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

ABSTRACT: 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 M?ori 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 M?ori closely observed the fauna and environment. Temporal changes in form and content demonstrate that M?ori 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 M?ori society, and suggest a similar role in other early societies that lived through megafaunal extinction events.

SUBMITTER: Wehi PM

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6133014 | biostudies-literature | 2018

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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

Wehi Priscilla M PM Cox Murray P MP Roa Tom T Whaanga Hēmi H

Human ecology: an interdisciplinary journal 20180604 4

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 Māori oral tradition includes ancestral sayings that explicitly refer to extinct species. Our linguistic analysis of these sayings shows a stro ...[more]

PMID: 30237652

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Project description:ObjectivesIndigenous Australians experience cumulative forms of oppression. Using intersectionality as the underlying analytical framework, and with oral health as an outcome, we demonstrate how oppressions are interlinked and cannot be treated in isolation. The study aimed to quantify the cumulative effect of two forms of oppression on Indigenous Australian oral health inequities.MethodsThis observational study was conducted Feb 2018-Jan 2020. Recruitment occurred through Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisations in South Australia, Australia. Eligibility included identifying as Indigenous, residing in South Australia and aged 18+ years. Socio-demographic factors, health-related characteristics, experience of racism, negative life events and self-reported oral health outcomes were collected. The main outcomes were fair/poor self-rated oral health and oral health related quality of life, measured by OHIP-14. Effect-measure modification was used to verify differences on effect sizes per strata of negative life events and racism. The presence of modification was indicated by Relative Excess Risk due to Interactions (RERIs).ResultsData were obtained for 1,011 participants, median age 37 years, 66% female and 63% residing in non-metropolitan locations. Over half (52%) had experienced racism in the past 12 months and 85% had experienced one or more negative life events. Around one-third (34%) rated their oral health as fair/poor and the mean OHIP-14 score was 17. A higher proportion of participants who had experienced both racism and negative life events (46%) were male (52%), aged 37+ years (47%), resided in metropolitan locations (57%), reported difficulty paying a $100 dental bill (47%), had fair/poor self-rated oral health (54%) and higher mean OHIP-14 scores (20). The RERIs observed were 0.31 for fair/poor self-rated oral health and 0.23 for mean OHIP-14. The positive RERIs indicated a super-additive effect between racism, negative life events (effect modifier) and self-reported oral health outcomes.ConclusionThe more oppressions participants experienced, in the form of racism and negative life events, the greater the burden of poor self-reported oral health. The study is one of the first to use intersectionality as a theory to explain oral health inequities as experienced by Indigenous Australians.

Dataset Information

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

Publications

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

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