The different kinds of cultural perspectives on health and disease of the participants are related to their knowledge, beliefs, values and practices manifested in various forms of lifestyle in... Show moreThe different kinds of cultural perspectives on health and disease of the participants are related to their knowledge, beliefs, values and practices manifested in various forms of lifestyle in Indonesia. The cultural diversity of the population is also related to differences in health behaviour. Nursing as a profession has to be able to encourage clients and patients, particularly with Cardiovascular Diseases (CVD) to obtain holistic nursing in an effort to meet all client needs, regardless of their ethno-cultural background and their diverse beliefs and values about health and healing. Every effort to improve cultural competency among nursing practitioners who fully work with diverse patients from the numerous ethno-cultural groups in Indonesia is a challenge. One important step which can be taken is to learn and understand the Sundanese people as the dominant cultural group in West Java. The situation certainly requires a deepening of understanding of social behaviour and public health in terms of how to use traditional institutions such as kearifan kesehatan lokal, as well as indigenous knowledge of jamu and ubar kampung in dealing with health care of the elderly with CVD. Show less
Plants and peoples’ connections intertwine in multiple histories, often captured in textual accounts and illustrations, such as the Historia Naturalis Brasiliae (1648) and the Libri Picturati (c.... Show morePlants and peoples’ connections intertwine in multiple histories, often captured in textual accounts and illustrations, such as the Historia Naturalis Brasiliae (1648) and the Libri Picturati (c. 1640). These materials originated in the colonial context of Dutch Brazil and circulated among naturalists, physicians, merchants, and wealthy collectors for centuries. Today, we looked at these collections to identify the documented flora. With an ethnobotanical approach, we analyzed whether these plants are still used the same way in Brazil, their origins, and how they were collected. This study pays attention to the Indigenous and enslaved peoples living in the colony, whose rich corpus of botanical knowledge was appropriated within Western epistemologies and used in the colonial enterprise in Brazil, and beyond. Show less
This thesis describes Saramaccan Maroon medicinal plant knowledge, practices and beliefs in relation to local health care, education and biocultural conservation. The Saramaccan ethno-medical... Show moreThis thesis describes Saramaccan Maroon medicinal plant knowledge, practices and beliefs in relation to local health care, education and biocultural conservation. The Saramaccan ethno-medical system in the village Pikin Slee focused primarily on cure followed by health promotion, and disease prevention. People made a deliberated choice for traditional medicines, even though most health concerns could be treated in the village health center. Herbal bathing plays a significant role in providing local health care among Maroons. The geographical separation between the Saramaccan and Ndyuka Maroons have led to distinct plant use in their herbal bathing practices.Writing proper Saramaccan plant names and the translation of health issues from Saramaccan into Dutch is a challenge for pupils in Pikin Slee, indicating a gap between the official school curriculum (in Dutch), traditional knowledge and literacy in Saramaccan. The growing influence of Sranantongo interrupts the conservation of Saramaccan traditional ecological and cultural knowledge stored in plant names which are influenced by European, African and Indigenous languages. Central-African Bantu languages, especially Kikongo, contributed most to the names followed by West-African Kwa languages. As Saramaccan plant names store large amounts of traditional knowledge, they play an important role in the conservation of Saramaccan biocultural heritage. Show less
The Sundanese people, the largest ethnic group in West Java, have been using traditional medicine for a long time. Known as ubar kampung, Sundanese indigenous knowledge, beliefs and practices of... Show moreThe Sundanese people, the largest ethnic group in West Java, have been using traditional medicine for a long time. Known as ubar kampung, Sundanese indigenous knowledge, beliefs and practices of traditional medicine are based on local people’s knowledge and use of Medicinal, Aromatic, and Cosmetic (MAC) plants. MAC plants have continuously provided the Sundanese community with practical and readily available traditional medicine. Despite the remarkable contribution of indigenous medical knowledge in society, the practical utilisation of indigenous resources at the community level have hardly ever been the focus of research. At the same time, the practice of Sundanese traditional medicine in West Java is also at risk of being lost. To address the lack of studies on indigenous knowledge and its role in patterns of health care utilisation, this study aims to document, describe, and analyse knowledge of, beliefs in, and practices with MAC plants among the Sundanese community members in the environment where biomedicine and traditional medicine are co-existing. While most studies on health care utilisation are currently limited by the use of one medical system - generally speaking, the modern medical system - the present study has a primary focus on utilisation across medical systems. The broad objective of this study is to explore the utilisation of the plural medical system with particular attention to the role of knowledge and practice of ubar kampung by the Sundanese community for the treatment of diabetes mellitus.This study employs the ‘Leiden Ethnosystems’ Approach’ methodology to document and analyse Indigenous Knowledge Systems at the community level which consists of three basic concepts including the Participant’s View (PV), the Field of Ethnological Study (FES) and the Historical Dimension (HD). In the context of health care utilisation behaviour, this approach can also be extended to the concept of medical pluralism in which the traditional, transitional, and modern medical systems co-exist within the community. Comparison of the medical systems in the community provides a better understanding of the determinants of health care utilisation behaviour. Show less
Klooster, C.I.E.A. van 't.; Haabo, V.; Ruysschaert, S.; Vossen, T.E.; Andel, T.R. van 2018
