cultural identities
Champion of Lepcha Culture Dies
Sonam Tshering Lepcha, a major champion of the Lepcha culture, died at age 92 in Kalimpong on July 30. His death was noted by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Chief Minister of West Bengal Mamata Banerjee, and by a range of major Indian news sources. A tribute last week summarized his many accomplishments and […]
Canadian Government Apologizes to the Inuit
The government of Canada apologized last week to the Inuit of Baffin Island for treating them very badly during the middle of the twentieth century. The apology was reported by a story in the CBC on Wednesday, August 14. Carolyn Bennett, the Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations, went to Iqaluit, the capital of the Nunavut Territory, […]
Visitors to Orang Asli Villages
A group of 86 students from a pharmaceutical technology program recently visited three different Orang Asli communities in Tapah, Perak state, Malaysia. The communities consist mostly of Temiar and Semai people. According to a news report last week, the government of Perak state in Malaysia plus the Royal College of Medicine of the University of […]
Young Ladakhis Try to Modernize [journal article review]
Ladakhi adolescents are often left in limbo between desires for modernity and tensions about their traditional moral values. Many desire sexual freedom but they are also torn by loyalty to their society and their culture. A journal article by Jennifer Aengst explores the tensions handled by young Ladakhis as they seek to modernize in a […]
Inuit Senses of Identity Focus on Individual Perceptions [journal article review]
A recent study of Inuit feelings of identification describes significant differences between the ways scholars, politicians, and activists on the one hand, and individual Inuit on the other, understand their identity. Louis-Jacques Dorais defines identity as “the way human beings relate to their surroundings and perceive their own position within this relation, either as individuals […]
Country Foods Give Inuit Identities—Most of the Time [journal article review]
While the Inuit now live in settlements, with groceries available in local markets, they still prize foods that have been hunted, fished, or gathered from the country. Gathering, hunting, and fishing activities give them a sense of place, time, meaning, and reality. Their relationship with nature—the land and other living things—allows them to understand themselves. […]
