Author: Bruce Bonta
Hutterite Sewing Repays Jewish Kindness
Some Hutterite colonies in Manitoba are repaying the supportive kindness toward them displayed by the Jewish community in the province nearly 75 years ago. The details of this long-standing positive relationship were described on January 30 by the Winnipeg Free Press. On April 21, 1947, a group of Jewish businesspeople testified at a hearing in […]
Abortions among the Fipa
A news story in the Daily News from Tanzania on January 24 analyzed the sexual health and reproductive rights of women and girls in Tanzania with a special focus on the Fipa people. While the Fipa are not identified as such, the opening example narrates the traumas of a girl who recently had an abortion […]
Why Don’t the Amish Wear Masks?
Concerned about the pandemic, my wife and I waited until this last July before driving out to a nearby valley, known as “Sinking Valley,” to shop for fresh fruits and vegetables in the Amish markets we normally patronize. Over the years, we have become quite familiar with the proprietors—we address each other with our first […]
Pedophilia in Tahiti
A disturbing news story was published in Tahiti Infos on Tuesday last week about the existence of sexual violence against Tahitian children on the major islands of Tahiti and Moorea. The article included analyses by experts and remedies for the scourge of pedophilia. Two Tahitian organizations—the Compagnie du Caméléon and the Colosse aux Pieds d’Argile—have […]
Congolese Warlord Arrested in Paris
One of the first news stories published by this website—on December 26, 2004—was a review of some very disturbing news about horrible abuses suffered by the Mbuti people in the D.R. Congo. After 16 years of very limited action to foster justice for the thousands of Mbuti victims, officials announced last week that one of […]
The G/wi Welcome Visitors
The original residents of the Central Kalahari Game Reserve in Botswana joyfully welcomed a group of visitors into their villages recently, according to a blog post written by an official with the safari operator. To judge by their website, Wilderness Safaris is a well-established company that offers safari experiences for tourists in southern Africa. The […]
Praise for Inuit Traditional Knowledge
Researchers studying Arctic issues are increasingly consulting the local people to gain, in the early stages of their investigations, the benefits of the Inuit traditional knowledge. Nunatsiaq News published an interesting piece on Monday last week about the useful collaboration between scholars and the indigenous people. For instance, during a study of pregnant women in […]
Facebook and the Buid: A Christmas Meditation
I recently became aware of the fact that someone I deeply respect, who friended me on Facebook a couple years ago, has unfriended me. I have no idea why. Perhaps I said something offensive in one of these news posts—I’m clueless. But in the spirit of the holiday season, I’m stepping back from my lingering […]
Malapandaram Thrilled to Vote
A small community of Malapandaram voted for the first time in Kerala’s local elections last week. The development was reported by a Kerala news website on December 9. The group of tribal families live primarily in the heavily forested mountains of the Idukki District of the state where they subsist on gathering and hunting. They […]
Electricity in Photoksar
Photoksar, sometimes spelled “Fotoksar,” a remote Ladakhi village, made the news last week for finally getting electricity from the outside world. The village of 241 people, as of the most recent census of India, is located high in the mountains about 100 rough road miles west of Leh beyond a pass that is closed in […]
