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Gallois S, Ambassa A, Ramírez Rozzi F. Indigenous peoples' health: Culturally grounded evidence from the Baka, Southeastern Cameroon. Soc Sci Med 2024; 350:116936. [PMID: 38728976 DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2024.116936] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2023] [Revised: 04/20/2024] [Accepted: 04/30/2024] [Indexed: 05/12/2024]
Abstract
Indigenous Peoples are exposed to the impacts of the climatic, ecological and socioeconomic changes, yet there is a need for a better understanding of their health and higher involvement of Indigenous Peoples in health promotion design and implementation. Our study brings empirical data on the healthcare system of the Baka, forager-horticulturalists from Cameroon. Using a mixed methods approach, we explored the health issues they encounter, the emic determinants of health and healthcare system, and the different threats towards their healthcare system. We conducted focus group discussions, interviews with experts, and self-reported health recalls with 302 individuals living in two settlements from southeastern Cameroon during two fieldwork periods between June and November 2022. Our insights highlight the prevalence of respiratory and children's digestive issues, and the occurrence of illnesses implying a combination of symptoms that would deserve further Western biomedical attention. The Baka's healthcare relies on medicinal plants, knowledge experts, and on the social cohesion of the community, all largely affected by the local social-ecological impacts of global change. Exposure to the market and health facilities does not seem to relate to Baka's health state and practices but might affect their perception of health. Deforestation, poor water quality, and alcohol (ab)use were reported and observed threats to the Baka's health and healthcare system. Our work supplies empirical evidence for a better understanding of Baka's health and healthcare system, helpful in designing health prevention and policies adapted to their reality and culture. Further research and interventions on health should consider the current threats to Baka's local ecosystems and cultural knowledge. These insights contribute to a higher recognition of the Baka's, and most broadly, the Indigenous Peoples' emic perspective on health, and on culturally grounded indicators of the resilience of their healthcare system to current and future challenges.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sandrine Gallois
- Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia Ambientals (ICTA), Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Cerdanyola del Vallès, Spain.
| | | | - Fernando Ramírez Rozzi
- Eco-anthropologie (EA), Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, CNRS, Université de Paris Cité, Musée de l'Homme, Paris, France; UR 2496, Faculté de Chirurgie Dentaire, Université de Paris Cité, Montrouge, France
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Piqué-Fandiño L, Gallois S, Pavard S, Ramirez Rozzi FV. Reproductive seasonality in the Baka Pygmies, environmental factors and climatic changes. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0264761. [PMID: 35259192 PMCID: PMC8903253 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0264761] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2021] [Accepted: 02/16/2022] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Reproductive seasonality is a phenomenon common to human and animal populations and driven by, among others, climatic variables. Given the currently changing climate and its impacts on both the environment and human lives, the question arises of its potential effects on reproductive seasonality. Few studies have specifically explored the seasonality of reproduction among hunter-gatherers and anyone investigated how current climate change might affect this phenomenon. In this study we addressed reproductive seasonality in the Baka Pygmy living in African rain forests. Since reproductive seasonality can be linked to weather patterns, we explore this possibility. However, climatic variables driving weather patterns have changed over the years, so we assessed whether this has influenced the Baka reproductive pattern. Based on 34 years of written birth records and oral questionnaires from 13 years of systematic fieldwork, we observed a bimodal birth pattern with two birth peaks at 6-month intervals. Our results demonstrate that precipitation at conception or at birth potentially has effects, respectively negative and positive on the monthly number of births; and temperature has a role in controlling other variables that do affect the reproductive pattern. Changing weather patterns appear to be affecting the reproductive seasonality in the Baka, suggesting that attention needs to be given to the influence of global climate change on forager societies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Piqué-Fandiño
- Eco-anthropologie (EA), Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle, CNRS, Université de Paris, Musée de l’Homme, Paris, France
