AlterNative: An International Journal of Indigenous Peoples

The official policy of the Soviet state toward nomadic populations was to change their way of life by implementation of enforced collective property (on reindeer), boarding school education, and the displacement of nomadic women to settlements. This policy, however, never totally succeeded in all the Nenets areas and among all groups; many Nenets people remain living in a nomadic community. Today, globalization in the form of modern technologies, industrial development, exploration of underground resources and climate changes are affecting the lives of the Nenets. This article draws from several ethnographic fieldwork surveys of nomadic Nenets families conducted between 2015-2017, within the area of the arctic tundra and among the Forest Nenets of Northern Russia. The author’s aim is to address one aspect of Nenets’s life impacted by modern globalization: their dwelling space. Their traditional dwelling, the “Mya” has been only marginally changed and is still in use in almost all the areas in which Nenets families and communities can be found. Can it be that the displacement of women, originally caused by official Soviet state policy, has also affected the sacred symbolism of the traditional Mya?

This article compares Western permaculture theory and practice with the indigenous agricultural system of the Kichwa-Lamistas in the Department of San Martin in High Amazon Peru. It draws on indigenous theory and collaborations with the Kichwa-Lamistas to argue that the bioculture of the latter represents an alternative not only to modern, industrialized agriculture but also to permaculture. The article profiles the agroecological system used by the Kichwa-Lamistas, which employs agroforestry, the use of anthropogenic Terra Preta soils, and other sustainable practices. Although both the Kichwa-Lamista chacra (farm) and the permaculture farm or garden represent, in theory, two forms of closed-loop, polycultural, agroforestry-based subsistence farming, we argue that the enactments of reciprocity and other spiritual components of Kichwa-Lamista bioculture constitute an alternative to permaculture’s rootedness in scientific, materialist, and universalist traditions, which ultimately treat the natural world as other.

Historical trauma is an important and growing area of research that provides crucial insights into the antecedents of current-day inequities in health and social wellbeing experienced by Indigenous people in colonial settler societies. What is not so readily examined is the flip side of historical trauma experienced by settlers and their descendants, what might be termed “historical privilege”. These historic acts of privilege for settlers, particularly those emigrating from Britain, provide the antecedents for the current-day realities for their descendants and the structural, institutional and interpersonal levels of advantage that are also a key feature of inequities between Indigenous and settler. This article theorises an explicit link between historical trauma and historical privilege and explores how the latter may be examined with particular reference to Aotearoa New Zealand. Three core elements of historical trauma are posited as a useful framework to apply to historical privilege.

Using traditional Western research methods to explore Indigenous perspectives has often been felt by the Indigenous people themselves to be inappropriate and ineffective in gathering information and promoting discussion. On the contrary, using traditional storytelling as a research method links Indigenous worldviews, shaping the approach of the research; the theoretical and conceptual frameworks; and the epistemology, methodology, and ethics. The aims of this article are to (a) explore the essential elements and the value of traditional storytelling for culturally appropriate Indigenous research; (b) develop a model of a collaborative community and university research alliance, looking at how to address community concerns and gather data that will inform decision-making and help the community prepare for the future; (c) build up and strengthen research capacity among Indigenous communities in collaboration with Indigenous Elders and Knowledge-holders; and (d) discuss how to more fully engage Indigenous people in the research process. In two case studies with Indigenous and immigrant communities in Canada and Bangladesh that are grounded in the relational ways of participatory action research, the author found that traditional storytelling as a research method could lead to culturally appropriate research, build trust between participants and researcher, build a bridge between Western and Indigenous research, and deconstruct meanings of research. The article ends with a discussion of the implications of using traditional storytelling in empowering both research participants and researcher.

In Indigenous culture, stories are a common repository of knowledge and facilitate the process of knowing. Māori academics (Indigenous to Aotearoa New Zealand) have developed approaches based on key principles of Māori research, oral traditions and narrative inquiry to express experiences as Māori. To extend this, a Māori approach called Kaupapa Kōrero was developed to gather, present and understand Māori experiences. The application of whakapapa (genealogy) as a relational analytical framework provided a way of identifying personal kōrero (stories) and integrating them within layers of interrelated kōrero about their whānau (family), te ao Māori (Māori culture) and society that influences contemporary experiences of being Māori. Whakapapa also enabled a cross-examination of kōrero and identification of common intersecting factors such as Māori ethnicity, age, parenting status and socioeconomic position. This Māori narrative approach revealed a more complex and nuanced understanding of the interrelatedness and influence of societal expectations, indigeneity, Māori culture and whānau.

