Woven languages: understanding Indigenous socioecological systems.

Language connects cultural and biological diversity and can contribute to both big data and localised approaches to improve conservation. Analysing Indigenous languages at regional level supports understanding of local ecologies and cultural revitalisation. Collated linguistic datasets can help to identify large-scale patterns, including extinctions, and forge robust multidisciplinary approaches to biocultural decision-making.

Cultural adaptations of the WHO iSupport for dementia: A scoping review.

INTRODUCTION: The World Health Organisation (WHO) has developed iSupport for Dementia, a self-paced online training programme for caregivers of people with dementia which is adaptable to different cultural contexts. This scoping review aims to understand the iSupport adaptation process in different countries and provide recommendations for future adaptations. METHODS: A systematic search was done in electronic databases such as Pubmed, MEDLINE, APA PsycINFO, and EMBASE to obtain relevant publications up to 18 February 2024. Only full-text publications describing iSupport cultural adaptation process were included. The publications obtained were reviewed using the Cultural Adaptation Process framework. RESULTS: Thirteen publications from ten studies were eligible for inclusion. Based on the Cultural Adaptation Process framework, the steps undertaken in the studies were grouped into: (i) setting the stage, (ii) initial adaptation, and (iii) adaptation iterations. The three significant players in this process are the intervention developer (researchers), the cultural adaptation specialist (researchers, caregivers, and dementia care professionals), and the target community (caregivers). In the publications reviewed, cultural adaptation was mostly undertaken using a co-design process between researchers, caregivers, and dementia care professionals deciding on necessary modifications. CONCLUSION: iSupport for Dementia is a versatile programme to support caregivers and is readily available for adaptation to different cultural settings. It is essential to engage caregivers early in co-designing its cultural adaptations to ensure their needs can be met by this online tool.

Artefacts, biology and bias in museum collection research.

Museum collections are increasingly subjected to scientific scrutiny, including molecular, isotopic and trace-element analyses. Recent advances have extended analyses from natural history specimens to historical artefacts. We highlight three areas of concern that can influence interpretation of data derived from museum collections: sampling issues associated with museum collection use, methods of analysis, and the value of cross-referencing data with historical documents and data sets. We use a case study that focuses on kiwi (Apteryx spp.) feather samples from valuable 19th century Maori cloaks in New Zealand to show how sampling and analysis challenges need to be minimized by careful design. We argue that aligning historical records with scientific data generated from museum collections significantly improves data interpretation.

Human Perceptions of Megafaunal Extinction Events Revealed by Linguistic Analysis of Indigenous Oral Traditions.

Human settlement into new regions is typically accompanied by waves of animal extinctions, yet we have limited understanding of how human communities perceived and responded to such ecological crises. The first megafaunal extinctions in New Zealand began just 700 years ago, in contrast to the deep time of continental extinctions. Consequently, indigenous Maori oral tradition includes ancestral sayings that explicitly refer to extinct species. Our linguistic analysis of these sayings shows a strong bias towards critical food species such as moa, and emphasizes that Maori closely observed the fauna and environment. Temporal changes in form and content demonstrate that Maori recognized the loss of important animal resources, and that this loss reverberated culturally centuries later. The data provide evidence that extinction of keystone fauna was important for shaping ecological and social thought in Maori society, and suggest a similar role in other early societies that lived through megafaunal extinction events.