| | | | - Samuel Pavard
- Eco-anthropologie (EA), Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle, CNRS, Université de Paris, Musée de l’Homme, Paris, France
| | - Fernando V. Ramirez Rozzi
- Eco-anthropologie (EA), Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle, CNRS, Université de Paris, Musée de l’Homme, Paris, France
- EA 2496, Faculté de Chirurgie Dentaire, Université de Paris, Montrouge, France
- * E-mail:
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Kun Á. Is there still evolution in the human population? Biol Futur 2022; 73:359-374. [PMID: 36592324 PMCID: PMC9806833 DOI: 10.1007/s42977-022-00146-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2021] [Accepted: 12/08/2022] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
It is often claimed that humanity has stopped evolving because modern medicine erased all selection on survival. Even if that would be true, and it is not, there would be other mechanisms of evolution which could still led to changes in allelic frequencies. Here I show, by applying basic evolutionary genetics knowledge, that we expect humanity to evolve. The results from genome sequencing projects have repeatedly affirmed that there are still recent signs of selection in our genomes. I give some examples of such adaptation. Then I briefly discuss what our evolutionary future has in store for us.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ádám Kun
- grid.5591.80000 0001 2294 6276Department of Plant Systematics, Ecology and Theoretical Biology, Eötvös University, Budapest, Hungary ,Parmenides Center for the Conceptual Foundations of Science, Pöcking, Germany ,grid.481817.3Institute of Evolution, Centre for Ecological Research, Budapest, Hungary ,grid.5018.c0000 0001 2149 4407MTA-ELTE Theoretical Biology and Evolutionary Ecology Research Group, Budapest, Hungary ,grid.5018.c0000 0001 2149 4407MTA-ELTE-MTM Ecology Research Group, Budapest, Hungary
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Knight JK, Salali GD, Sikka G, Derkx I, Keestra SM, Chaudhary N. Quantifying patterns of alcohol consumption and its effects on health and wellbeing among BaYaka hunter-gatherers: A mixed-methods cross-sectional study. PLoS One 2021; 16:e0258384. [PMID: 34705859 PMCID: PMC8550590 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0258384] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2021] [Accepted: 09/24/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Ethnographers frequently allude to alcoholism and related harms in Indigenous hunter-gatherer communities, but very few studies have quantified patterns of alcohol consumption or its health and social impacts. We present a case study of the Mbendjele BaYaka, a Congolese population undergoing socioeconomic transition. 83 adults answered questions about their frequency and quantity of alcohol consumption, underwent biometric measurements and reported whether they were currently experiencing a cough or diarrhoea; 56 participated in structured interviews about their experiences with alcohol. Based on WHO standards, we found 44.3% of the full sample, and 51.5% of drinkers (excluding abstainers), had a hazardous volume of alcohol consumption; and 35.1% of the full sample, and 40.9% of drinkers, engaged in heavy episodic drinking; consumption habits varied with sex and age. Total weekly consumption was a positive predictor of blood pressure and the likelihood of experiencing diarrhoea; associations with other biometric variables were not statistically significant. Interview responses indicated numerous other economic, mental and physical health harms of alcohol use, the prevalence of which demonstrate some variability between forest camps and permanent village settlements. These include high rates of drinking during pregnancy and breastfeeding (~40%); frequent alcohol-induced violence; and considerable exchange of foraged foods and engagement in exploitative labour activities to acquire alcohol or repay associated debts. Our findings demonstrate the prevalence of hazardous alcohol consumption among transitioning hunter-gatherers is higher than other segments of the Congolese population and indicate negative impacts on health and wellbeing, highlighting an urgent need for targeted public health interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessica K. Knight
- Department of Archaeology, Leverhulme Centre for Human Evolutionary Studies, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
- University of Cambridge School of Clinical Medicine, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Gul Deniz Salali
- Department of Anthropology, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Gaurav Sikka
- Department of Anthropology, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Inez Derkx
- Department of Anthropology, University College London, London, United Kingdom
- Department of Anthropology, University of Zurich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Sarai M. Keestra
- Department of Anthropology, University College London, London, United Kingdom
