Search

Replicating and expanding a study by Saiz (1991), we examined the evolution of the stereotypes that non-indigenous university students ascribe to two distinctive Mapuche chronological categories: past and present. The content, favorability, salience, and uniformity of the stereotypes were analyzed. Using a questionnaire, 407 participants assigned attributes to both Mapuche categories. As expected, almost all the stereotypes replicated those reported by Saiz (1991) and, at the same time, two new unfavorable stereotypes emerged. The persistence of stereotypes is discussed according to the process of subtyping and subgruping (Richards & Hewstone, 2001). The development of new stereotypes is analyzed from the realistic conflict theory perspective (Campbell, 1965). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. Data from the United States and Canada suggest that survival rates of Caucasian dialysis patients are lower compared to those of black patients and patients from Asian regions. Information regarding the survival rate of immigrant dialysis patients in Europe is scarce. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This article deals with the means of adapting a world of beliefs, fundamentally based on religion, which came from Spain, to the cultural situation found in the indigenous social order. This process of cultural adjustment was not without conflict and crises of adaptation, but finally it meant the process of creation of a folk culture where religion had a decisive role to play. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Malinowski, an anglicized Pole and Thurnwald, a German, were in their different ways pioneers of anthropological fieldwork. Both men kept diaries in which they candidly recorded their experiences, Thurnwald's remaining unpublished. These diaries, unlike retrospective and sanitized accounts, reveal their attitudes and behaviours towards two main categories of "natives": the "boys" they employed, and the "savages" who were the object of their research. Comparison of the diary contents show some striking contrasts, attributable to differences in their field situations and also their personality characteristics. In particular, Thurnwald maintained a far greater social distance than Malinowski. Yet both men displayed the then taken-for-granted sense of unquestioned European superiority, and retained elements of that stance to the end of their careers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The gender, environment, and development approach proposes the study of women's fights and obligations toward natural resources, as well as institutions and property relations that govern the access to such resources within specific socio-environmental contexts. From this viewpoint, this paper studies the fishing activities of native women and men from Veracruz, Mexico, focusing on two processes: the gender construction of the fishing arts and the gender socialization in fishing activities. This paper shows that both processes make women specialize in certain water resources, which are important to securing feeding to their communities. An environmental policy with a gender perspective will be able to visualize woman roles in food provisioning, and to strengthen their control over the resources they currently manage, based on the environmental knowledge women have about them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The selk'nam's extinction generated a controversy regarding its causes within the Salesian Congregation. The evangelization and civilization process of the selk'nam began through the creation of the Nuestra Señora de Ia Candelaria reduction in 1893 by Monsignor Fagnano. In this reduction the natives seeked protection from the fueguino landowners' pursuit and murder. The murders, the spread of new illnesses to which natives were not immune and the cultural impact of the reductional system caused the selk'nam's extinction. The Salesian missionaries, responsible for the reduction process, analyzed the causes of this extinction. They stressed that tile slaughters carried out by tile fueguinos and the violence perpetrated by local authorities were time main causes of population decrease, while recognizing the impact of the reduction system in the local culture. The next generation of Salesians revisited the sources. They dismissed the violence as a major cause of the extinction in favor of physiological and cultural causes. Their purpose was to cover tile role of the Braun Menéndez Behty landowner families—sponsos to the Salesians—in this process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives To describe HIV and AIDS among American Indians/Alaska Natives (AI/AN) in the USA through 2000. Design An epidemiologic profile was constructed using HIV/AIDS surveillance, sexually transmitted disease (STD), and seroprevalence data. Results Although AIDS among AI/AN represents <1% of cumulative AIDS cases in the USA, in 2000 the AIDS incidence rate (cases per 100,000 population) for AI/AN (11.9) was higher than that for whites (7.3). AI/AN had high rates of chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis from 1996 through 2000; among all females, AI/AN females had the second highest rates of chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis reported during this time period. Of all AIDS cases among AI/AN, 70% were reported by 10 states. Conclusions These data demonstrate that the impact of STDs and the potential for an impact of HIV/AIDS among AI/AN are greater than indicated by the relatively small number of AIDS cases in this population. Additional mechanisms are needed to fill gaps in the available data. Coordination among the complex network of healthcare providers, tribes, and federal, state, and local health agencies is needed to improve delivery of information about HIV/AIDS to AI/AN and to ensure access to HIV prevention and treatment programs for AI/AN. