This chapter highlights the importance of incorporating indigenous language and its daily practice in the local context of newly transformed indigenous policy in Taiwan. Currently, the official indigenous people’s language policy is relatively confined to curriculum development and certification of indigenous peoples’ language abilities with little consideration of language practices in real so...

The indigenous peoples (IP) of the Philippines face great disadvantage in terms of social and health services, particularly in reproductive health (RH). The Higaonon community of Bukidnon and Ata-Manobo of Davao reflect this disparity. A participatory action research guided by grounded theory, postmodern and feminist frameworks validated that there is lack of awareness and understanding of RH c...

Archaeology and indigenous history of Native Amazonian peoples in the Upper Xingu region of Brazil reveal unexpectedly complex regional settlement patterns and large-scale transformations of local landscapes over the past millennium. Mapping and excavation of archaeological structures document pronounced human-induced alteration of the forest cover, particularly in relation to large, dense late...

INDIGENOUSNESS IS AN IDENTITY CONSTRUCTED, SHAPED AND LIVED in the politicized context of contemporary colonialism. The communities, clans, nations and tribes we call Indigenous peoples are just that: Indigenous to the lands they inhabit, in contrast to and in contention with the colonial societies and states that have spread out from Europe and other centres of empire. It is this oppositional,...

Indigenous peoples understand clearly the relationship between development for someone else, and their own underdevelopment. They also understand clearly the impacts of certain approaches to development on the environment and on the health of their peoples. For example, practices such as monoculture cash crop production, use of genetically modified seeds and mineral extraction lead to environme...

The notions of resilience that have emerged in developmental psychology and psychiatry in recent years require systematic rethinking to address the distinctive cultures, geographic and social settings, and histories of adversity of indigenous peoples. In Canada, the overriding social realities of indigenous peoples include their historical rootedness to a specific place (with traditional lands,...

BACKGROUND Structural violence shapes the health of Indigenous peoples globally, and is deeply embedded in history, individual and institutional racism, and inequitable social policies and practices. Many Indigenous communities have flourished, however, the impact of colonialism continues to have profound health effects for Indigenous peoples in Canada and internationally. Despite increasing ev...

The relationship between genetic resources, Traditional Knowledge (TK) and Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs) is among the most controversial agenda items in the negotiations of several international organisation. International debates about genetic resources and TK may have profound implications for indigenous and local communities. Yet, participation by local communities in the WTO and WIPO ...

Sanak Island is the easternmost of the Aleutian Islands and was inhabited by the Aleut (Unangan) peoples for nearly 7000 years. The past few centuries of Sanak Island life for its Aleut residents can be summarized from ethnohistoric documents and extensive interviews with former residents as shifting local-global economic patterns beginning with the sea otter fur trade, followed by cod and salm...

BACKGROUND Indigenous peoples often find it difficult to access appropriate mainstream primary health care services. Securing access to primary health care services requires more than just services that are situated within easy reach. Ensuring the accessibility of health care for Indigenous peoples who are often faced with a vast array of additional barriers including experiences of discriminat...