Indigenous Peoples, State-Sanctioned Knowledge, and the Politics of Recognition

Invisible Indigenes: The Politics of Nonrecognition . Bruce G. Miller. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 2003. 248 pp.
Forgotten Tribes: Unrecognized Indians and the Federal Acknowledgement Process . Mark Edwin Miller. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 2004. 355 pp.
Gambling and Survival in Native North America . Paul Pasquaretta. Tucson: University of Arizona Press, 2003. 202 pp.     

Contested Arctic: Indigenous Peoples, Industrial States, and the Circumpolar Environment

Contested Arctic: Indigenous Peoples, Industrial States, and the Circumpolar Environment. Eric Alden Smith and Joan McCarter. eds. Seattle: University of Washington Press, 1998.156pp.     

At the Edge of the State: Indigenous Peoples and Self-Determination

At the Edge of the State: Indigenous Peoples and Self-Determination. Maivân Clech Lâm. Ardsley, NY: Transnational Publishers, Inc., 2000. 232 pp.     

From Time Immemorial: Indigenous Peoples and State Systems

From Time Immemorial: Indigenous Peoples and State Systems. Richard J. Perry. Austin: University of Texas Press, 1996. 302 pp.     

The Catch-22 of Conservation: Indigenous Peoples,Biologists, and Cultural Change

Resurgent protectionists advocate a return to strict nature protection characterized by excluding most people from ecologically fragile areas. Certain groups of indigenous residents, namely those with low population densities, simple technologies, and subsistence economies, are seen as conservation friendly, but groups who are experiencing demographic growth, using Western technologies, and producing for the market are perceived as incompatible with biodiversity conservation. Using insights from common property theory as well as ethnographic observations of the Huaorani Indians of Ecuador, I illustrate how such assumptions constitute a conservation Catch-22 in which cultural conditions deemed compatible with biodiversity conservation are precisely those from which we would not predict conservationist practices to emerge. Romanticized conditions deemed harmonious with nature lack the incentives necessary for people to develop conservationist practices. Conservation is not a state of being, but a social process inextricably linked to social and political institutions influencing resource management.     

Reflections on Relations between Indigenous Peoples and the Canadian State

The House of Difference: Cultural Politics and National Identity in Canada. Eva Mackey. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2002. 199 pp.
The White Man's Gonna Getcha. Toby Morantz. Mont-real: McGill-Queen's University Press, 2002. 370 pp.
Making Native Space: Colonialism, Resistance, and Reserves in British Columbia. Cole Harris. Vancouver: UBC Press, 2002. 425 pp.     

Indigenous Peoples and the State: Politics, Land and Ethnicity in the Malayan Peninsula and Borneo.

Indigenous Peoples and the State: Politics, Land and Ethnicity in the Malayan Peninsula and Borneo. Robert L. Winzeler. ed. New Haven, CT: Yale University Council on Southeast Asia Studies, 1997. 316 pp.     

Postoperative outcomes for Indigenous Peoples in Canada: a systematic review

Background:Substantial health inequities exist for Indigenous Peoples in Canada. The remote and distributed population of Canada presents unique challenges for access to and use of surgery. To date, the surgical outcome data for Indigenous Peoples in Canada have not been synthesized.Methods:We searched 4 databases to identify studies comparing surgical outcomes and utilization rates of adults of First Nations, Inuit or Métis identity with non-Indigenous people in Canada. Independent reviewers completed all stages in duplicate. Our primary outcome was mortality; secondary outcomes included utilization rates of surgical procedures, complications and hospital length of stay. We performed meta-analysis of the primary outcome using random effects models. We assessed risk of bias using the ROBINS-I tool.Results:Twenty-eight studies were reviewed involving 1 976 258 participants (10.2% Indigenous). No studies specifically addressed Inuit or Métis populations. Four studies, including 7 cohorts, contributed adjusted mortality data for 7135 participants (5.2% Indigenous); Indigenous Peoples had a 30% higher rate of death after surgery than non-Indigenous patients (pooled hazard ratio 1.30, 95% CI 1.09–1.54; I² = 81%). Complications were also higher for Indigenous Peoples, including infectious complications (adjusted OR 1.63, 95% CI 1.13–2.34) and pneumonia (OR 2.24, 95% CI 1.58–3.19). Rates of various surgical procedures were lower, including rates of renal transplant, joint replacement, cardiac surgery and cesarean delivery.Interpretation:The currently available data on postoperative outcomes and surgery utilization rates for Indigenous Peoples in Canada are limited and of poor quality. Available data suggest that Indigenous Peoples have higher rates of death and adverse events after surgery, while also encountering barriers accessing surgical procedures. These findings suggest a need for substantial re-evaluation of surgical care for Indigenous Peoples in Canada to ensure equitable access and to improve outcomes. Protocol registration:PROSPERO-CRD42018098757

