scholarly journals Dhwaj sacred grove: A unique example of cultural beliefs and traditional conservation

2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 553-564
Author(s):  
Harsh Singh ◽  
◽  
Vaibhav Kumar ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Belief Systems ◽  
Cultural Beliefs ◽  
Local Communities ◽  
Flowering Plants ◽  
Sacred Grove ◽  
Anthropogenic Pressure ◽  
Cultural Belief ◽  
Sacred Groves ◽  
Spiritual Beliefs ◽  
Indian Himalayas

Sacred groves are well-protected areas managed by strong spiritual beliefs by the local communities and often represent the relict climax vegetation the region. The present study was conducted in Dhwaj sacred grove from the Central region of Indian Himalayas, releasing its role in biodiversity conservation through traditional and cultural belief systems. Total 81 species belonging to 67 genera and 50 families of plants were identified; in which 40 species were flowering plants, 23 species were lichens, 7 species bryophytes, 12 species were pteridophytes and only one species was gymnosperm. Rhododendron arboreum and Quercus leuchotricophora is the most dominant tree species in the grove showing highest IVI values. Ethnobotanically, 40 species belonging to 38 genera and 27 families are used by the local communities for the treatment of various ailments. But, due to high anthropogenic pressure, this grove facing several threat of degradation, hence special attention is needed towards its conservation and motivation to promote our traditional knowledge.

Tree Diversity Conservation Initiatives in Sacred Groves of Kathmandu Valley, Nepal

2020 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. 60-68
Author(s):  
Laxmi Joshi Shrestha ◽  
Mohan Devkota ◽  
Bhuvan Keshar Sharma
Keyword(s):  
Tree Species ◽  
Management System ◽  
Survey Methods ◽  
Belief Systems ◽  
Decisive Role ◽  
Diversity Indices ◽  
Kathmandu Valley ◽  
Sacred Grove ◽  
Sacred Groves ◽  
The Government

 The study was conducted in two sacred groves of Kathmandu Valley, Pashupati Sacred Grove, and Bajrabarahi Sacred Grove, aiming to analyze the diversity of tree species and their role in conserving biodiversity. Parallel transects with concentric circular plot survey methods were applied for data collection. During the study, 23 tree species belonging to 22 genera and 15 families were recorded in Pashupati sacred grove, whereas only 19 tree species belonging to 16 genera and 13 families were recorded from Bajrabarahi Sacred Grove. The Shannon-Weiner diversity indices were higher (H=1.91) in Pashupati Sacred Grove compared to Bajrabarahi Sacred Grove, with 1.80 Shanon-Weiner Indices. Three types of forest were recorded from Pashupati Sacred Grove, namely the Schima-Pyrus forest, Myrsine-Persea forest, and Quercus-Myrsine forest, and only one Neolitsiacuipala forest from Bajrabarahi Sacred Grove. The sacred grove is one of the pioneers and community-based management regimes of the forest resource management system. It plays a decisive role in biodiversity conservation as it associated with many taboos and belief systems, thus providing a better opportunity for conservation compared to that of the government management system.

scholarly journals Birds of sacred groves of northern Kerala, India

2015 ◽  
Vol 7 (15) ◽  
pp. 8226
Author(s):  
K. M. Jyothi ◽  
P. O. Nameer
Keyword(s):  
Migratory Birds ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Forest Birds ◽  
Bird Diversity ◽  
Cultural Tradition ◽  
Sacred Grove ◽  
Sacred Groves ◽  
Spiritual Beliefs ◽  
Scientific Exploration ◽  
The Western Ghats

<p>Sacred groves are patches of vegetation preserved due to  religious or cultural tradition.  They are protected through spiritual beliefs.  Sacred groves provide an excellent abode to the biodiversity of the region where they are located.   Scientific exploration of fauna from sacred groves of India is few and far between.  The present study was conducted to explore the bird diversity and abundance in 15 selected sacred groves of northern Kerala, eight from Kannur District and seven from Kasargod District each.  A total of 111 bird species were observed belonging to 49 families and 16 orders.  The sacred groves of northern Kerala support many of the ‘forest-birds’ such as the Grey Junglefowl <em>Gallus sonneratii</em>, Asian Fairy-bluebird <em>Irena puella</em>, Tickell’s Blue-flycatcher <em>Cyornis tickelliae</em>, Malabar Trogon <em>Harpactes fasciatus</em>, Heart-spotted Woodpecker <em>Hemicircus canente</em>, Malabar Whistling-Thrush <em>Myophonus horsfieldii</em>, Little Spiderhunter <em>Arachnothera longirostra, </em>etc.  The sacred groves of northern Kerala also support two endemic bird species of the Western Ghats, such as the Malabar Grey Hornbill <em>Ocyceros griseus</em> and Rufous Babbler <em>Turdoides subrufa</em>. Five species of raptors and four owl species were reported from the sacred groves of north Kerala during the present study.  The breeding of the White-bellied Sea-Eagle has been reported at Edayilakadu Kavu, a sacred grove in Kasargod District.  The sacred groves of northern Kerala also supported 17 species of long distant migratory birds.  Thazhe Kavu, recorded the Black-headed Ibis <em>Threskiornis melanocephalus</em>, a Near-Threatened bird according to IUCN.</p><div> </div>