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The supplying of salt in sufficient amounts was one of the main concerns of the Town hall of Buenos Aires. This was a product of vital importance not only due to its usage in daily meals, but also because of its application in the conservation of the meat and leather. Such features, and the difficulties to obtain it, increased not only its commercial but also its strategic value. The discovery of local deposits allowed the inhabitants of Buenos Aires to supply themselves through periodic expeditions that were promoted by the authorities, which allowed them to exert a greater control on this production. Since the activity required an important manual labor and cargo capacity, it was a practice that many took advantage of to be employed and to obtain benefits with the commerce that was generated by such opportunity. This turned the expeditions to salt mines -organized by the authorities of the city- into great caravans that went into indigenous territory, involving a wide set of social actors from the countryside and the indigenous world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The checklist of earthworm species of Colombia and the patterns of distribution are presented. Data was obtained from collections made from 1872 to 2002. The information come from sporadic taxonomic registers and from some systematic studies conducted in hydrographic basins and savanna regions; both highlight the high diversity of the Andes mountainous areas. Most collections (93.2%) were carried out in the Andean region. The Colombian Oligochaeta comprises 113 species placed in nine families, 30 genera and six subgenera, of which 90 are native and 23 exotic. Most of the species are endemic of the Glossoscolecidae family. Andiodrilus is represented by the greatest number of species (25), while Martiodrilus with 19 species shows the highest habitat diversity, including forests, pastures and even the páramo. Only two species of this family were cosmopolitan (P. corethrurus and O. elegans) currently inhabiting anthropic environments. The species of the other families, excepting Tumak hamenni and Dichogaster medellina, were eurytopic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background – Ethnic differences and vascular risk factors are the major determinants of stroke subtypes. Nevertheless, specific data from undeveloped countries is difficult to obtain. Natives from South America may have a higher frequency of penetrating small vessel disease and hemorrhagic stroke. However, there are few studies in South America supporting these findings. Objective – We analyze demographic, ethnic, risk factors, clinical characteristics, and stroke subtypes in all patients with acute stroke admitted to our hospital. Methods – We studied all consecutive acute stroke patients admitted to the Ramos MejÕa Hospital in Buenos Aires from 1997 to 1999. Our hospital serves a determined population of Southern Buenos Aires. Data were collected prospectively on patients' admission in a form especially designed for this study including vascular risk factors, clinical features, epidemiological characteristics, and neuroradiological findings. Stroke subtypes were determined according to the TOAST classification. Results – Among 361 acute stroke patients, 31% had hemorrhagic stroke. It was more frequent among Natives (34%) than Caucasians (27%) (P<0.002). Ischemic stroke subtypes were as follows: 105 (42%) patients had lacunar, 31 (12%) atherosclerotic stroke, 53 (21%) cardioembolic infarction, and 16 (6%) other causes of stroke. Forty-five (18%) patients were classified as undetermined. Small vessel disease was higher among Caucasians (35%) than Natives (24%). Conclusions – Penetrating artery disease (42%) and intracranial hemorrhage (31%) were the most common stroke subtypes, being more frequent than reported in the literature. Natives had significantly higher frequency of hemorrhagic stroke than Caucasians. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: In this study, we describe earthworm communities along an elevation gradient of eight forest types in Northeastern Puerto Rico, and determine whether their abundance, biomass and/or diversity is related to climatic, soil physical/chemical and/or biotic characteristics. We found that the density, biomass, and diversity of worms varied significantly among forest types. The density of earthworms was highest in the Pterocarpus forest. In terms of biomass, both elfin and the Pterocarpus forests had the highest values. The number of earthworm species significantly increased as elevation and annual rainfall increased and air temperature decreased. We conclude that differences in earthworm species richness along this elevation gradient may be due to a combination of biotic and soil physical and chemical factors. Soil pH and root length density are important predictors of number of worm species along this elevation gradient. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]