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Indigenous Resilience and Indigenous Knowledge Systems in the context of Climate Change

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Environmental Sustainability and Applications".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 November 2020) | Viewed by 119302

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Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Graduate Institute of Environmental Education; and Center for Indigenous Research and Development, National Taiwan Normal University, Taipei, Taiwan
Interests: indigenous knowledge systems; sustainability science; island geography; environmental changes and sustainability

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Guest Editor
Graduate Institute of Humanities in Medicine, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan
Interests: cultural geography; political ecology; spiritual ecology; indigenous societies and development

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Guest Editor
Department of Geography, National Taiwan Normal University, Taipei, Taiwan
Interests: development geography; human geography; social forestry and ecotourism; political ecology

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The world is undergoing rapid environmental change, and different perspectives must be used to understand climate change and respond to environmental disasters brought about by climate change and other causes. Many national and international agencies have been exploring the use of indigenous and local knowledge as a source of adaptations and resilience in the face of rapid change. This Special Issue is a follow-up to a conference organized in Taipei in December 2019 to explore two interrelated themes: “Climate Change and Food Security: Indigenous Knowledge-based Responses and Actions” and “Climate Change and Post-Disaster Resilience in Indigenous Communities—10 Years after Typhoon Morakot”.

The Special Issue comprises mainly selected papers from the Taipei conference and contributed papers. We also solicit papers addressing the above areas, and regional and global perspectives pertinent to the relevant discourses. The overall aims are to (1) bring together what is known about indigenous and local knowledge for adaptation to climate change and for disaster management, and (2) generate a conversation among scholars, indigenous peoples, and policy-making agencies.

Prof. Dr. Huei-Min Tsai
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Yih-Ren Lin
Assist. Prof. Dr. Mucahid Mustafa Bayrak
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • Indigenous and local knowledge systems
  • Climate change
  • Disaster management
  • Resilience
  • Adaptation

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Published Papers (18 papers)

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Editorial

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17 pages, 1273 KiB  
Editorial
Indigenous Resilience to Disasters in Taiwan and Beyond
by Fikret Berkes, Huei-Min Tsai, Mucahid Mustafa Bayrak and Yih-Ren Lin
Sustainability 2021, 13(5), 2435; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13052435 - 24 Feb 2021
Cited by 19 | Viewed by 6409
Abstract
The world is undergoing rapid environmental change [...] Full article
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Research

