Matrilineal Spirits,Descent and Territorial Power in Northern Thailand

This paper examines matrilineal spirits (phii puu nyaa) in northern Thailand based on field research recently undertaken in a village in Chiang Mai province. The paper suggests that the puu nyaa spirits remain locally significant—despite previous statements about their demise—and that matrilineal linkages are ideologically and practically important in the constitution of the groups. Nevertheless, there are alternative points of reference—to fathers, spouses and localities—that can attenuate attachments to matrilineal kin and introduce alternative sources of spiritual power. It becomes clear that phii puu nyaa spirit beliefs and practices are malleable and provide a basis for various orientations to spiritual power. The intermingling of different types of spiritual power is well illustrated by the presence of protective spirits locally referred to as aahak. In local perception, there is a very close relationship between phii puu nyaa and aahak, but the two entities appear to reflect quite different orientations: in simple terms the aahak represent a masculine, territorial and outward looking form of power which is contrasted with the female‐focused and lineage‐derived potency of the puu nyaa spirits. The paper argues that the outward orientation of the aahak provides some valuable insights into local perceptions of power, demonstrating how the supposedly peripheral and parochial draws regional power into more intimate domains.     

Women care about local knowledge, experiences from ethnomycology

ABSTRACT: Gender is one of the main variables that influence the distribution of local knowledge. We carried out a literature review concerning local mycological knowledge, paying special attention to data concerning women's knowledge and comparative gender data. We found that unique features of local mycological knowledge allow people to successfully manage mushrooms. Women are involved in every stage of mushroom utilization from collection to processing and marketing. Local mycological knowledge includes the use mushrooms as food, medicine, and recreational objects as well as an aid to seasonal household economies. In many regions of the world, women are often the main mushroom collectors and possess a vast knowledge about mushroom taxonomy, biology, and ecology. Local experts play a vital role in the transmission of local mycological knowledge. Women participate in the diffusion of this knowledge as well as in its enrichment through innovation. Female mushroom collectors appreciate their mycological knowledge and pursue strategies and organization to reproduce it in their communities. Women mushroom gatherers are conscious of their knowledge, value its contribution in their subsistence systems, and proudly incorporate it in their cultural identity.     

Traditional medicinal plant knowledge and use by local healers in Sekoru District, Jimma Zone, Southwestern Ethiopia

The knowledge and use of medicinal plant species by traditional healers was investigated in Sekoru District, Jimma Zone, Southwestern Ethiopia from December 2005 to November 2006. Traditional healers of the study area were selected randomly and interviewed with the help of translators to gather information on the knowledge and use of medicinal plants used as a remedy for human ailments in the study area. In the current study, it was reported that 27 plant species belonging to 27 genera and 18 families were commonly used to treat various human ailments. Most of these species (85.71%) were wild and harvested mainly for their leaves (64.52%). The most cited ethnomedicinal plant species wasAlysicarpus quartinianus A. Rich., whose roots and leaves were reported by traditional healers to be crushed in fresh and applied as a lotion on the lesions of patients ofAbiato (Shererit). No significant correlation was observed between the age of traditional healers and the number of species reported and the indigenous knowledge transfer was found to be similar. More than one medicinal plant species were used more frequently than the use of a single species for remedy preparations. Plant parts used for remedy preparations showed significant difference with medicinal plant species abundance in the study area.     

Seahorses in focus: local ecological knowledge of seahorse-watching operators in a tropical estuary

Background

Seahorses are endangered teleost fishes under increasing human pressures worldwide. In Brazil, marine conservationists and policy-makers are thus often skeptical about the viability of sustainable human-seahorse interactions. This study focuses on local ecological knowledge on seahorses and the implications of their non-lethal touristic use by a coastal community in northeastern Brazil. Community-based seahorse-watching activities have been carried out in Maracaípe village since 1999, but remained uninvestigated until the present study. Our goal is to provide ethnoecological understanding on this non-extractive use to support seahorse conservation and management.

Methods

We interviewed 32 informants through semi-structured questionnaires to assess their socioeconomic profile, their knowledge on seahorse natural history traits, human uses, threats and abundance trends.