#Sciencemustfall and Africanising the curriculum: findings from an online interaction

2018 ◽  
Vol 48 (3) ◽  
pp. 351-359 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yaseen Ally ◽  
Justin August
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Content Analysis ◽  
Lived Experiences ◽  
Belief Systems ◽  
Cultural Beliefs ◽  
Scientific Thinking ◽  
Cultural Belief ◽  
Online Interaction ◽  
Thematic Content Analysis ◽  
Online Comments

Dialogue on the relevance of psychology in South Africa cannot be established if it excludes cultural belief systems and the implications they pose on the lived experiences of individuals. Dialogue on cultural beliefs, however, brings with it conflict between scientific thinking and cultural beliefs. In this article, 11,124 online comments in response to a #sciencemustfall video during the #feesmustfall 2016 protests in South Africa were analysed using a thematic content analysis. The analysis focused on online comments posted in response to the story of a protesting student recommending that #sciencemustfall and that science must be built on the belief in witchcraft and the supernatural. The findings suggest that Africanising of curricula is associated with the perception that Western scientific thinking is absolute at the expense of cultural belief systems. There was also racist resistance to Africanising the curriculum.

The Place of Traditional Artists in the Preservation of Nigerian Art

2018 ◽  
pp. 75-88
Author(s):  
Victoria N Osuagwu
Keyword(s):  
Belief Systems ◽  
Sacred Grove ◽  
Art World ◽  
Human Beings ◽  
Open Spaces ◽  
Economic Resource ◽  
The People ◽  
Traditional Artists ◽  
Global Art ◽  
Source Of Information

Human beings have always left signs of their activities behind them. These signs take both tangible and intangible forms, including buildings, sites, sculptural works, antiquities, rock art paintings, belief systems, and traditions. The people of this millennium have recognized the remains of our fore-bears namely archaeological, architectural monuments, sites, and cultural works as an integral part of the cultural heritage of all humanity. They also recognized the fact that heritage is an invaluable source of information about the lives and activities of human beings and their artistic and technical capabilities over the centuries. The Nigerian Ancient Art Tradition which spans eight thousand years is a product of diverse artists from Dufuna, Nok, Igbo-Ukwu, Ife, Owo, Benin, Tada, etc. Also remarkable are the sculptural works created by late Susanne Wenger (an Austrian) and her New Sacred Art Movement in Osun-Osogbo Sacred Grove, which gave meaning to open spaces within the grove. This paper examines the role played by these artworks to project Nigeria to the global art world. The benefits to Nigeria and the global art traditions and recommendations on how to revive this dwindling economic resource will also be examined. The approach used was to study the artworks produced by some of these artists. Some of the findings were that the works were carefully done with suitable materials that have withstood climate change.

Cultivating Ice over Time: On the Idea of Timeless Knowledge and Places in the Himalayas

1969 ◽  
Vol 58 (2) ◽  
pp. 193-210 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karine Gagné
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Sense Of Community ◽  
Local Knowledge ◽  
Local Communities ◽  
International Organisations ◽  
Change Over Time ◽  
Local Populations ◽  
Close Study ◽  
Indian Himalayas ◽  
Over Time

Assumptions that local communities have an endogenous capacity to adapt to climate change stemming from time-tested knowledge and an inherent sense of community that prompts mobilisation are becoming increasingly common in material produced by international organisations. This discourse, which relies on ahistorical and apolitical conceptions of localities and populations, is based on ideas of timeless knowledge and places. Analysing the water-place nexus in Ladakh, in the Indian Himalayas, through a close study of glacier practices as they change over time, the article argues that local knowledge is subject to change and must be analysed in light of changing conceptions and experiences of place by the state and by local populations alike.

scholarly journals PHYTOSOCIOLOGICAL ANALYSIS AND FLORISTRIC DIVERSITY OF VANEESWARAM KAVU IN KANNUR DISTRICT, KERALA

2017 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 19-23
Author(s):  
Jeeshna M.V
Keyword(s):  
Quantitative Analysis ◽  
Species Diversity ◽  
Medicinal Plants ◽  
Vascular Plants ◽  
Quantitative Approach ◽  
Sacred Grove ◽  
Sacred Groves ◽  
Conservation Of Biodiversity