Jump to: Editorial, Other

16 pages, 1605 KiB  
Article
Taiwanese Indigenous Cultural Heritage and Revitalization: Community Practices and Local Development
by Joyce Hsiu-yen Yeh, Su-chen Lin, Shu-chuan Lai, Ying-hao Huang, Chen Yi-fong, Yi-tze Lee and Fikret Berkes
Sustainability 2021, 13(4), 1799; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13041799 - 7 Feb 2021
Cited by 14 | Viewed by 11496
Abstract
The continuing interest and progress in indigenous communities and local economies based on traditional, cultural, and ecological knowledge contributes to indigenous resilience. Here we report on an ongoing collaborative project investigating the process of renewal of cultural heritage through strengthening the roots of [...] Read more.
The continuing interest and progress in indigenous communities and local economies based on traditional, cultural, and ecological knowledge contributes to indigenous resilience. Here we report on an ongoing collaborative project investigating the process of renewal of cultural heritage through strengthening the roots of indigenous cultural traditions of knowledge and practice, and the changing concepts of tradition. The project investigates the various mechanisms for conserving indigenous culture: How the heritage of indigenous culture is reconstructed; how this heritage is related to the social frame and practice of everyday life; how power intervention affects the contestation of heritage; and in the context of heritage contestation, how cultural heritage turns into economic capital in the tourism economy of the community. The project explores the process of cultural heritagization of indigenous traditional knowledge through six individual projects in the areas of food and edible heritage, ethnic revival, weaving, solidarity economy, cultural ecotourism, and indigenous agro-products. In addition, the project examines the establishment of a constructive dialogue between the “traditional future”, cultural heritage literature and local practice in the interest of the consolidation of alternative development. Full article
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15 pages, 1382 KiB  
Article
Indigenous Knowledge and Endogenous Actions for Building Tribal Resilience after Typhoon Soudelor in Northern Taiwan
by Su-Hsin Lee and Yin-Jen Chen
Sustainability 2021, 13(2), 506; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13020506 - 7 Jan 2021
Cited by 11 | Viewed by 3976
Abstract
Indigenous peoples often face significant vulnerabilities to climate risks, yet the capacity of a social-ecological system (SES) to resilience is abstracted from indigenous and local knowledge. This research explored how the Tayal people in the Wulai tribes located in typhoon disaster areas along [...] Read more.
Indigenous peoples often face significant vulnerabilities to climate risks, yet the capacity of a social-ecological system (SES) to resilience is abstracted from indigenous and local knowledge. This research explored how the Tayal people in the Wulai tribes located in typhoon disaster areas along Nanshi River used indigenous knowledge as tribal resilience. It applied empirical analysis from secondary data on disaster relief and in-depth interviews, demonstrating how indigenous people’s endogenous actions helped during post-disaster reconstructing. With the intertwined concepts of indigenous knowledge, SESs, and tribes’ cooperation, the result presented the endogenous actions for tribal resilience. In addition, indigenous knowledge is instigated by the Qutux Niqan of mutual assistance and symbiosis among the Wulai tribes, and there is a need to build joint cooperation through local residence, indigenous people living outside of their tribes, and religious or social groups. The findings of tribal resilience after a typhoon disaster of co-production in the Wulai, Lahaw, and Fushan tribes include the importance of historical context, how indigenous people turn to their local knowledge rather than just only participating in disaster relief, and how they produce indigenous tourism for indigenous knowledge inheritance. The paper contributes to contemporary tribal resilience research as well as cooperation actions among tribes through indigenous knowledge, all of which exhibit social, nature, and economy resilience from their own indigenous knowledge to address the possibility of governance and disaster adaptation. Full article
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27 pages, 24103 KiB  
Article
Global Climate Change and Indigenous Peoples in Taiwan: A Critical Bibliometric Analysis and Review
by Mucahid Mustafa Bayrak, Yi-Ya Hsu, Li-San Hung, Huei-Min Tsai and tibusungu ‘e vayayana
Sustainability 2021, 13(1), 29; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13010029 - 22 Dec 2020
Cited by 13 | Viewed by 9476
Abstract
In recent years, the subject of Indigenous peoples and global climate change adaptation has become a rapidly growing area of international study. Despite this trend, Taiwan, home to many Indigenous communities, has received relatively little attention. To date, no comprehensive review of the [...] Read more.