- Department of Anthropology, Durham University, Durham, United Kingdom
| | - Nikhil Chaudhary
- Department of Archaeology, Leverhulme Centre for Human Evolutionary Studies, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
- Department of Anthropology, University College London, London, United Kingdom
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Šimková PG, Weber GW, Ramirez Rozzi FV, Slimani L, Sadoine J, Fornai C. Morphological variation of the deciduous second molars in the Baka Pygmies. Sci Rep 2021; 11:16480. [PMID: 34389746 PMCID: PMC8363745 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-95524-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2021] [Accepted: 07/16/2021] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
The Baka Pygmies are known for their short stature resulting from a reduced growth rate during infancy. They are peculiar also for their teeth erupt earlier than in any other African population, and their posterior dentition is larger than in non-Pygmy populations. However, the Baka's dental morphology, like several other aspects of their biology, is still understudied. Here, we explore the variation of the Baka's deciduous upper and lower second molars (dm2s) in comparison to a geographically heterogeneous human sample by means of 3D geometric morphometrics and analysis of dental traits. Our results show that the different populations largely overlap based on the shape of their dm2s, especially the lower ones. Their distal region and the height of the dentinal crown differ the most, with the Baka showing the most extreme range of variation. Upper and lower dm2s covary to a great extent (RV = 0.82). The Baka's and South Americans' dm2s were confirmed among the largest in our sample. Despite the Baka's unique growth pattern, long-lasting isolation, and extreme dental variation, it is not possible to distinguish them from other populations based on their dm2s' morphology only.
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Affiliation(s)
- Petra G Šimková
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
| | - Gerhard W Weber
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
- Core Facility for Micro-Computed Tomography, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Fernando V Ramirez Rozzi
- UMR7206 Ecoanthropologie, MNHN, CNRS, UP, Musée de L'Homme, Paris, France
- EA 2496 Pathologies, Imagerie et biothérapies oro-faciales, Université Paris Descartes, Montrouge, France
| | - Lotfi Slimani
- UR2496 - Plateforme Imageries du Vivant, Université de Paris, Montrouge, France
| | - Jérémy Sadoine
- UR2496 - Plateforme Imageries du Vivant, Université de Paris, Montrouge, France
| | - Cinzia Fornai
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
- Institute of Evolutionary Medicine, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
- Vienna School of Interdisciplinary Dentistry, Klosterneuburg, Austria.
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Gallois S, van Andel TR, Pranskaityté G. Alcohol, drugs and sexual abuse in Cameroon's rainforest. Soc Sci Med 2021; 277:113929. [PMID: 33873011 DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2021.113929] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Revised: 03/05/2021] [Accepted: 04/09/2021] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
Due to global socio-economical and ecological changes, indigenous societies are exposed to an increased risk of alcohol and substance abuse. Most research on this topic has been done on indigenous communities in Canada, Australia, the US, parts of Europe and New Zealand, leaving indigenous communities in other parts of the world largely unrepresented. This study focuses on alcohol and drug consumption among the Baka: a former hunter-gatherer society in southeastern Cameroon that has been facing drastic socio-ecological changes in the last five decades. During long-term fieldwork we collected ethnographic and empirical data by means of group and individual interviews among four Baka communities. By using a multivariable approach, we describe psychoactive substance use behaviors, its socio-cultural and political context, and consequences. Our findings show that 48% of men, 24% of women and 11% of children between five and 16 years old reported alcohol intake in the past 24 h. The use of Tramadol was also reported, including by children as young as five years old. Psychoactive substances were used for recreational purposes, as painkillers, and energy boosters. Substance abuse was related to health issues, especially problems with fertility, and to several household and social conflicts. Other factors related to substance abuse were Baka's marginalization and sexual exploitation of Baka women and girls. By discussing these matters, we hope to stimulate more research on similar problems in small-scale societies and to invite governments, human rights activists, and other important parties to take action.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sandrine Gallois
- Faculty of Archaeology, Leiden University, Leiden, the Netherlands.
