The Impacts of Traditional Ecological Knowledge towards Indigenous Peoples: A Systematic Literature Review

Abstract

Indigenous peoples are groups with different cultural and social characteristics that share inherited ties to their homeland and natural resources. They have their own understanding and cultural experience that amounts to traditional ecological knowledge. The aim of this study is to identify the impacts of traditional ecological knowledge on indigenous people. Two main databases, namely Web of Science and Scopus, were used to conduct a systematic literature review. From the findings and analysis, two themes and eleven sub-themes were identified. The first theme is economic activities, including six sub-themes: sources of income, employment opportunities, offering products to vendors or buyers, providing market value, providing low treatment cost, and providing opportunities to develop micro-enterprises. The second theme is health, with five sub-themes: supporting food security, harvesting country food, food or plant benefits, perceived health or medicinal purposes, and livelihoods of the indigenous people. In conclusion, traditional knowledge can play an important role in contributing to the livelihoods of indigenous people. In general, traditional knowledge can help indigenous people to improve their quality of life, especially those who rely on natural resources to survive, by offering secure and supplemented food, for instance, as well as a source of earnings, crucial for food security during hard times. Additionally, traditional knowledge of wild edible and medicinal plants can play a significant role in a community’s capacity to remain resilient and be preserved for future generations.

The Need for Indigenous Games to Combat Noncommunicable Diseases in South Africa: A Narrative Review

“…Overall, traditional games not only play a vital role in promoting physical health but also contribute to the holistic wellness of indigenous people [77]. While traditional games may indeed foster social bonds and unity within the indigenous community, it is important to consider that physical health and holistic wellness can also be achieved through a variety of other activities and practices [78].…”

“…Interestingly, studies are still warranted that indicate that indigenous games can serve as effective exercise interventions for preventing and managing NCDs [75,80,81]. These traditional games often involve physical activity and require participants to use their bodies in ways that promote strength, agility, and endurance [77]. In this vein, through engaging in these activities regularly, indigenous people can improve their cardiovascular health, strengthen their muscles, and maintain a healthy weight, all of which contribute to the prevention and management of NCDs (Natalucci et al, 2023) [81].…”

The Patterns of Ownership and the Registration of Customary Land in Manggarai Regency, Indonesia

“…Top-down development techniques that deplete the natural resources on which customary communities rely marginalize them worldwide. According to the International Labor Organization (ILO), around 374 million individuals globally and approximately 60 million people in Indonesia are battling to gain recognition and protection of their customary rights (Mohd Salim et al, 2023;Nugroho et al, 2023). The national land law of Indonesia recognizes and respects the existence of traditional rights, such as ulayat land, that show the existence of a unitary identity of a customary law community unit or something similar, as long as they are accurate and in line with the principles of the Republic of Indonesia's unitary state (Mansur et al, 2020;Norcahyono, 2019).…”

The Suku Asli spirituality as relevant variable for sustainable development in coastal area

“…Their inherited values and traditions underpin their commitment to environmental sustainability. Traditional knowledge plays a pivotal role in natural resource preservation [14][15][16].…”