In recent years, the subject of Indigenous peoples and global climate change adaptation has become a rapidly growing area of international study. Despite this trend, Taiwan, home to many Indigenous communities, has received relatively little attention. To date, no comprehensive review of the literature on Taiwan’s Indigenous peoples and global climate change has been conducted. Therefore, this article presents a bibliometric analysis and literature review of both domestic and international studies on Taiwan’s Indigenous peoples in relation to resilience, climate change, and climate shocks in the 10-year period after Typhoon Morakot (2009). We identified 111 domestic and international peer-reviewed articles and analyzed their presentation of the current state of knowledge, geographical and temporal characteristics, and Indigenous representation. Most studies were discovered to focus on post-disaster recovery, particularly within the context of Typhoon Morakot, as well as Indigenous cultures, ecological wisdom, and community development. This study also discovered relatively few studies investigating how traditional ecological knowledge systems can be integrated into climate change adaptation. Most studies also adopted a somewhat narrow focus on Indigenous resilience. Large-scale quantitative and longitudinal studies are found to be in their infancy. We observed a geographical skewness among the studies in favor of southern Taiwan and relatively limited engagement with contemporary studies on Indigenous peoples and climate change. We furthermore determined a large overlap between the destruction path of Morakot and study sites in the articles. Indigenous scholars have managed to find a voice among domestic and international outlets, and an increasing number of scholars have argued for more culturally sensitive approaches to post-disaster recovery and disaster management in Taiwan. Full article
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15 pages, 321 KiB  
Article
Understandings, Practices and Human-Environment Relationships—A Meta-Ethnographic Analysis of Local and Indigenous Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation Strategies in Selected Pacific Island States
by Janne von Seggern
Sustainability 2021, 13(1), 11; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13010011 - 22 Dec 2020
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 3892
Abstract
Local and Indigenous knowledge systems worldwide indicate adaptation and mitigation strategies to climate change. Particularly in regions that are massively affected by climatic changes, such as the Pacific Island States, there is a need for increased and combined research on the role which [...] Read more.
Local and Indigenous knowledge systems worldwide indicate adaptation and mitigation strategies to climate change. Particularly in regions that are massively affected by climatic changes, such as the Pacific Island States, there is a need for increased and combined research on the role which these knowledge systems can play internationally. For this reason, this article provides a synthesis of empirical results and approaches to local and Indigenous climate change adaptation and mitigation strategies in selected South Pacific Island States by using a meta-ethnographic approach. The reviewed literature is associated with the sub-disciplinary perspective of the Anthropology of Climate Change. The results of the meta-ethnographic analysis are discussed based on three thematic focal points: First, the empirical ground of local understandings of climate change and its theoretical conceptualization(s) are constituted. Second, the results of practices for adaptation to climate change are synthesized and presented in detail throughout one example. Third, the synthesis of climate change mitigation practices is outlined with a specific focus on human-environment relationships. Full article
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22 pages, 4546 KiB  
Article
Situating Indigenous Resilience: Climate Change and Tayal’s “Millet Ark” Action in Taiwan
by Yih-Ren Lin, Pagung Tomi, Hsinya Huang, Chia-Hua Lin and Ysanne Chen
Sustainability 2020, 12(24), 10676; https://doi.org/10.3390/su122410676 - 21 Dec 2020
Cited by 15 | Viewed by 7255
Abstract
Whereas indigenous people are on the frontlines of global environmental challenges such as climate change, biodiversity loss, and numerous other forms of critical planetary deterioration, the indigenous experiences, responses, and cultural practices have been underestimated in the mainstream frameworks of environmental studies. This [...] Read more.
Whereas indigenous people are on the frontlines of global environmental challenges such as climate change, biodiversity loss, and numerous other forms of critical planetary deterioration, the indigenous experiences, responses, and cultural practices have been underestimated in the mainstream frameworks of environmental studies. This paper aims to articulate a meaningful response to recent calls to indigenous and local knowledge on food as a source of resilience in the face of global climate change. By retrieving the values and practices indigenous people of Taiwan, specifically Tayal women, associate with human and non-human ecologies, our collaborative work with the indigenous community explores indigenous resilience and its relevance to indigenous cultural knowledge and global environmental concerns. Pivoting on the “Millet Ark” action, a Tayal conservation initiative of the bio-cultural diversity of millets, this study revolves around issues of how Tayal communities adapt to the climate change, how to reclaim their voice, heritage, knowledge, place, and land through food, and how to narrate indigenous “counter-stories” of resilience and sustainability. The cultural narrative of “Millet Ark” investigates indigenous way of preserving millet bio-cultural diversity and restoring the land and community heritage, inquiring into how Tayal people are adaptive and resilient to change and therefore sustainable through the cultural and social life of millets. Full article
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11 pages, 2107 KiB  
Article