Sacred groves act as a treasure house for rare and medicinal plants. Apart from the quantitative analysis quantitative approach to sacred grove gives the potential species and importance of sacred grove, which is the main focuses of this work. There are many sacred grooves are present at Kannur district in whichVaneeswaram Kavu is one of the important one. The flora of sacred groves of has analysed taxonomically and phytosociologically. A total of 64 vascular plants falling under 61 genera and 43 families were documented. About 12 species are reported in the red listed category. In phytosociological studies specieslike, Elaeocarpus serratus, Erycibe paniculata and Scleria lithosperma were showing higher IVI. The devastation of species diversity in the study area represent there is an urgent need for regeneration of the species for conservation of biodiversity.

scholarly journals Africans and the Power of Socio-Cultural Belief: To Break or to Keep the Status Quo? Analysis of Emmy Unuja Idegu’s the Legendary Inikpi

2020 ◽  
pp. 270-276
Author(s):  
Maina Ouarodima Ph.D ◽  
Ibrahim Oumarou
Keyword(s):  
Religious Beliefs ◽  
Cultural Beliefs ◽  
Status Quo ◽  
High Time ◽  
Cultural Identities ◽  
Cultural Belief ◽  
Beliefs And Practices ◽  
Central Source ◽  
The Status ◽  
Context Of Situation

Every single society has its dos and don’ts, and African is not an exception. What is more, Africans are strongly attached to their socio-cultural beliefs. However, as time is dynamic, there is need toreflect on the context of situation to evaluate our tradition.Thus, The Legendary Inikpi, the play under discussion, does not only serve as a central source to enable the readers find outhow African societies hold on to their religious beliefs and practices as part of their cultural identities, but also serves as a media tool that calls Africans for a change of attitude. The author considershuman sacrifice as a murder.To redirect the mentality towards certain religious practices such as human sacrifice, Emmy Unuja is able to create a female character named Daughter whose role is to convince people for a change of mentality. If we want African societies to move forwards, it is high time people change their mentality for the better.

scholarly journals ‘Sacred groves’- an insight into Dalmatian forest history

2021 ◽  
Vol 145 (7-8) ◽  
pp. 337-346
Author(s):  
Ivan Tekić ◽  
Charles Watkins
Keyword(s):  
Protected Area ◽  
Forest History ◽  
Sacred Grove ◽  
Official Language ◽  
Sacred Groves ◽  
Woodland Management ◽  
Literal Translation ◽  
History Of ◽  
Insight Into

The French administration in Dalmatia (1805-1813) was short but is often praised by foresters as advanced in terms of woodland management because of their establishment of so-called sacred groves or sacri boschi. Based on archival sources and 19<sup>th</sup> century maps, this research explores the establishment and demise of sacred groves and places them within the broader forest history of Dalmatia. It reveals that the literal translation of the term sacro bosco as sacred grove (sveti gaj) by the 19<sup>th</sup> century foresters was not precise which caused misrepresentation and misunderstandings of what sacro bosco actually meant. The more appropriate translation would be forbidden groves (zabranjen gaj) as this also reflects the nature of these woodlands, which were in fact woodland sections where exploitation was prohibited. Establishment of forbidden groves was not a French invention since the practice was widely used before the French and during the Austrian Empire (1814-1918). In the second half of the 19<sup>th</sup> century and with the change of official language, the Italian term sacro bosco was replaced with the Croatian term protected area (branjevina).

scholarly journals Ancestral beliefs in modern cultural and religious practices – The case of the Bapedi tribe

2019 ◽  
Vol 75 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Morakeng E.K. Lebaka
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Belief Systems ◽  
Limpopo Province ◽  
Religious Practices ◽  
Cultural Belief ◽  
Central Concept

There is no consensus among scholars of myth as to how the central concept of their field should be defined. What is a ‘myth’ and how does it differ from a ‘belief’? Moreover, scholars have argued for a homological relationship between myth and ritual. Semantically, the word ‘myth’ has a connotation of disbelief in ‘superstition’, and the word ‘belief’ should be substituted when talking about religious practices. Likewise, the word ‘ritual’ may be substituted with ‘ceremonial’, which has connotations that are more positive. Earlier publications that associate ancestral veneration with the words ‘myth’ or ‘superstition’ display a judgemental view of the beliefs of other cultures. In this article, the author attempts, via recourse to the use of the word ‘myth’, to describe and interpret traditional and cultural belief systems among the Bapedi people of Limpopo Province in South Africa. It is argued that myth should not be reduced to ritual nor ritual to myth. Belief and ritual, in Bapedi religion and belief systems, complete and complement each other, thus allowing the harmonious unison of meta and paralinguistic elements in religiocultural discourse. The focus of this study is to explore and document these links within the context of the Bapedi culture.

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