Results

Seahorse-watching has high socioeconomic relevance, being the primary income source for all respondents. Interviewees elicited a body of knowledge on seahorse biology largely consistent with up-to-date research literature. Most informants (65.5 %) perceived no change in seahorse abundance. Their empirical knowledge often surpassed scientific reports, i.e. through remarks on trophic ecology; reproductive aspects, such as, behavior and breeding season; spatial and temporal distribution, suggesting seahorse migration related to environmental parameters.

Conclusions

Seahorse-watching operators were aware of seahorse biological and ecological aspects. Despite the gaps remaining on biological data about certain seahorse traits, the respondents provided reliable information on all questions, adding ethnoecological remarks not yet assessed by conventional scientific surveys. We provide novel ethnobiological insight on non-extractive modes of human-seahorse interaction, eliciting environmental policies to integrate seahorse conservation with local ecological knowledge and innovative ideas for seahorse sustainable use. Our study resonates with calls for more active engagement with communities and their local ecologies if marine conservation and development are to be reconciled.

     

《生物多样性公约》传统知识议题的背景、进展与趋势

传统知识之所以成为《生物多样性公约》等国际公约的热点议题,主要源于其重要的研究价值、经济潜力以及特定的社会历史背景.《生物多样性公约》签署至今,在传统知识议题方面取得了许多进展,如:设立专门的传统知识工作组,为履行公约相关条款制定了工作方案和行动计划,推动特殊制度的谈判,达成一系列道德行为准则,以及通过了《生物多样性公约关于获取遗传资源和公正公平分享其利用所产生惠益的名古屋议定书》.根据公约第十次和第十一次缔约方大会达成的相关决议,习惯性可持续利用(customary sustainable use)、特殊制度(sui generis systems)、传统知识归还(repatriation)等将成为今后传统知识谈判的重点.我国需要加强生物多样性保护和知识产权等主管部门之间的协作,协调我国在不同国际法框架中传统知识议题的谈判立场;还需要开展习惯性可持续利用、特殊制度体系、传统知识就地或者活态保护(living protection)的研究.     

Affinity purification of the novel cysteine proteinase papaya proteinase IV, and papain from papaya latex.

A procedure is described for the purification of a previously undetected cysteine proteinase, which we have called papaya proteinase IV, from spray-dried latex of the papaya (Carica papaya) plant. The purification involves affinity chromatography on Gly-Phe-aminoacetonitrile linked to CH-Sepharose 4B, with elution by 2-hydroxyethyl disulphide at pH 4.5. The product thus obtained is a mixture of almost fully active papain and papay proteinase IV, which are then separated by cation-exchange chromatography. A preliminary characterization of papaya proteinase IV showed it to be very similar to chymopapain in both molecular size and charge. However, the new enzyme is immunologically distinct from the previously characterized cysteine proteinases of papaya latex. It also differs in its lack of activity against the synthetic substrates of the other papaya proteinases, in its narrow specificity against protein substrates and its lack of inhibition by chicken cystatin. Papaya proteinase IV is abundant, contributing almost 30% of the protein in spray-dried papaya latex, and contamination of chymopapain preparations with this enzyme may account for some of the previously reported heterogeneity of chymopapain.     

Recent progress in Bacillus subtilis spore-surface display: concept,progress, and future

With the increased knowledge on spore structure and advances in biotechnology engineering, the newly developed spore-surface display system confers several inherent advantages over other microbial cell-surface display systems including enhanced stability and high safety. Bacillus subtilis is the most commonly used Bacillus species for spore-surface display. The expression of heterologous antigen or protein on the surface of B. subtilis spores has now been practiced for over a decade with noteworthy success. As an update and supplement to other previous reviews, we comprehensively summarize recent studies in the B. subtilis spore-surface display technique. We focus on its benefits as well as the critical factors affecting its display efficiency and offer suggestions for the future success of this field.