Adaptation to Extreme Hydrological Events by Javanese Society through Local Knowledge
by Muhamad Khoiru Zaki, Keigo Noda, Kengo Ito, Komariah Komariah, Sumani Sumani and Masateru Senge
Sustainability 2020, 12(24), 10373; https://doi.org/10.3390/su122410373 - 11 Dec 2020
Cited by 19 | Viewed by 3142
Abstract
Understanding the effects of local knowledge on actions and decisions taken during a crisis is important; empirical studies and scientific data can be instructive to this end. This study integrated local knowledge (Pranata Mangsa) in Jawa, Indonesia, with scientific data on [...] Read more.
Understanding the effects of local knowledge on actions and decisions taken during a crisis is important; empirical studies and scientific data can be instructive to this end. This study integrated local knowledge (Pranata Mangsa) in Jawa, Indonesia, with scientific data on diurnal rainfall, extreme precipitation events, using the Local and Indigenous Knowledge System (LINKS). The results showed that Pranata Mangsa has informed aspects of agriculture including crop calendars, crop patterns, and farming activities, for over 1000 years in Jawa. Pranata Mangsa also enhances community resilience by mitigating the effects of extreme droughts; this finding was validated using scientific data. Full article
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19 pages, 9924 KiB  
Article
Decolonizing Methodologies, Situated Resilience, and Country: Insights from Tayal Country, Taiwan
by Yayut Yishiuan Chen
Sustainability 2020, 12(22), 9751; https://doi.org/10.3390/su12229751 - 23 Nov 2020
Cited by 9 | Viewed by 3241
Abstract
This paper addresses the methodological challenges of working with Indigenous peoples in the Anthropocene. Drawing from the author’s geographical fieldwork with Tayal people, one of sixteen nationally recognized Indigenous groups in Taiwan, it argues that ontological shift is required in the dominant ways [...] Read more.
This paper addresses the methodological challenges of working with Indigenous peoples in the Anthropocene. Drawing from the author’s geographical fieldwork with Tayal people, one of sixteen nationally recognized Indigenous groups in Taiwan, it argues that ontological shift is required in the dominant ways of thinking about resilience research. After reviewing a well-adopted Australian custom called ‘Acknowledgement of Country’, the paper addresses the concept of Indigenizing methodology and mobilizing the concepts of ‘Country’ and ‘situated resilience’ in Tayal settings. Finally, the paper proposes methodological principles for better engaging Indigenous knowledge in a more-than-human world on an ethical and constructive basis, as well as its implications for resilience research. Full article
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34 pages, 1617 KiB  
Article
Adapting to Climate Change in Semi-Arid Rural Areas: A Case of the Limpopo Basin Part of Botswana
by Ephias Mugari, Hillary Masundire and Maitseo Bolaane
Sustainability 2020, 12(20), 8292; https://doi.org/10.3390/su12208292 - 9 Oct 2020
Cited by 11 | Viewed by 4842
Abstract
Climate change and anthropogenic pressure are increasingly modifying and interfering with ecosystem functions and limiting the delivery of ecosystem products, livelihoods, and adaptive response capacity in many developing countries. We identify measures by which local people in the semi-arid Limpopo Basin part of [...] Read more.
Climate change and anthropogenic pressure are increasingly modifying and interfering with ecosystem functions and limiting the delivery of ecosystem products, livelihoods, and adaptive response capacity in many developing countries. We identify measures by which local people in the semi-arid Limpopo Basin part of Botswana are responding to climate change and fluctuations in ecosystem products and examine socio-economic attributes of households influencing their adoption and discuss their adequacy. Our study used a case study of Bobirwa sub-district and employed key informant and household interviews to collect qualitative and quantitative data. Thematic analysis was used to analyze textural data from key informant interviews while frequencies, proportions, and Chi-squared tests were used to analyze the adoption of different strategies. A multinomial logit (MNL) regression was used to analyze the influence of several social, demographic, and economic attributes of households on household adaptation choices. We attributed the high adoption of on-farm adaptations to the simultaneous influence of more severe droughts and the free input support through the government’s Integrated Support Programme for Arable Agriculture (ISPAAD). Our findings suggest that current adaptations were inadequate and implementation of the ISPAAD programme required fine-tuning to be more effective. Results of the MNL regression provide critical information on the barriers and enablers of adaptation in the sub-district yet offer important entry points for improving current adaptations. Therefore, the government needs to put measures that encourage investments in the processing of ecosystem products in rural areas to broaden the livelihood base and possibly reduce overdependence on rainfed agriculture. However, the extent to which this can be achieved depends on the level of government commitment to supporting local initiatives to addressing the climate change threat. Full article
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23 pages, 4430 KiB  
Article
Knowledge and Practices of Indigenous Peoples in the Context of Resource Management in Relation to Climate Change in Southeast Asia
by Gerard A. Persoon and Tessa Minter
