Resource Centres
CIRAN
Ms Anna van Marrewijk has returned to her office from maternity leave. Since April, she has been back in her function of
editor of the Indigenous Knowledge and Development Monitor, after being temporarily replaced by Ms Madelinde Winnubst.
Ms Winnubst was responsible for production of the April 1997 issue of the Monitor.
CIRAN's mission is to promote networking and the exchange of information on indigenous knowledge and sustainable
development. The Monitor is an instrument in achieving this, but the quality of the network depends heavily on the active
participation of the people who constitute the international IK network. Without your input, we cannot keep up the standard
and reputation now enjoyed by the Monitor, judging from the various reactions we have recently received from individual
readers and institutions--including such mainstream organizations as the FAO and UNESCO. So we are appealing for your
help in maintaining and, if possible, improving the scope and standard of the IK network and its instrument, the Indigenous
Knowledge and Development Monitor. It really is your journal! Ms Anna van Marrewijk will be glad to connect and
communicate closely with you.
Since April, CIRAN has been trying to improve its recently introduced service on the Internet, the IK-pages, which we
informed you about in the April issue. The objectives of the IK-pages can be summarized as follows:
·. To create access to secondary sources of information on indigenous (local) knowledge
·. To create specific research tools to retrieve and access primary sources of indigenous (local) knowledge which are available
on the Internet
·. To stimulate South-South and North-South communication and cooperation in the field of indigenous (local) knowledge
where it is related to sustainable development.
We wish to state explicitly that the IK-pages provide a coordinated point of entry and as such refer to IK sources maintained
worldwide on the Internet. The IK-pages describe these sources and are intended i) to function as an instrument to improve
access to relevant information for everyone active in the international IK network, and ii) to promote communication. The site
also indexes and provides access to primary sources of information on indigenous (local) knowledge through the use of an
automatic search engine.
Please help us to enhance the value of the IK-pages by sending us information on IK sources or secondary information on the
Internet that you think would be worthwhile to be accessed via the IK-pages. Kindly use the request page
(http://nemesis.nuffic.nl/ik-pages/www/wrequest.html), or send a regular E-mail containing the URL and a short description
of the site to Ms Ingeborg Krukkert (ciran@nuffic.nl).
Modern information and communication technology (ICT) plays an increasing and vital role in the exchange of knowledge for
development, including indigenous (local) knowledge. The director of CIRAN contributed to the electronic debate that
preceded the international conference on 'Knowledge for development in the information age: global knowledge 97'. When it
became clear that the organizers intended to include a session on indigenous knowledge for development at the actual
conference, which was held in Toronto (Canada) from June 22-25, 1997, CIRAN delegated Mr Gerard van Westrienen to
participate in the conference. His first impressions were very favourable. Thanks to constructive meetings like this, the topic of
indigenous or local knowledge is gradually acquiring a prominent place on the international agenda. (See further the report
under Conferences.)
CIKARD
Professors Layi Egunjobi and Bolanle Wahab, and CIKARD director Dr D.M. Warren have been spending the period from
May 14 to August 12 coordinating research which they and seven Iowa State University students are conducting on
indigenous Yoruba knowledge. The research focuses on therapeutic systems, architecture and settlement planning, and gender
implications of occupational health. The sources of funding for the summer research are the same as in 1996: the Minority
International Research Training (MIRT) programme of the US National Institutes of Health, and the Institute of International
Health at Michigan State University.
CIKARD Research Associate Curt Nepstad-Thornberry, a graduate student in anthropology, has finished uploading the
revised CIKARD Homepage, which now includes a substantial section devoted to Indigenous Knowledge and Education.
Among the documents now available are draft teaching modules by Tyra Hendershot on Cree natural resource management;
by Kristin Lockhart on Tzeltal ethnobiology; by Michael Warren on Bono therapeutic systems in Ghana, and on Yoruba soil
classification and management systems; by Michael Warren and Jennifer Pinkston on Yoruba biodiversity; by Blythe
Burkhardt on indigenous communications and Balinese agricultural systems; and by Bolanle Wahab on Yoruba environmental
sanitation and settlement planning.
