groups and different social movements and community organizations involving social struggles and topics such as health, environmental conflicts and justice, food security and sovereignty, agroecology, among others. These meetings intend to enhance intercultural and interdisciplinary interactions between agents working together in different territories with concrete knowledges and experiences. The contents generated by the debates held at these events and their developments depict social experiences that reinforce the underlying hypothesis behind this article: the social struggles involving the interaction between traditional and agricultural populations with urban spaces in the Global South provide important evidence for research agendas about emerging emancipatory processes related to urban greening. In the first part of the text, we analyze the historical, social and epistemological meaning of indigenous, quilombola and peasant peoples in the Brazilian context, analyzing both recent contradictions and threats, as well as their role in the emergence of ongoing emancipatory agendas, including interaction with cities. Finally, we show examples related to social struggles, first of an indigenous ethnic group in the Amazon region, and then in two big Brazilian cities, involving social movements and community organizations that integrate actions for decent housing, sanitation, health care, and food along with the rescue of ancestral knowledge.

Antu Language in the Sangin Oral Narrative of the Sihans in Sarawak

This article discusses the Sihan community and one of their traditional oral narratives, known as sangin. Sihan is an indigenous ethnic group residing in Belaga, Sarawak, Malaysia, and sangin is an activity that can be considered a folklore, narrative in manner, and performed for entertainment and native remedy. Data on the community in this study was obtained through interviews with 71 Sihan informants in Belaga, Sarawak, Malaysia. The sangin by one of its practitioners was recorded during the community’s leisure activities. The recorded sangin song, delivered in the style of storytelling, narrated for entertainment, not for remedy purposes. The description of the sangin indicates that the language in the oral tradition, called antu language (language of the spirit) is very different from the modern, every day Sihan language used by its speakers. In terms of usage, sangin can be considered extinct because of the reduced number of Sihan speakers (only 218 left) and lessening number of sangin practitioners (only three remain). Sangin as a native remedy no longer has a place in the community with the availability of modern medical treatment, the mass migration of the Sihans from their original area, and the change in the Sihans’ life style, from nomadic to community life.

INTERETHNIC ASSOCIATIONS OF INCREASED HEART RATE AS A FACTOR OF CARDIOVASCULAR RISK. PART 2: GENETIC MARKERS

Purpose. To study the genetic aspects of increased heart rate (HR) in representatives of various ethnic groups living in Mountain Shoria. Material and Methods. The study involved residents of the villages of Mountain Shoria aged 18 years and older. Included are 901 people – representatives of indigenous nationality (Shors), 408 people – of nonindigenous nationality. The groups did not differ by gender and age. The analysis was carried out depending on the increased level of heart rate (over 80 beats/min). Typing of polymorphic sites of the ACE (I/D, rs4340), ADRB1 (p.145A> G, Ser49Gly, rs1801252), ADRA2B (I/D, rs28365031), MTHFR (c.677C> T, Ala222Val, rs1801133) and NOS3 (VNTR, 4b/4a) was carried out using polymerase chain reaction. The association of different genotypes with heart rates above 80 beats/min was judged by the odds ratio in five inheritance models (codominant, dominant, recessive, overdominant and log-additive), and its 95% confidence interval was calculated. Results. Ethnic features of the prevalence of increased heart rate have been established depending on the polymorphism of candidate genes involved in the pathogenesis of arterial hypertension. The respondents of the indigenous ethnic group had a high probability of developing tachycardia determined by the carriage of the C/T genotype of the MTHFR gene according to an overdominant type of inheritance [OR = 2.46]. Allele D of the ACE gene determined the tendency to the development of this pathology according to the recessive type of inheritance [OR = 1.91]. However, among young people and men, carriage of a prognostically unfavorable D/D genotype of this gene was associated with a high risk of increased heart rate [OR = 3.34] and [OR = 4.62], respectively. In a cohort of non-indigenous nationality, the heterozygous genotype I/D of the ACE gene determined the likelihood of tachycardia by an overdominant type of inheritance [OR = 2.08]. Conclusions. Most epidemiological studies show a significant difference in the contribution of the studied polymorphisms to the appearance of increased heart rate for various ethnic groups. For a small population of Mountain Shoria, genetic features of the development of tachycardia have been established. In this regard, it is advisable to take into account national characteristics when determining individual risk, and apply personalization to correction programs.

