Ubhauli and Udhuali: Application of Symbolic Ecology and Ecological Symbolism in Kirat-Rai in Eastern Nepal

The aim of this article is to explore how the Ubhauli and Udhauli are functioning as a mechanism to maintain the socio-cultural and economic-ecological balance between populations and resources with the help of symbolic and ecological perspectives These great and holy festivals of KiratRais through which they can understand symbolic ecology and ecological symbolism in Kirat world through which Kirat can easily understand the nature, ecology and culture for their adaptation. Ubhauli and Udhauli festivals offer the social harmony, solidarity, integration through the socialization and such entertainment; works as mechanism of conflict resolution in socio-cultural, religious, ecological, economically, linguistically etc. to cope with the existing environmental, cultural and social problems of the Kirat world. The festivals Ubhauli and Udhauli are celebrated twice in a year. April and November are the celebrating months which appear through seasonal changes that help to bring society in order through repetitions and re-beginnings.

Decolonizing Law and expanding Human Rights: Indigenous Conceptions and the Rights of Nature in Ecuador

This article critically addresses the crucial aspects for understanding the rights of nature as a resistance platform for indigenous peoples in Ecuador. By basing my arguments in a post-colonial approach to human rights and the concept of coloniality of power, I argue that the lack of inclusion of indigenous knowledge in human rights is a manifestation of neocolonialism. Thus, the introduction of non-Western narratives into the human rights discourse/practice is an attempt to decolonize what has traditionally been a colonialist discourse. Later on, I develop the concept of ‘rights of nature’ arguing that they are a practical example of the inclusion of indigenous narratives in human rights. In the end, the biggest problem is that the dominant Western thought does not challenge the human-nature relationships that are responsible for nature’s degradation. In this regard, I use ethnographic material, post-colonial anthropological theory, and symbolic ecology to argue that Amazonian indigenous nature ontologies —which understand the nature/culture relationship in a very different way— are contained in the rights of nature that the Ecuadorian Constitution enshrines. Therefore, becoming a legal tool with a significant potential for indigenous people’s historical justice.Received: 01 September 2019Accepted: 05 December 2019Published online: 20 December 2019

Dynamics of Krasnoyarsk Urban Space in the Early 21st Century

The results of analysis of urban space symbols that facilitated the change and formation of Krasnoyarsk urban environment in the early 21st century are presented in this article. The purpose of this analysis was to determine the transformation of material, behavioral and iconographic symbols of urban environment as characteristics of the rationally organized territory of Krasnoyarsk in the period from 2000 to 2019. The method of urban symbolic ecology, which allows to consider the properties of the iconic objects of urban environment in a comprehensive manner was chosen for the analytical review of the urban environment. Based on the conducted research, conclusions about urban space transformation connected with the new development of the previous iconic symbols and appearance of new material and behavioral ones were made. The study results indicate of the appearance of the increasing number of objects and events aimed at the development of leisure activities in Krasnoyarsk. The data obtained can be applied for further comprehensive analysis of Krasnoyarsk, as well as other Russian cities’ urban environment

Linguoecological Aspect of Studying the Toponimic Lexis of the Baikal Region

The article is an attempt to examine data from toponymic studies of the Baikal region from the linguoecological point of view. Geographical names of the region are of considerable interest in various aspects of linguistic knowledge, but have not yet been considered in the linguoecological context. This determines the relevance of the study. To demonstrate the main ways of developing regional toponymy in the linguoecological aspect, we bring a classification of the corresponding approaches. This classification includes interpretation of four research lines: the symbolic ecology of language, the natural ecology of language, the sociocultural ecology of language and the cognitive ecology of language [1]. Having presented this classification, we trace the ideas of ecolinguistics on aforecited lines in the data of regional toponymic material research. Identified within the framework of the article the thesis of the systemic toponymy, the idea of the coexistence of languages within a certain geographical area, explicated toponymic appellatives of the appropriate lexis, require a comprehension in the linguoecological aspect. The main conclusion of the article is that regional toponyms are ecologically significant linguistic objects. The article can be of wide interest while investigating issues of journalistic practice in the context of the modern media environment formation.

ECOLOGIA SIMBÓLICA DE UMA ALDEIA MBYÁ-GUARANI: O CASO DA TEKOÁ TAVAÍ

Resumo: Este artigo aborda aspectos da ecologia simbólica Mbyá-Guarani presentes na aldeia denominada Tekoá Tavaí, localizada no município de Cristal, estado do Rio Grande do Sul, Brasil. Ecologia simbólica pode ser entendida como uma forma de expressar conceitos cosmológicos através da percepção e concepção que um coletivo tem sobre o meio ambiente. A mitologia Mbyá serviu de fundamento para a análise aqui apresentada. Através dela foi verificada a presença de entidades espirituais, em diferentes feições ambientais existentes na aldeia Tekoá Tavaí, que interferem diretamente nas relações ecológicas da paisagem.Abstract: this article discusses aspects of the symbolic ecology present in the village called tekoá Tavaí, located in the Cristal municipality, state of Rio Grande do Sul. Symbolic Ecology may be understood as a way of expressing cosmological concepts through the perception and conception that a collective has about the environment. The Mbyá mythology was the fundament to the analysis presented here. Through this mythology it was verified the presence of spiritual entities in different environmental features present in the tekoá Tavaí village and that interfere in the ecological relations in the landscape.

How Animals Create Human History: Relational Ecology and the Dorset–Polar Bear Connection

Carvings that represent polar bears (Ursus maritimus) are commonly found in Dorset Paleo-Eskimo archaeological sites across the eastern Arctic. Relational ecology, combined with Amerindian perspectivism, provides an integrated framework within which to comprehensively assess the connections between Dorset and polar bears. By considering the representational aspects of the objects, we reveal an ethology of polar bears encoded within the carvings’ various forms. Reconstructing the experiences and perceptions of Dorset as they routinely interacted with these creatures, and placing these interactions in socioeconomic, environmental, and historical context, permits us to decode a symbolic ecology inherent in the effigies. To the Dorset, these carvings were simultaneously tools and mnemonics (symbols). As tools, they were used to directly access the predatory and spiritual abilities of bears or, more prosaically, to teach and remind of the variety of proper hunting techniques available for capturing seals. As symbols, however, they were far more powerful, signaling how Dorset people conceptualized themselves and their place in the universe. Symbolic of an ice-edge way of life, the effigies expose the role that this special relationship with polar bears played in the creation of Dorset histories and identities.