| | - Tinde Ruth van Andel
- Leiden University, Leiden, the Netherlands; Naturalis Biodiversity Center, Leiden, the Netherlands; Biosystematics Group, Wageningen University, Wageningen, the Netherlands
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Pineau JC, Ramirez Rozzi FV. The same growth pattern from puberty suggests that modern human diversity results from changes during pre-pubertal development. Sci Rep 2021; 11:4817. [PMID: 33649394 PMCID: PMC7921106 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-84327-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2020] [Accepted: 12/21/2020] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Patterns of human growth established for one population have rarely been tested in other populations. In a previous study, three growth curves from puberty were modelled for each sex in a longitudinal study of a Caucasian population based on stature, age at peak of growth and biological maturation. Each curve represents the canalisation of growth associated with the type of puberty. The high precision (± 3 cm) of individual adult stature predictions shows that growth kinetics are already set up at puberty and are canalised depending on biological maturity. Our aim is to assess whether this model can be extrapolated to other populations to test whether growth canalisation is a population-dependent phenomenon or if the model reflects a canalisation pattern specific to our species. The modelled curves predicted adult stature with the same high degree of precision in basketball players and the Baka pygmies. Therefore, (1) the relationship between growth kinetics and age at maturity is similar in all populations and (2) growth according to pubertal stages follows the same canalisation patterns in the populations despite the wide differences in their average adult statures. It suggests that morphological diversity in modern humans results from processes taking place in early development.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Fernando V Ramirez Rozzi
- UMR 7206 Ecoanthropology, MNHN, CNRS, UP, Musée de l'Homme, 17 place du Trocadéro, 75016, Paris, France. .,EA 2496, UP, Faculté de Chirurgie Dentaire, 1 rue Maurice Arnoux, 92120, Montrouge, France.
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Gallois S, Heger T, Henry AG, van Andel T. The importance of choosing appropriate methods for assessing wild food plant knowledge and use: A case study among the Baka in Cameroon. PLoS One 2021; 16:e0247108. [PMID: 33600479 PMCID: PMC7891729 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0247108] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2020] [Accepted: 02/01/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
In tropical rainforests, access to and availability of natural resources are vital for the dietary diversity and food security of forest-dwelling societies. In the Congo Basin, these are challenged by the increasing exploitation of forests for bushmeat, commercial hardwood, mining, and large-scale agriculture. In this context, a balanced approach is needed between the pressures from forest exploitation, non-timber forest product trade and the livelihood and dietary behavior of rural communities. While there is a general positive association between tree cover and dietary diversity, the complex biocultural interactions between tropical forest food resources and the communities they sustain are still understudied. This research focuses on the knowledge and use of wild food plants by the forest-dwelling Baka people in southeast Cameroon. By using two different sets of methods, namely ex-situ interviews and in-situ surveys, we collected ethnographic and ethnobotanical data in two Baka settlements and explored the diversity of wild edible plants known, the frequency of their consumption, and potential conflicts between local diet and commercial trade in forest resources. Within a single Baka population, we showed that the in-situ walk-in-the-woods method resulted in more detailed information on wild food plant knowledge and use frequency than the ex-situ methods of freelisting and dietary recalls. Our in-situ method yielded 91 wild edible species, much more than the ex-situ freelisting interviews (38 spp.) and dietary recalls (12 spp.). Our results suggest that studies that are based only on ex-situ interviews may underestimate the importance of wild food plants for local communities. We discuss the limitations and strengths of these different methods for investigating the diversity of wild food plant knowledge and uses. Our analysis shows that future studies on wild food plants would profit from a mixed approach that combines in-situ and ex-situ methods.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sandrine Gallois
- Faculty of Archaeology, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Thomas Heger
- Biosystematics Group, Wageningen University, Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | | | - Tinde van Andel
- Biosystematics Group, Wageningen University, Wageningen, The Netherlands