Hypertension and Associated Demographic Factors among Chepang Adults in Nepal

Background and Objectives: Hypertension is one of the leading health problems globally. In developing countries like Nepal, the prevalence of hypertension is increasing yearly. This study aims to find the prevalence of hypertension and associated demographic factors among Chepang people, an indigenous ethnic group also known as one of the isolated tribal groups of Nepal. Material and Methods: It is a descriptive cross-sectional study performed in total of 324 respondent living in chepang community of Majbang-09 of Kalika Municipality. Semi structured questionnaire including socio-demographic, anthropometric measurement, 24 hour diet recall, and food frequency to explore dietary diversity information. Data entry and analysis was done using SPSS 20. Chi-Square test was used to measure the association between variables and was considered significant at p <0.05. Results: According to the study the 35.5% of the respondent were hypertensive and 50.3% of were pre-hypertensive. More than half of the respondent (58.3%) had normal BMI followed by (26.9%) of the respondent were overweight, (9.0%) of the respondent were under nutrition and (5.9%) of the respondent were obese. Among the respondent who had hypertension (60.7%) were above 60 years and the lowest (21.3%) were below 40 years. Conclusion: The socio demographic variables like age, sex, educational status, annual income and marital status were found to be significantly associated with hypertension.

COVID-19 and indigenous evaluation in Zambia: My responses to the COVID-19 pandemic

"I started taking notice of the coronavirus outbreak when it started to quickly spread to other countries. On 13 January 2020 a first COVID-19 case outside China was confirmed in Thailand. When Europe got affected and numbers started exponentially rising in Italy and England, I became concerned. "When the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the outbreak a pandemic on 11 March and the media increased its coverage, the government started its public awareness and prevention programme. Some Zambians, including myself, volunteered to help the Ministry of Health in information dissemination. I helped translate the WHO guidelines into Nsenga. It is a language spoken mainly by an indigenous ethnic group, Nsenga, found in the Eastern province of Zambia."

Features of the phenotypic and genotypic lipid status of the indigenous ethnic group of the Arctic in the conditions of island living

Introduction. Dyslipidemia and obesity are interdisciplinary and “multi-metabolic” diseases, pathogenetically associated with the development of atherothrombosis, which creates practical health problems. The development of both dyslipidemia and obesity is influenced by socio-demographic, environmental, genetic and many physiological and behavioral factors, while the contribution of genetic factors is 40-70%. The goal is to identify the genetic characteristics oflipid status and fat metabolism in the indigenous ethnic group of the Arctic region of the Russian Federation under conditions of permanent islandliving.Methods. A cross-sectional population study of an indigenous ethnic group (n = 44) living on Vaygach Island (70 ° 01 ' Nlat 59 ° 33 ' E). The reported study was funded by RFBR according to the research project №18-00-00814-(18-00-00478). Serum cholesterol and triglycerides were determined as markers oflipid metabolism in blood serum. To analyze the genetic profile, the polymorphism of the FTO A23525T gene and the LPL Ser447Ter gene was determined by polymerase chain reaction.Results. In the sample of the indigenous ethnic group, BMI was 26.0 [21.5; 29.75] kg/m2. BMI for men is 23.0 [18.0; 28.0] kg/m2, for women - 25.0 [18.0; 29.25] kg / m2. Carriers of the unfavorable allele A had a higher BMI than carriers of the T allele. Analysis of the effect of rs9939609 genetic polymorphism on thelevel of total cholesterol did not show statistically significant differences between the FTO gene genotypes. A minimal triglyceride concentration was observed in carriers of the protective genotype Ter/Ter.Conclusion. Understanding the similarities and differences in genetic susceptibility among different ethnic groups can ultimately contribute to a more focused primary prevention and patient-oriented approach of cardiovascular pathology.

The political affordances of the ‘coconut wireless’: Rotumans on social media in the 2018 Fiji elections

As a unique group of people, Rotumans make up less than two percent of Fiji’s population, and as a minority Indigenous ethnic group in Fiji, they have remained relatively hidden and silent in political affairs. Outmigration from the island has led to more than 80 percent of Rotumans residing outside of Rotuma. In recent times, the Rotuman diaspora has heavily relied on the use of ICTs and new media technologies as crucial tools for the reinvigoration of Rotuma’s culture. This in itself poses an intriguing paradox as internet connectivity on Rotuma is quite limited. However, social media platforms have been increasingly used by Rotumans outside of Rotuma, and have enabled increased connectivity and greater dissemination of information among the Rotuman diaspora. Recently, the primary purpose of such social media groups has evolved from merely being a tool for rekindling familial ties, to being a platform for political discourse on Rotuman issues. In essence, despite the scattered nature of the Rotuman population, digital technologies are offering Rotumans the affordance of being able to inform and educate themselves and their networks on political issues of Rotuman interest. By employing ethnography and netnography principles and through in-person and online engagement with Rotumans within and outside of Rotuma, this article examines the affordances that digital technologies offer Rotumans concerning national political discourse. This is carried out with a specific focus on the 2018 general elections in Fiji.