See http://www.physics.iastate.edu/cikard/cikard.html
CIKARD Research Associate Michelle Wieland, an honors student in animal ecology at Iowa State University, returned in
June from Tanzania where she spent six months under the supervision of MARECIK director, Dr Lengisugi, studying Maasai
knowledge of giraffe behavior.
Ms Pernell Plath, an honors student in anthropology, has received an Undergraduate Research Assistantship to work at
CIKARD for the academic year l997-98.
CIKARD was awarded a Phase II grant by the United States Information Agency for continuation of its work on indigenous
African approaches to conflict mediation and resolution (pending funding, which is currently a problem as a result of federal
budget cuts for USIA).
LEAD
On Monday June 16, 1997, LEAD was pleased to receive Mr Francisco Incerpi of TRIBO, the Portuguese Centre for
Indigenous Knowledge (to be formalised). The purpose of his visit was to assess possible further cooperation between LEAD
and TRIBO in the field of research and training in indigenous knowledge and
medicinal plants, in particular those of the Mediterranean region. As such efforts would also link up with the activities currently
in progress within the MEDUSA Network, its collaboration has been agreed upon, notably in relation to the possible
EU-sponsored Workshop on Medicinal Plants in Portugal in March 1998.
As the INDAKS Project on indigenous agricultural knowledge and practice in Kenya and Indonesia is approaching its final
stage, for which the last additional data have recently been collected in the field, a concluding workshop was held at LEAD of
Leiden University in the Netherlands from June 19-28, 1997.
Participants at the INDAKS workshop included Mr P. Maundu and Mr G. Kilili from KENRIK, Nairobi (Kenya); Professor
K. Adimihardja and Dr A. Kramadibrata from INRIK in Bandung (Indonesia); Mr P. Drakos and Ms E. Stamataki from
MAICH in Chania (Greece); and Dr L.J. Slikkerveer, Mr A. de Groot, Ms R. Verdegaal, Ms M. Starkenburg, Ms J. Smak
Gregoor, Ms L.J. Bosch, Ms W. Erwina and Mr Y Gheneti from LEAD (the Netherlands).
The workshop was centred around the comparative analysis of the quantitative data from the household surveys carried out in
the Kitui District (Kenya) and the Mount Halimun Area (Indonesia), using the computerised Statistical Programme for the
Social Sciences (SPSS). During the workshop, a 'codebook' was designed, and all data from the questionnaires were
discussed, categorised and then inserted into the database. Next, Ms Verdegaal conducted a two-day course for all the
participants on the use and applications of the SPSS Programme at the Department for Information Support (DIOS) of the
Faculty of Social Sciences, which also provided the workshop participants with up-to-date computer facilities. A bivariate
analysis was then conducted in order to test the presumed interactions between the different groups of variables. The
workshop was concluded with a first multivariate analysis, which showed the envisaged 'Model of Agricultural Behaviour' to
be operational, and in principle effective in the area of policy planning and the implementation of integrated agricultural
development in the research areas.
The final report on the INDAKS project will be prepared jointly by the participants from the counterpart institutions; it is
expected to be ready before 1 October 1997.
Bangladesh Resource centre established
April 1997 saw the formal establishment of the Bangladesh Resource Centre for Indigenous Knowledge (BARCIK). The
centre is institutionally based at, and will get secretarial support from, Integrated Action Research and Development (IARD) in
Dhaka. IARD is committed to the development of people's institutions, as well as to environmental protection and networking
through IKAF (Indigenous Knowledge Accumulation Forum).
Dr Sukanta Sen will act as BARCIK's coordinator, and Mr Parimal Kumar Ray will be the corresponding editor.
One of BARCIK's first activities will be to publish a bi-monthly magazine for the dissemination of research results and
information about practical applications of indigenous knowledge initiatives by grassroots organizations in Bangladesh.
BARCIK, IARD, 5/13, Block E, Lalmatia, Dhaka - 1207, Bangladesh.
Fax: +880-2-815548 att.: IARD.