     

Cyanogenesis in glucosinolate-producing plants: Carica papaya and Carica quercifolia

(R)-2-(beta-D-Glucopyranosyloxy)-2-phenylacetonitrile (prunasin) was isolated from Carica papaya L. and C. quercifolia (A. St.-Hil.) Hieron. (syn. C. hastata Brign.). Earlier reported presence of cyclopentanoid cyanohydrin glycosides in C. papaya could not be confirmed, and no cyclopentanoid amino acids could be detected in extracts of C. papaya and C. quercifolia. Conversion of [2,3,4,5,6-3H]phenylalanine into tritiated prunasin was demonstrated in both species. On the other hand, when the plants were administered [2-14C]-2-(2'cyclopentenyl)glycine, extracted, and the extracts hydrolyzed with beta-glucosidase (Helix pomatia), formation of labelled cyanide was not observed. The absence of cyclopentanoids, which are typical for the Passifloraceae, and the inability of Carica species to utilize 2-(2'-cyclopentenyl)glycine as a precursor of cyanogenic glycosides are in agreement with the relative phylogenetic position of the Caricaceae and the Passifloraceae. Carica species are thus rare examples of taxa in which glucosinolates and cyanogenic glycosides co-occur, both types of natural products being derived from the same amino acid, phenylalanine.     

Trends and prospects for local knowledge in ecological and conservation research and monitoring

Local ecological knowledge (LEK) of those who earn their livelihoods from natural environments has long been recognized as providing far-reaching insights into ecological processes. It is being increasingly used by ecologists to address diverse questions that often focus on applied conservation issues and may incorporate local knowledge with biological data from more conventional research and monitoring. We characterize how LEK has been used in the ecological and conservation literature over the last 25 years by broadly examining 360 journals and by evaluating 12 prominent ecological and conservation journals in greater detail. Over this period, the use of LEK has increased considerably, although only 0.01% of papers in the broad and 0.42% of those in the more detailed evaluation incorporated LEK. Despite this increase, LEK-based publications remain nearly absent from the more established theoretical literature and are largely restricted to more recent and arguably less prestigious applied and interdisciplinary journals. Most LEK studies used interviews, but generally failed to actively include community members in the research process. Changes to the research and publishing process that include local people and address these shortcomings and the broader issues of power and influence in the sciences are critical to the successful utilization of LEK. These changes are necessary for the appropriate depiction of these knowledge systems and to ensure that local knowledge holders will continue participating in ecological research aimed at conservation.     

The missing wetlands: using local ecological knowledge to find cryptic ecosystems

Small, temporally dynamic, biologically diverse isolated wetlands are among the most imperiled ecosystems, yet their conservation is hindered by lack of protective legislation and mapping. As part of an effort to better understand isolated wetland ecology in an area undergoing dramatic land use change, we mapped isolated wetlands in South Carolina’s Piedmont and Blue Ridge regions using remote sensing and local ecological knowledge (LEK). Remote detection of isolated wetlands was limited by digital resource resolution, topography, and wetland size. LEK was the most useful tool for locating small isolated wetlands. We sampled 10% of the study area using LEK and discovered 44 wetlands with “isolated” characteristics, none of which had been identified by remote sensing. Only 8 of 44 wetlands found through LEK could be identified using remote sensing after their discovery. LEK fills a gap in cryptic ecosystem detection when adequate remotely sensed data are not available. Though effective, using LEK is neither as rapid nor as repeatable as remote sensing. We suggest a two-pronged approach for finding cryptic ecosystems: remote sensing coupled with LEK where data resolution is inadequate. For remote detection of isolated wetlands, we suggest a minimum resolution of 0.33 m for Color Infrared, leaf-off, high-water photography. Despite great advances in remote sensing, data are not uniformly available worldwide and LEK may serve as an effective tool for locating cryptic resources for biodiversity conservation. Mapping cryptic resources will allow for more accurate resource and biodiversity conservation planning under current and future climate scenarios.     

Ethnoecology and conservation in protected natural areas: incorporating local knowledge in Superagui National Park management.