Sustainability 2020, 12(19), 7983; https://doi.org/10.3390/su12197983 - 26 Sep 2020
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 13842
Abstract
In this article, we document how four indigenous peoples in insular Southeast Asia (Indonesia and the Philippines) have reacted to external interventions and discuss to what extent climate change has been a factor in the adjustment of their way of life. All groups [...] Read more.
In this article, we document how four indigenous peoples in insular Southeast Asia (Indonesia and the Philippines) have reacted to external interventions and discuss to what extent climate change has been a factor in the adjustment of their way of life. All groups share a similar environment, that is tropical low land rainforest. However, their traditional modes of exploitation of this environment vary, which can be ascribed to specific geographical and cultural characteristics. In recent years, these indigenous peoples have faced encroachment of their lands through logging and mining activities and the arrival of migrants looking for arable lands. They have developed various ways to cope with the changing conditions, ranging from efforts to retreat into the remaining rainforest to increased resource extraction and losing a long-term interest in the sustainability of their home territory. The younger generation seems to take a different stand towards their future in relation to their natural environment and the way of life of their ancestors. Though there can be no doubt about climate change in the context of insular Southeast Asia, this change is difficult to differentiate from the cumulative environmental impacts brought about by other forms of anthropogenic change, notably forest degradation. Examples that will be discussed in this article are the Agta of Northeastern Luzon in the Philippines, and the Orang Rimba, the Mentawaians, and the Ngaju Dayak in Indonesia. Full article
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21 pages, 10576 KiB  
Article
Shuttling between Land and Sea: Contemporary Practices among Amis Spearfishing Men as a Foundation for Local Marine-Area Management
by Futuru C. L. Tsai
Sustainability 2020, 12(18), 7770; https://doi.org/10.3390/su12187770 - 20 Sep 2020
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 3420
Abstract
This paper explores how the Amis people on the east coast of Taiwan who practice freediving spearfishing manage the local marine area. Among the coastal Amis people, freediving spearfishing is not only a way of life but is also closely related to ritual [...] Read more.
This paper explores how the Amis people on the east coast of Taiwan who practice freediving spearfishing manage the local marine area. Among the coastal Amis people, freediving spearfishing is not only a way of life but is also closely related to ritual ceremonies. Amis spearfishing men are knowledgeable of the near-shore sea and coast, and the practice of spearfishing collectively cultivates their ability to deal with both public affairs and human relations in the community. However, the Taiwanese government regards spearfishing guns as weapons and restricts them. Furthermore, the assumption that spearfishing destroys the coral ecosystem and fishery resources means that the practice is often demonized or increasingly restrained. In this paper, I argue that local marine Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) among Amis spearfishing men can be the foundation for local marine conservation under the concept of community-based natural-resource management (CBNRM), involving both the local Amis community and the government, in spite of both parties still having their own issues to overcome. Full article
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18 pages, 2231 KiB  
Article
Resilience for Whom? A Case Study of Taiwan Indigenous People’s Struggle in the Pursuit of Social-Ecological Resilience
by Hsing-Sheng Tai
Sustainability 2020, 12(18), 7472; https://doi.org/10.3390/su12187472 - 10 Sep 2020
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 4307
Abstract
While the notion of social-ecological system resilience is widely accepted and applied, the issue of “resilience for whom” is clearly ignored. This phenomenon has also occurred in Taiwan. This article explores the roots of, and a possible solution to, this issue through a [...] Read more.
While the notion of social-ecological system resilience is widely accepted and applied, the issue of “resilience for whom” is clearly ignored. This phenomenon has also occurred in Taiwan. This article explores the roots of, and a possible solution to, this issue through a case study in the context of Taiwan’s indigenous peoples. The Danungdafu area, the focal social-ecological system, was studied. Qualitative research methods and an action-oriented research approach were employed. For a long period, the central government shaped the political, economic, social, institutional, and ecological contexts; dominated resilience discourses and determined the problem-framing and problem-solving agenda; defined the scale and levels at which social-ecological system governance issues were addressed; and determined the knowledge system used to define and solve problems. After 2011, a new participatory governance regime emerged. Multiple stakeholders, including indigenous communities, began to contribute to resilience discourses and influenced governance and trade-offs among differing governance goals. However, under the established structures dominated by Han people, indigenous views, rights, and well-being continue to be ignored. Affirmative action is required to recognize and safeguard indigenous rights. A practical institutional pathway is available to facilitate the transformation from “resilience for mainstream society” to “resilience for indigenous people” in indigenous territories. Full article
