Editorial
Abstract
With immense pleasure and pride, we announce the release of Volume 2 (2026) of the Journal of Indigenous Knowledge and Practice (JIKaP). It is a multidisciplinary platform committed to advancing scholarly and practical engagement with Indigenous knowledge and skills. It serves as a space for scholars, academicians, scientists, professors, educators, research students, professionals, and policy experts-both national and international-to publish high-quality, evidence-based research that enhances academic standards and informs practice. This journal particularly aims to bridge the gap between theory and practice, cultivating a culture of knowledge that is not only academically rigorous but also socially and ecologically relevant. Recent scholarship affirms that Indigenous knowledge, skills, and practices are not static traditions of the past but dynamic, evolving systems of understanding and innovation, rooted in generations of interaction with local ecosystems. These knowledge systems reflect sophisticated forms of environmental stewardship, sustainable resource management, and community-based governance.
Amid pressing challenges like climate change, biodiversity loss, and socioeconomic inequality, Indigenous ways of knowing offer resilient and context-specific solutions. International frameworks such as the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) increasingly call for the respectful inclusion of Indigenous epistemologies in education, research, and policy. Integrating Indigenous and scientific knowledge is not only an ethical imperative but also a necessary step toward co-creating sustainable and culturally grounded futures. In the 21st century, the discourse on sustainable development stands at a pivotal crossroads. While technological innovation and centralized global governance continue to shape dominant paradigms, Indigenous knowledge systems remain marginalized. Rooted in ecological balance, reciprocity, and communal decision-making, these systems provide invaluable guidance on how societies can thrive without exhausting natural and cultural resources. Yet, despite their relevance, they are rarely afforded meaningful space in mainstream development policies and academic discourse. This continued marginalization reflects the enduring legacy of epistemic colonialism.
Western-centric models of knowledge production have historically dismissed Indigenous practices as primitive or unscientific. Such biases persist today in academic institutions, development agencies, and policymaking arenas, undermining not only cultural diversity but also the effectiveness and equity of global responses to contemporary challenges. Interdisciplinary research has increasingly demonstrated the effectiveness of Indigenous ecological knowledge in fields such as biodiversity conservation, climate resilience, food security, and disaster preparedness. Importantly, the role of Indigenous people in preserving and transmitting this knowledge through oral traditions, agriculture, healing practices, and intergenerational teaching deserves greater recognition.
This issue comprises twelve articles examining Indigenous knowledge systems across South Asia, with particular emphasis on Nepal, through diverse methodological and disciplinary lenses.
Migration and Identity are reflected in the article by Al Mahmud where there is the story of how the Munda people, 3,500 years ago, migrated from Southeast Asia to the Sundarbans.
There are four articles related to language and literature in the issue. Diwas Rai examines major word classes in Lohorung; Rohini and Tara Mani Rai analyze tense-aspect-modality systems in Sampang; Bishnu Kumar Rai examines second language acquisition errors among Bantawa-speaking students learning Nepali; and Tilak Lamsal offers a contrastive analysis of Rajbanshi and Nepali vocabulary.
The thematic area Indigenous Institutions and Justice is explored in the study of Buddha Kumari Lama, which covers the Ganba-Gansom justice system among Tamang communities and its alignment with ILO Convention No. 169. In the same vein, Dilendra Mukarung Rai examines the cosmological concept of Mang in Kirat Rai mundhum traditions.
Ravi Subedi and his co-authors discuss health and ethnomedicine, especially phytochemical validation of Iris decora, bridging traditional healing practices with scientific evidence.
Under the theme of pedagogy and epistemology, Hira Man Tamang's study tends to appear as the indigenous pedagogies in Nepal, while Uddhav Sigdel and his co-authors unpack the Tharu knowledge systems.
The theme of religion and knowledge transmission is reflected in the article of Rishiram Adhikari and Chandra Prasad Dhakal, where there is analysis of how religious conversion disrupts Indigenous knowledge systems. Likewise, while the study of Bir Bahadur Bashyal examines disability inclusion within Indigenous livelihood practices in Nawalparasi.
Eventually this editorial board gratefully acknowledges the invaluable contribution of authors, reviewers, language and format editors, advisors, and Publisher-Grammar College, Koteshwor, Kathmandu, in the publication of this issue.
Editorial Board