Kaupapa Māori (by Māori, for Māori, with Māori) researchers have provided a space to undertake research that is culturally responsive, ensures the voices of Māori (Indigenous peoples of Aotearoa New Zealand) are heard, and challenges structural barriers to Māori health and wellbeing. This article describes my journey to develop a Kaupapa Māori methodology appropriate for exploring whānau (families) experiences following the harm or loss of their infant around birth. Guidance from key informants was sought and a Kaupapa Māori methodology was then developed based on their wisdom, expertise, and experience. The five components of this methodology are designed to keep all involved in this research safe: whānau (family), wāhi haumaru (providing a safe space), whakaaro (engaging in Māori philosophies), kaitiaki (being empathetic), and hononga (building and maintaining relationships). Researchers undertaking Kaupapa Māori research are invited to use this methodology, or follow a similar process to develop their own expert-informed methodology.

In New Zealand, the burden of obesity is greatest among Pacific people. However, targeted prevention strategies among Pacific communities are needed to learn about how to partner with indigenous groups to successfully apply such strategies. The aim of this study was to pilot the Pasifika Youth Empowerment Programme (YEP), which consisted of five interactive learning modules, among 15 Pasifika youth (18–24 years) from Wellington, New Zealand. This article describes the YEP methodology, to understand how to address obesity-related issues for Pasifika youth. At the completion of the YEP, the participants identified three causes of obesity relevant to Pasifika youth and developed preventative action plans targeting these causes: (a) poor diet, (b) lack of education, and (c) lack of physical activity. This study highlights that capacity and capability development of young people in understanding the key issues related to obesity is important to champion culturally acceptable strategies.

In recent decades, along with an increasing recognition of the unique place of Te iwi Māori in New Zealand society has come a search for a sense of belonging as a European New Zealander. This has opened the discourse for re-examination of the term Pākehā, and what that means in relation to Māori and to a national identity. The findings of several recent studies indicate that in the current socio-cultural context what it means to claim an identity as Pākehā is being redefined by individuals who engage extensively with Te Ao Māori. Based on the results of a study carried out by the author in 2013, this article examines the theoretical underpinnings of cultural identity transformation in relation to the experiences of individuals who have engaged extensively with Te Ao Māori, and discusses the implications of their definition of what it means to be Pākehā.

Sydney, Australia, is rarely seen as an Indigenous place, yet over 52,000 Indigenous people live here. “Indigeneity” persists in educational discourse as a remote phenomenon, but the research reveals otherwise for many Indigenous people who continue to live in Sydney. This is reflected in the contemporary lives of seven Dharug women who constitute the basis of a doctoral project. The seven women disclose how caring and connectivity to place and people continue to be important markers of belonging to Country in the city. This article also draws on Judith Butler’s work to investigate the conditions of possibility for sustained collaboration between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people in Sydney. Through a collaborative project between local Dharug artists and teacher education students, we find that cross-cultural understandings are built through vulnerabilities, as much as they are through reason. Shared vulnerability provides the conditions for meeting on Country, and “goanna walking” takes us there.

Obesity rates in Aotearoa/New Zealand continue to rise, and there is an urgent need for effective interventions. However, interventions designed for the general population tend to be less effective for Māori communities and may contribute to increased health inequities. We describe the integration of co-design and kaupapa Māori research approaches to design a mobile-phone delivered (mHealth) healthy lifestyle app that supports the health aspirations of Māori communities. The co-design approach empowered our communities to take an active role in the research. They described a holistic vision of health centred on family well-being and maintaining connections to people and place. Our resultant prototype app, OL@-OR@, includes content that would not have been readily envisaged by academic researchers used to adapting international research on behaviour change techniques to develop health interventions. We argue that this research approach should be considered best practice for developing health interventions targeting Māori communities in future.