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24 pages, 5751 KiB  
Article
Sinking Islands, Drowned Logic; Climate Change and Community-Based Adaptation Discourses in Solomon Islands
by Jan van der Ploeg, Meshach Sukulu, Hugh Govan, Tessa Minter and Hampus Eriksson
Sustainability 2020, 12(17), 7225; https://doi.org/10.3390/su12177225 - 3 Sep 2020
Cited by 17 | Viewed by 12049
Abstract
The saltwater people of Solomon Islands are often portrayed to be at the frontline of climate change. In media, policy, and development discourses, the erosion and abandonment of the small, man-made islands along the coast of Malaita is attributed to climate change induced [...] Read more.
The saltwater people of Solomon Islands are often portrayed to be at the frontline of climate change. In media, policy, and development discourses, the erosion and abandonment of the small, man-made islands along the coast of Malaita is attributed to climate change induced sea-level rise. This paper investigates this sinking islands narrative, and argues that a narrow focus on the projected impacts of climate change distracts attention and resources from more pressing environmental and development problems that are threatening rural livelihoods. Full article
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16 pages, 261 KiB  
Article
Decolonizing People, Place and Country: Nurturing Resilience across Time and Space
by Richard Howitt
Sustainability 2020, 12(15), 5882; https://doi.org/10.3390/su12155882 - 22 Jul 2020
Cited by 37 | Viewed by 7379
Abstract
Indigenous peoples are easily classified as either dangerously vulnerable or inherently resilient to climate risks. There are elements of truth in both categorical statements. Yet neither is completely true. Indigenous vulnerability and resilience, and Indigenous groups’ adaptive responses to climate change, need to [...] Read more.
Indigenous peoples are easily classified as either dangerously vulnerable or inherently resilient to climate risks. There are elements of truth in both categorical statements. Yet neither is completely true. Indigenous vulnerability and resilience, and Indigenous groups’ adaptive responses to climate change, need to be understood in the messy contexts of lived experience, rather than either elegant social theories or didactic ideological politics. Climate change action and research needs to acknowledge and engage with the knowledges, ontologies and experiences of diverse Indigenous groups, along with the specific histories, geographies and impacts of colonization, and their consequences for both the colonized and colonizers. Climate change action and research needs to be integrated into wider de-colonial projects as the transformative impacts of anthropogenic climate change are inadequately addressed within both colonial and post-colonial frames. Negotiating respectful modes of belonging-together-in-Country to reshape people-to-people, people-to-environment and people-to-cosmos relationships in Indigenous domains is essential in responding to planetary scale changes in coupled human and natural systems. This paper outlines an approach that nurtures Indigenous self-determination and inter-generational healing to rethink the geopolitics of Indigenous resilience, vulnerability and adaptation in an era of climate change and the resurgence of Great Power geopolitics. Full article
18 pages, 3414 KiB  
Article
Rebuilding Relocated Tribal Communities Better via Culture: Livelihood and Social Resilience for Disaster Risk Reduction
by Pei-Shan Sonia Lin and Wei-Cheng Lin
Sustainability 2020, 12(11), 4538; https://doi.org/10.3390/su12114538 - 3 Jun 2020
Cited by 13 | Viewed by 5642
Abstract
Building back better is the goal of post-disaster recovery. However, most of the extant literature focuses on hardware reconstruction and there is a lack of attention on the social aspect of recovery. This study aims to understand the role of culture in the [...] Read more.
Building back better is the goal of post-disaster recovery. However, most of the extant literature focuses on hardware reconstruction and there is a lack of attention on the social aspect of recovery. This study aims to understand the role of culture in the recovery process of relocating indigenous communities through tourism livelihood. A Tsou indigenous settlement, relocated after the 2009 Typhoon Morakot in Taiwan, was used as a case study. Field data were collected through participant observations in tourism and community activities as well as semi-structured interviews over a period of 15 months. The study found that appealing to a relocated tribe’s culture, not their land, as their community’s foundation could reduce conflicts within the community and increase social resilience. Indigenous culture-based tourism could serve as an important source of livelihood for such tribes, supporting long-term development. This study highlights community-based cultural tourism as a post-disaster livelihood revival approach which is beneficial for a resilient recovery. Culture could reduce disaster risk through a transformation to a livelihood source and further become the base of community resilience. Instead of promoting detached culture preservation, this study argues that a livelihood-relevant culturally innovative transformation could create a win–win situation for both post-disaster community recovery and culture inheritance. Full article
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Other

