Durie Mason
Te Putahi a Toi, School of Maori Studies, Massey University, New Zealand.
Int J Epidemiol. 2004 Oct;33(5):1138-43. doi: 10.1093/ije/dyh250. Epub 2004 Jun 24.
Indigenous knowledge cannot be verified by scientific criteria nor can science be adequately assessed according to the tenets of indigenous knowledge. Each is built on distinctive philosophies, methodologies, and criteria. While there is considerable debate around their relative merits, contests about the validities of the two systems tend to serve as distractions from explorations of the interface, and the subsequent opportunities for creating new knowledge that reflects the dual persuasions. Maori researchers in Aotearoa/New Zealand have been able to apply the methods and values of both systems in order to reach more comprehensive understandings of health and illness. Two case studies are used to demonstrate how the incorporation of indigenous beliefs into research protocols and measurements can enhance health research and understandings of health and illness.
本土知识无法通过科学标准来验证，科学也不能依据本土知识的原则进行充分评估。每一种知识体系都建立在独特的哲学、方法论和标准之上。尽管围绕它们的相对优点存在大量争论，但关于这两种体系有效性的争论往往会分散对两者交汇点的探索，以及后续创造反映双重理念的新知识的机会。新西兰奥塔哥/新西兰的毛利研究人员能够运用这两种体系的方法和价值观，以便对健康与疾病达成更全面的理解。文中使用了两个案例研究来展示将本土信仰纳入研究方案和测量方法如何能够加强健康研究以及对健康与疾病的理解。
