Contributed by Henri ole Saitabau Abstract: Since time immemorial, the Loita Maasai have had rich indigenous knowledge about their environment and how to monitor and predict climate and seasonal cycles through observation of behavioral characteristics of biological components, cosmology and other traditional, socio-cultural methods. They still use the same knowledge to model weather events and… Read more »
Reports from the Field
A Special note on Prior Informed Consent (PIC)
Why are you asking our gyan (knowledge) and padhati (practice)?: Ethics and prior informed consent for research on traditional knowledge systems Contributed by Ranjay K. Singh1 This article presents practical guidelines for healthy and ethical collaborative research with traditional knowledge holders (TKHs) and local/traditional communities. Experience indicates that, in a majority of cases, research on… Read more »
In the Talamanca Mountains: A Photo Essay Describing My Experiences Working with Bribri Youth in Costa Rica
Contributed by Olivia Sylvester * *This work was carried out with the aid of a grant from the International Development Research Centre, Ottawa, Canada. Information on the Centre is available on the web at www.idrc.ca; I was also supported by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada through a grant rewarded to Dr…. Read more »
The role of ceremonies in preserving cultural diversity and conserving biodiversity for sustainable livelihoods
Exploring cultural diversity and related indigenous knowledge among the Loita Maasai community: Emanyatta oo Lorikan Contributed to the ISE Newsletter by Henri ole Saitabau1 Cultural diversity is an ethnobiological aspect enshrined within the indigenous knowledge systems. Such systems have remained impeccable in practice and have ensured preservation of culture and community distinctiveness among the Loita… Read more »
Wild edible plants in Ethiopia: a review on their potential to combat food insecurity
Contributed by Ermias Lulekal1; Co-authors: Zemede Asfaw2, Ensermu Kelbessa2, Patrick Van Damme1,3 Shared with permission from Afrika Focus (Volume 24, Nr. 2, 2011. pp. 71-121) This work reviews literature on ethnobotanical knowledge of wild edible plants and their potential role in combating food insecurity in Ethiopia. Information on a total of 413 wild edible plants… Read more »