Malay intangible heritage went through numerous stages in its evolution and shaped by an amalgamation of various influences; one of which was the Malay-Polynesian belief system with a strong animistic base. The later emergence of Islam introduced new customs and practices where old manteras or incantations are sprinkled with Islamic names and supplications to Islamize, so as to legitimize the r...

Indigenous knowledge around the world is based on prevailing cultures, worldviews and paradigms. Initially assessments involved simple collection and inventory with little attention paid to the environment or to interrelationships between differe nt components of the system. Especially when undertaken in areas where access was difficult, such assessments more often than not resulted in loss and...

Although much effort has gone into promoting early skin-to-skin contact and parental involvement at vaginal birth, caesarean birth remains entrenched in surgical and resuscitative rituals, which delay parental contact, impair maternal satisfaction and reduce breastfeeding. We describe a 'natural' approach that mimics the situation at vaginal birth by allowing (i) the parents to watch the birth ...

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HE anthropologist has become so familiar with the diversity of ways iq T which different peoples behave in similar situations that he is not apt to. be surprised by even the most exotic customs. In fact, if all of thelogically possible combinations of behavior have not been found somewhere in the world, he is apt to suspect that they must be present in some yet undescribed tribe. This point has...

ing from the text, we find the following order of specific actions (n.b.: numbers assigned to actions here do not correspond to numbers assigned to stanzas by Dumont as found in the appended translation):

Sufi shrines hold great importance in Pakistani society. Followers of the shrines consider it sacred place and they perform different rituals there. The role of Sufis has been considered as intermediary who lead towards the path of God and success. Present study deployed qualitative research technique whereby data was drawn from 19 in-depth interviews at the Hazrat Mian Mir’s Shrine in Lahore. ...

OBJECTIVE Describing the Emberá-Chamí Indians' traditional medical system (Caldas Department, Colombia). METHODS This was an ethnographic study which involved 4 traditional doctors, 2 midwives, 3 healers, a faith-healer (medicine man) and 10 community members who were selected by theoretical sampling. Interviews, field diaries and participant observation were used in line with credibility, au...