CARIKS
The activities of the three units that comprise CARIKS--the Research Unit, the Development Unit and the Services
Unit--have different perspectives, but all share the same underlying assumptions based on the 'five knowledges' model for
development. This holistic model integrates the following components:
(1) people's participation;
(2) local conditions;
(3) the formal development strategy;
(4) scientific knowledge;
(5) indigenous knowledge.
In the Research Unit, Professor R. Indira is studying indigenous educational knowledge in Karnataka and Orissa; Professor
N. Hatti is working on Indigenous administrative practices and organizational cultures in the Mysore district; and CARIKS
director Dr Jan Brouwer is studying the implications of indigenous economic concepts in development interventions among
South Indian artisans.
The head of the Development Unit, Professor V.K. Natraj, is initiating a new project which will review the applicability of new
paradigms of development, with particular reference to indigenous knowledge systems (IKS).
The Services Unit is supporting the efforts of Mr Alessandro Cisilin, PhD student at the Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Sciences
Sociales (Paris), who is conducting fieldwork on indigenous organizations in Karnataka with the help of a grant-in-aid from the
French University Grants Commission.
Research findings are disseminated widely through publications. The most recent ones are:
Jan Brouwer (1997) 'The goddess for development. Indigenous economic concepts among South Indian artisans', Social
Anthropology 5(1): 1-14.
R. Indira with Shanthi (1997), 'Gender dynamics in the context of a tribal society: the case of Jenukurubas' pp.168-179 in
Pfeffer, George and D.K. Behera (eds) Contemporary Society - Tribal Studies Vol.I Structure and Process. New Delhi:
Concept Publishers.
CARIKS has become member of the Federation of Voluntary Organisations for Rural Development in Karnataka in order to
enhance its networking activities among organizations implementing development projects.
The director of CARIKS participated in a two-day national workshop organized by the recently established autonomous Goa
University at Panjim (India), 14-15 March 1997. The workshop aimed to break down the disciplinary boundaries prevalent in
the academic world and take a fresh look at the concept of development. Social sciences and humanities were represented:
economics, sociology, development studies, political science, public administration, history and anthropology. The participants
engaged in an intensive dialogue which resulted in a new, interdisciplinary and multi-dimensional direction for the M. Phil and
PhD programme envisaged at Goa University.
In his keynote address, Dr Brouwer made a strong claim for incorporating IKS into the Development Studies programme.
KENRIK
The director-general of the National Museums of Kenya, Dr Mohammed Isahakia, recently appointed Mr Bernard I. Lavusa
as the new director/coordinator of KENRIK. Mr Lavusa will take over the work that Dr Christine Kabuye started. Ms
Kabuye has retired from the museums, but remains an active supporter of its activities. Mr Lavusa has a background in
agricultural ecology and plant biology, with additional training in education and curriculum development. He has been a
university lecturer and development consultant.
KENRIK was started five years ago as a project of the Kenya Herbarium. Its aim was to document the indigenous plants
traditionally used for food. Now that this programme is finished, KENRIK is looking to expand the scope of its activities and
become a more effective member of the national and international IK network. Plants continue to be of interest, since they are
at the core of most traditional systems, but KENRIK now wants to focus more widely on IK systems related to ecology,
environment, animals, material culture, human rights, community rights, medicine, health, ethics, education, philosophy, land
use, etc.
This broadening of interest will be accompanied by a number of structual and functional changes. At present, KENRIK is a
tiny centre with three members of staff. In future, it will become a distinct department of the National Museums, separate from
the Herbarium but collaborating with it and other departments. Among other things, KENRIK will begin to document more
aggressively in the broader area of ethnobiology. For this reason, and to make new activities possible, there will be major
push to increase the staff of KENRIK. The new activities envisaged include education, training, public relations, pamphlet
production, and research.
As regards current activities, the woodcarving project is drawing to a close as the project staff begin to write their final reports
and withdraw from the field sites. This three-year project has been identifying indigenous tree species that are suitable for use
in the woodcarving ventures of certain peoples of southeastern Kenya. The aim is to prevent the excessive use of a few
favoured species, and thus to preserve the bioversity of the forest areas from which wood is obtained.