The majority of protected natural areas in Brazil were created in coastal areas inhabited by humans for centuries. However, legal protection has triggered a series of conflicts involving human settlements in these areas. To overcome part of these problems, ethnoecological studies have been conducted in order to discover what is known by local indigenous communities with respect to the land, its natural cycles, occurrence and abundance of animal species, and their use. This knowledge, coupled with that acquired in dealing with current situations that negatively affect the quality of life, is useful in protected natural-area planning and management. To that end, the present study proposes environmental education based on ethnoscientific methods, designed to facilitate the maintenance of sociodiversity in the Superagui National Park.     

Whisky,women and song: men,alcohol and AIDS in northern Thailand

Biomedical analyses are primarily concerned with the disinhibiting effects of alcohol and the consequent increased likelihood of engaging in high-risk sexual behavior. However, such an approach ignores indigenous constructions of drinking behavior and sexuality. In northern Thailand, alcohol drinking and sex with prostitutes are closely linked and both are crucial to the construction of the male identity. Sexual encounters with a commercial sex worker generally follow a period of preparatory drinking. It is common practice for laborers to celebrate their monthly receipt of wages by going out in large groups to feast and visit brothels. Solitary drinking is highly unusual given the connection of alcohol use and the manipulation of social relations. The marital and extramarital spheres are conceptualized, within this culture, as distinct arenas of sexual experience. Drinking and drunkenness serve as framing devices for men to make the transition from the structured, non-eroticized domestic sphere to the transgressive world of commercial sex and the affirmation of stereotypical masculinity it confers. Because of the link between alcohol consumption and commercial sex, as well as the high likelihood that drinkers either will refuse to use condoms or will use them incorrectly, social drinking in the northern Thailand context must be considered as a major risk factor for acquired immunodeficiency syndrome.     

Children's traditional ecological knowledge of wild food resources: a case study in a rural village in Northeast Thailand

An ethnobotanical study was conducted from October 2005 to June 2006 to investigate the uses of medicinal plants by people in Zegie Peninsula, northwestern Ethiopia. Information was gathered from 200 people: 70 female and 130 males, using semistructured questionnaire. Of which, six were male local healers. The informants, except the healers, were selected randomly and no appointment was made prior to the visits. Informant consensus factor (ICF) for category of aliments and the fidelity level (FL) of the medicinal plants were determined. Sixty-seven medicinal plants used as a cure for 52 aliments were documented. They are distributed across 42 families and 64 genera. The most frequently utilized plant part was the underground part (root/rhizome/bulb) (42%). The largest number of remedies was used to treat gastrointestinal disorder and parasites infections (22.8%) followed by external injuries and parasites infections (22.1%). The administration routes are oral (51.4%), external (38.6%), nasal (7.9%), and ear (2.1%). The medicinal plants that were presumed to be effective in treating a certain category of disease, such as 'mich' and febrile diseases (0.80) had higher ICF values. This probably indicates a high incidence of these types of diseases in the region, possibly due to the poor socio-economic and sanitary conditions of this people. The medicinal plants that are widely used by the local people or used as a remedy for a specific aliment have higher FL values (Carissa spinarum, Clausena anisata, Acokanthera schimperi, Calpurnia aurea, Ficus thonningii, and Cyphostemma junceum) than those that are less popular or used to treat more than one type of aliments (Plumbago zeylanicum, Dorstenia barnimiana).     

Field biology and control of Phytophthora parasitica on papaya (Carica papaya) in Hawaii

Epidemic attacks of Phytophthora parasitica on papaya fruits developed during wet, windy weather, but declined rapidly when the weather became dry. During rain, abundant sporangia were liberated from the mycelial mats on infected fruits, but none was trapped in dry air. Collar rots and tree collapse caused by root rot occur irrespective of spray treatments and previous aerial infections on the same tree: they are no more prevalent in blocks with abundant aerial infections than in blocks with none. Basal rots occurred earlier and more frequently on plantings near abandoned diseased fields: they were scattered randomly and appeared before aerial infections. It is suggested that new outbreaks might be initiated from seeds of infected fruit, in which chlamydospores have been found, or from infected nursery seedlings. Drosophila spp. were found to be occasional vectors of sporangia. Control of aerial infections was obtained with maneb, basic copper sulphate, captan or difolatan. Spraying only the upper half of the acropetally developing fruit cluster gave much better control than spraying only the lower fruits.