Insights to Indigenous Media and collaborative Video Work

Indigenous media as a phenomenon cannot be reduced to a reaction to western hegemony and colonial legacies, but is often rooted in the context of resistance, empowerment, self-determination and the reclaiming of symbolic representation. Therefore I would like to reflect on different cases of indigenous film and participatory video work in an attempt to highlight the multiple dynamics that arise due to the desideratum of self-representation and to finally locate us as anthropologists in that context.

Investigation of I -compounds (newly discovered indigenous DNA modifications) by different approaches

I-compounds are newly discovered covalent DNA modifications detected by the $\sp{32}$P-postlabeling assay. They are age-dependent, tissue-specific and sex-different. The origin(s), chemistry and function(s) of I-compounds are unknown. The total level of I-compounds in 8-10 month old rat liver is 1 adduct in 10$\sp7$ nucleotides, which is not neglectable. It is proposed that I-compounds may play a role in spontaneous tumorigenesis and aging.^ In the present project, I-compounds were investigated by several different approaches. (1) Dietary modulation of I-compounds. (2) Comparison of I-compounds with persistent carcinogen DNA adducts and 5-methylcytosine. (3) Strain differences of I-compounds in relation to organ site spontaneous tumorigenesis. (4) Effects of nongenotoxic hepatocarcinogenes on I-compounds.^ It was demonstrated that the formation of I-compounds is diet-related. Rats fed natural ingredient diet exhibited more complex I-spot patterns and much higher levels than rats fed purified diet. Variation of major nutrients (carbohydrate, protein and fat) in the diet, produced quantitative differences in I-compounds of rat liver and kidney DNAs. Physiological level of vitamin E in the diet reduced intensity of one I-spot compared with vitamin E deficient diet. However, extremely high level of vitamin E in the diet gave extra spot and enhanced the intensities of some I-spots.^ In regenerating rat liver, I-compounds levels were reduced, as carcinogen DNA adducts, but not 5-methylcytosine, i.e. a normal DNA modification.^ Animals with higher incidences of spontaneous tumor or degenerative diseases tended to have a lower level of I-compounds.^ Choline devoid diet induced a drastic reduction of I-compound level in rat liver compared with choline supplemented diet. I-compound levels were reduced after multi-doses of carbon tetrachloride (CCl$\sb4$) exposure in rats and single dose exposure in mice. An inverse relationship was observed between I-compound level and DNA replication rate. CCl$\sb4$-related DNA adduct was detected in mice liver and intensities of some I-spots were enhanced 24 h after a single dose exposure.^ The mechanisms and explanations of these observations will be discussed. I-compounds are potentially useful indicators in carcinogenesis studies. ^

Survey of living conditions of Arctic indigenous peoples

Major findings of the Survey of Living Conditions in the Arctic (SLiCA) are: (1) A combination of traditional activities and cash employment is the prevailing lifestyle of Arctic indigenous peoples; (2) family ties, social support of each other, and traditional activities have a lot to do with why indigenous people choose to remain in Arctic communities; (3) well-being is closely related to job opportunities, locally available fish and game, and a sense of local control. Well-being and depression (and related problems like suicide) are flip sides of the same coin. Improving well-being may reduce social problems; and, (4) health conditions vary widely in the Arctic: three-in-four Greenlandic Inuit self-rate their health as at least very good compared with one-in-two Canadian and Alaska Inuit and one-in-five Chukotka indigenous people. Findings are based on 7,200 interviews in a probability sample of Inupiat settlement regions of Alaska, the four Inuit settlement regions of Canada, all of Greenland, and the Anadyrskij, Anadyr, Shmidtovs, Beringovskij, Chukotskij, Iujl'tinskij, Bilibinskij, Chaunskij, Providenskij, Uel'Kal' districts of Chukotka. Indigenous people and researchers from Greenland, Russia, Canada, the United States, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, and Finland collaborated on all phases of the study.