Safe, timely and affordable access to surgical care is essential to overall population health, as conditions amenable to surgical intervention account for one-third of the global burden of disease.^1,2 Surgery is responsible for 65% of cancer cure and control, it is key to trauma management, and access to cesarean delivery reduces neonatal deaths by up to 70%.¹ The magnitude and ubiquity of surgical conditions makes tracking their prevalence and treatment within local and national monitoring systems essential to fully capture the health and welfare of populations in Canada, including Indigenous Peoples.About 1.67 million people in Canada are Indigenous, representing 4.9% of the total population (58% First Nations, 4% Inuit, 35% Métis).³ Health inequities exist for the Indigenous population; life expectancy at birth is 5–11 years shorter than for non-Indigenous Peoples^4,5 and higher rates of communicable and noncommunicable diseases, unintentional injury and suicide are well documented.^4,6–14 These health inequities are direct impacts of the social determinants of health, which are in turn effects of colonialism and government policies, including the Indian residential school system.^8,11 People living in remote regions have less access to publicly funded health care than other people in Canada, with worse outcomes.¹⁵Given the substantial impact of surgical disease on population health and the recognized disparities in health care access for Indigenous Peoples in Canada, understanding access to surgical services and subsequent outcomes is a key step to addressing health inequities. To date, limited research has been conducted on surgical and postoperative care involving Indigenous Peoples in Canada and the available literature has not been synthesized. Our objective was to systematically review studies comparing postoperative outcomes between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Peoples in Canada.     

Genetic Connections and Convergent Evolution of Tropical Indigenous Peoples in Asia

Tropical indigenous peoples in Asia (TIA) attract much attention for their unique appearance, whereas their genetic history and adaptive evolution remain mysteries. We conducted a comprehensive study to characterize the genetic distinction and connection of broad geographical TIAs. Despite the diverse genetic makeup and large interarea genetic differentiation between the TIA groups, we identified a basal Asian ancestry (bASN) specifically shared by these populations. The bASN ancestry was relatively enriched in ancient Asian human genomes dated as early as ∼50,000 years before the present and diminished in more recent history. Notably, the bASN ancestry is unlikely to be derived from archaic hominins. Instead, we suggest it may be better modeled as a survived lineage of the initial peopling of Asia. Shared adaptations inherited from the ancient Asian ancestry were detected among the TIA groups (e.g., LIMS1 for hair morphology, and COL24A1 for bone formation), and they are enriched in neurological functions either at an identical locus (e.g., NKAIN3), or different loci in an identical gene (e.g., TENM4). The bASN ancestry could also have formed the substrate of the genetic architecture of the dark pigmentation observed in the TIA peoples. We hypothesize that phenotypic convergence of the dark pigmentation in TIAs could have resulted from parallel (e.g., DDB1/DAK) or genetic convergence driven by admixture (e.g., MTHFD1 and RAD18), new mutations (e.g., STK11), or notably purifying selection (e.g., MC1R). Our results provide new insights into the initial peopling of Asia and an advanced understanding of the phenotypic convergence of the TIA peoples.     

The contributions of Indigenous Peoples and local communities to ecological restoration

Indigenous Peoples and local communities (IPLC) are affected by global environmental change because they directly rely on their immediate environment for meeting basic livelihood needs. Therefore, safeguarding and restoring ecosystem resilience is critical to support their well‐being. Based on examples from the literature, we illustrate how IPLC participate in restoration activities maintaining traditional practices, restoring land degraded by outsiders, and joining outside groups seeking to restore ecosystems. Our review also provides examples of how Indigenous and Local Knowledge can be incorporated in the planning, execution, and monitoring of restoration activities. However, not all restoration initiatives engaging IPLC are beneficial or successful, and the factors that lead to success are not fully known. While local involvement in restoration projects is often mentioned as an element of success, this is primarily associated to projects that actively involve IPLC in codesigning restoration activities affecting their territories, ensure both short‐term direct benefits to IPLC and long‐term support of the maintenance of restored areas, and recognize IPLC local traditions and customary institutions. Based on these examples, we argue that IPLC should be a more important focus in any post‐2020 CBD agenda on restoration.