Another project, to document the indigenous agricultural knowledge and practices of the people of Kitui in southeast Kenya,
is also nearing completion. This project has been conducted in collaboration with LEAD and INRIK.
RIDSCA
The Puebla campus of the Postgraduate School of Agricultural Science (El Colegio de Postgraduados en Ciencias Agricolas,
Campus Puebla) is celebrating the 30th anniversary of the Puebla Project, the 20th anniversary of Campus Puebla, and the
sixth anniversary of the graduate programme 'Strategies for agricultural regional development'. To celebrate this, the following
activities related to indigenous knowledge have been organized.
On 9 and 10 September, 1997, there will be a first meeting of peasants under the title 'Regional knowledge and survival
strategies'. The meeting is being organized by three farmers' organizations, the Colegio de Postgraduados, and RIDSCA, and
will be held at Campus Puebla. The meeting is meant to offer farmers--men and women—an opportunity to communicate,
document and exchange their specific knowledge, technologies, experiences and traditions as well as their ideas on the
subjects of conservation and the management and use of resources: natural, human, and cultural. (It is interesting to note that
farmers avoid using terms such as biodiversity, indigenous knowledge, and rural development in the programme.)
Non-farmers will be present at the meeting, but only as members of the audience.
On 24-25 September, 1997, Campus Puebla will host a conference entitled 'Advances in research at Campus Puebla,
1993-1997'. This conference will feature several working groups related to indigenous knowledge, peasant studies, traditional
agriculture, women and development, local production technologies, and backyard livestock.
On 22-24 October, 1997, the tenth national forum on teaching, research and extension in the rural environment will be held at
Campus Puebla. Its aim will be to analyze the problems, strengths, limitations and perspectives of higher agricultural education
in Mexico. Of particular concern are questions of quality and relevance. Some of the papers are explicitly related to
indigenous knowledge. The first day will be an exchange of experiences among farmers, extension agents and other
professionals working in the agricultural sector.
Throughout the year, regional shows of local seeds and genetic resources have been taking place in Puebla, Oaxaca,
Michoacan and Chiaps. The farmers themselves call these shows 'festivals of seeds'. The main show will be held in Puebla in
November or December of 1997. Details about the definite time and place are not yet available.
For more information, please contact: Dr Abel Muñoz Orozco, Director Colegio de Postgraduados, E-mail:
amunozo@colpos.colpos.mx
or Dr Antonio Macias-Lopez, RIDSCA Coordinator, E-mail: mantonio@colpos.colpos.mx
(For the address, see back cover.)
VERSIK
VERSIK recently finished writing a project proposal entitled: 'Local knowledge systems, gender and agrobiodiversity. Case
study: traditional food plants in Trujillo state, Venezuela' and will now submit it to several national and international funding
bodies. The proposed research will continue the work of Dr Christine Kabuye (National Museums Kenya) and Dr Virginia
Nazarea Sandoval (Biodiversity and Ethnobiology Laboratory, University of Georgia (USA). The first stage of the project will
be to make a general survey of all traditional food plants that farmers—women and men--can either remember and/or are still
using. In the second stage, research will be confined to plants which are especially important from the cultural and nutritional
point of view. This second stage will be extension-related; after the researchers select the plants (and related knowledge) on
which to focus, they will encourage people to grow and eat these plants. This will be done through demonstration plots in the
community and the schools, written bulletins, etc.
Once the project begins, the researchers will open a site on the World Wide Web similar to 'Memory Bank', which Dr
Virginia Nazarea Sandoval currently maintains at the University of Georgia. Through the Internet the researchers will then be
able to share information with other researchers. It is hoped that through them, the information will eventually also reach
farmers in other parts of the world.
At the moment, VERSIK is looking forward to using the IK network to get in touch with people who are working on similar
projects. VERSIK would also like to make contact with potential funding agencies. A copy of the project proposal will be
sent upon request.
Contact: Dr Consuleo Quiroz, VERSIK Coordinator, E-mail: cquiroz@ing.ula.ve
(For the address, see back cover.)
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