- Naturalis Biodiversity Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
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Abstract
Humans show marked variation in body size around the world, both within and among populations. At present, the tallest people in the world are from the Netherlands and the Balkan countries, while the shortest populations are central African Pygmies. There are genetic, genetic plasticity, developmental, and environmental bases for size variation in Homo sapiens from the recent past and the present. Early populations of Homo species also have shown considerable size variation. Populations from the present and the past are also marked by sexual dimorphism, which, itself, shows group variation. There is abundant evidence for the effects of limited food and disease on human growth and resultant adult body size. This environmental influence has been reflected in "secular trends" (over a span of years) in growth and adult size from socioeconomic prosperity or poverty (availability of resources). Selective and evolutionary advantages of small or large body size also have been documented. Heritability for human height is relatively great with current genome-wide association studies (GWAS) identifying hundreds of genes leading to causes of growth and adult size variation. There are also endocrinological pathways limiting growth. An example is the reduced tissue sensitivity to human growth hormone (HGH) and insulin-like growth factor (IGF-1) in Philippine and African hunter-gatherer populations. In several short-statured hunter-gatherer populations (Asian, African, and South American), it has been hypothesized that short life expectancy has selected for early maturity and truncated growth to enhance fertility. Some island populations of humans and other mammals are thought to have been selected for small size because of limited resources, especially protein. The high-protein content of milk as a staple food may contribute to tall stature in East African pastoral peoples. These and other evolutionary questions linked to life history, male competition, reproduction, and mobility are explored in this paper.
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Romero A, Ramirez-Rozzi FV, Cuesta-Torralvo E, Pérez-Pérez A. Age-related tooth wear in African rainforest hunter-gatherers. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2019; 170:622-628. [PMID: 31599980 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.23934] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/01/2019] [Revised: 09/01/2019] [Accepted: 09/11/2019] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Central African small-scale foragers subsist primarily on hunting game activities and wild plant-food gathering. Starch-rich tubers are underground storage organs (USOs) and staple food resources in savanna and tropical rainforests. However, little is known about the effect of USO consumption on tooth wear development in living hunter-gatherers. We report age- and sex-dependent tooth wear rates in forest-dwelling Baka Pygmies with well-documented wild-yam-tuber-based diet to explore the long-term impact of USO mechanical hardness and abrasiveness on the wearing down of the teeth. MATERIALS AND METHODS Percentages of dentine exposure (PDEs) of permanent left mandibular first molars (M1 ) were recorded using in vivo high-resolution replicas of Baka individuals (aged 8-33 years), inhabiting Le Bosquet district in Cameroon (Western Africa). Regression and covariance analyses were used to test the effect of individual aging by sex on PDE rates. RESULTS We found a strong increase of PDE by age among Baka individuals. No evidence of sexual dimorphism in wear patterns suggests similar sex-related dietary and masticatory demands during growth. Overall, greatest dentine exposure values ≈4% denote unexpected slow wear down rates for foraging diets relying on USO consumption. DISCUSSION The low molar wear rates with age found in Baka Pygmies contrast with extensive wear rates in savanna-dwelling foragers, reflecting differences in thermal processing techniques affecting fracture toughness and grittiness of mechanically challenging foods. Our findings reveal that culture-specific dietary proclivities influence tooth wear among foraging behaviors with important implications in hominin dietary versatility and abrasive stress on chewing surfaces.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alejandro Romero
- Departamento de Biotecnología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Alicante, Alicante, Spain
| | | | - Elisabeth Cuesta-Torralvo
- Departament de Biologia Evolutiva, Ecologia i Ciencies Ambientals, Secció Zoologia i Antropologia Biològica, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Alejandro Pérez-Pérez
- Departament de Biologia Evolutiva, Ecologia i Ciencies Ambientals, Secció Zoologia i Antropologia Biològica, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
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