Jump to: Editorial, Research

2 pages, 166 KiB  
Reply
Reply to Karjanto, N. Revisiting Indigenous Wisdom of Javanese Pranata mangsa. Comment on “Zaki et al. Adaptation to Extreme Hydrological Events by Javanese Society through Local Knowledge. Sustainability 2020, 12, 10373”
by Muhamad Khoiru Zaki, Keigo Noda, Kengo Ito, Komariah Komariah, Sumani Sumani and Masateru Senge
Sustainability 2022, 14(16), 9849; https://doi.org/10.3390/su14169849 - 10 Aug 2022
Viewed by 995
Abstract
We have rectified the list of ethnic groups in Java, which should include Madurese and the often neglected, forgotten, and stigmatized Chinese Indonesians [...] Full article
5 pages, 211 KiB  
Comment
Revisiting Indigenous Wisdom of Javanese Pranata mangsa. Comment on Zaki et al. Adaptation to Extreme Hydrological Events by Javanese Society through Local Knowledge. Sustainability 2020, 12, 10373
by Natanael Karjanto
Sustainability 2022, 14(15), 9632; https://doi.org/10.3390/su14159632 - 5 Aug 2022
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1631
Abstract
This comment is on a paper by Zaki et al., who examined whether an effective agricultural system can be attained through the local wisdom of Pranata mangsa and its relationship to contemporary efforts in climate change adaptation, as positing Pranata mangsa as a [...] Read more.
This comment is on a paper by Zaki et al., who examined whether an effective agricultural system can be attained through the local wisdom of Pranata mangsa and its relationship to contemporary efforts in climate change adaptation, as positing Pranata mangsa as a strategy for recovery from natural disasters. In particular, the paper addresses the site-selection methodology of the four sample cities selected in their study of severe hydrological events by assessing the local and scientific knowledge. Pranata mangsa (the arrangement of seasons) is a local knowledge based on a calendrical system utilized historically by Javanese peasant farmers in conducting their agricultural activities. This indigenous wisdom is also employed by traditional fishermen to guide them not only in capturing fish and other aquatic animals but also in predicting the type of seafood they might gather. Although native Javanese people possess and maintain their own calendrical system based on a combination of solar and lunar calendars, Pranata mangsa is solely based on the former and is verbally passed on from one generation to the next. The literature has confirmed that, by combining this local wisdom and scientific data, the Javanese community has a better resilience in adapting to extreme hydrological events that occur as a consequence of global warming and climate change. Full article
11 pages, 200 KiB  
Essay
Indigenous Science, Climate Change, and Indigenous Community Building: A Framework of Foundational Perspectives for Indigenous Community Resilience and Revitalization
by Gregory A. Cajete
Sustainability 2020, 12(22), 9569; https://doi.org/10.3390/su12229569 - 17 Nov 2020
Cited by 35 | Viewed by 11203
Abstract
This essay presents an overview of foundational considerations and perceptions which collectively form a framework for thinking about Indigenous community building in relationship to the tasks of addressing the real challenges, social issues, and consequences of climate change. The ideas shared are based [...] Read more.
This essay presents an overview of foundational considerations and perceptions which collectively form a framework for thinking about Indigenous community building in relationship to the tasks of addressing the real challenges, social issues, and consequences of climate change. The ideas shared are based on a keynote address given by the author at the International Conference on Climate Change, Indigenous Resilience and Local Knowledge Systems: Cross-time and Cross-boundary Perspectives held at the National Taiwan University on 13–14 December 2019. The primary audience for this essay is Indigenous Peoples and allies of Indigenous Peoples who are actively involved in climate change studies, sustainable community building, and education. As such, it presents the author’s personal view of key orientations for shifting current paradigms by introducing an Indigenized conceptual framework of community building which can move Indigenous communities toward revitalization and renewal through strategically implementing culturally responsive Indigenous science education, engaging sustainable economics and sustainability studies. As an Indigenous scholar who has maintained an insider perspective and has worked extensively with community members around issues of culturally responsive science education, the author challenges all concerned to take Indigenous science seriously as an ancient body of applied knowledge for sustaining communities and ensuring survival over time and through generations. The author also challenges readers to initiate new thinking about how to use Indigenous science, community building, and education as a tool and a body of knowledge which may be integrated with appropriate forms of Western science in new and creative ways that serve to sustain and ensure survival rather than perpetuate unexamined Western business paradigms of community development. Full article
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