Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Washington. / Bibliography: l. 323-331.

Diss.--München, 1996. / Bibliogr. p. 303-330. Index.

The Wanniya-laeto, often referred to as Veddas, are the indigenous people of Sri Lanka. They live primarily in governmental designated areas in the forest with a few Vedda villages on the eastern coastal region. In-depth, semi-structured interviews as well as participant observation were the methods used to access the perceptions of mental health and mental illness among the Wanniya-laeto population. Research was conducted over a two month period and focuses primarily on the Ratugala Veddas with additional interviews conducted with three other Vedda communities, including one coastal village, to use for comparison and support. Five itinerant psychiatrist who work in clinics and hospitals that serve Vedda communities were also interviewed. Results show that the Veddas believe mental illness is the result of not being satisfied by with the basic gifts supplied by the spirits and refer to mental illness as a "city disease." There are no acknowledged cases of acute mental illness among the participant's communities. There are a small number of cases of depression in the Vedda's communities, but they do not associate depression with mental illness. The Veddas believe depression is due to external factors, such as government intervention in their lifestyle. Like many indigenous populations throughout the world, the encroachment of external forces has led to the loss of their land rights as well as a slow decline of their culture. The Veddas feel that the prevalence of depression in their society is increasing as they are becoming more detached from the land and traditional way of life. They believe that gaining their hunting and agricultural land rights would help restore their balance and prevent depression. Additionally, they believe that financial and social support from the government for their cultural preservation would also keep depression and other mental illness out of their communities. / Graduation date: 2004

Entrepreneurship-based factors to foster climate adaptation among Indigenous communities Indunil Prabodha Dharmasiri Ebawala Pitiyalage ABSTRACT (ACADEMIC) This thesis investigates the factors that cause the emergence of entrepreneurship to foster climate adaptation responses among Indigenous communities. These factors can influence, enhance, or degrade the potential for entrepreneurship in the climate change adaptation context. While these factors are well-studied for non-Indigenous communities, they remain understudied for Indigenous communities' contexts. The objectives of this study are to identify the factors that shape the emergence of entrepreneurship to foster adaptive responses to climatic risks faced by Indigenous communities and to assess the identified entrepreneurship-based factors through a case study. I followed a two-stepped methodological approach through a systematic literature review and a case study analysis among Sri Lankan Indigenous 'Vedda' communities. The systematic review included 65 peer-reviewed articles from the Web of Science and Scopus databases, and the case study analysis involved 90 in-depth semi-structured interviews with nine Indigenous communities in Sri Lanka. I found 15 entrepreneurship-based factors that shape the emergence of entrepreneurship to foster climate adaptation. I categorized those 15 factors under five key themes. They are learning (crop failure, learning, prior entrepreneurial experience), institutions (social networks, institutional support, overcoming the agency-structure paradox), place (resource (un)availability, location, environmental risk factors), capacity (access to information, entrepreneurs' psychological traits, access to capital) and strategy (business characteristics, product range, market characteristics). I applied these factors to the Sri Lankan Indigenous community context and assessed them through case studies. My study frames the potential of entrepreneurship to foster climate adaptation among Indigenous communities. Further, the study provides insights for scholars, practitioners, and policymakers in making climate change adaptation-related Indigenous policies and broader-level applications, such as the development of new adaptation measures to reduce the risks of climatic changes through entrepreneurship. / Master of Science / Entrepreneurship-based factors to foster climate adaptation among Indigenous communities Indunil Prabodha Dharmasiri Ebawala Pitiyalage GENERAL AUDIENCE ABSTRACT My study explores how entrepreneurship occurs to support Indigenous communities in adapting to the challenges and risks posed by climate change. I studied the factors that either help or hinder the emergence of entrepreneurship aimed at adapting to climate change. While these factors are well-studied in non-Indigenous communities, there is not much research on these factors focused on Indigenous contexts. My study aimed to identify the factors that support the emergence of entrepreneurship as an adaptive response to climate change and to apply those factors to the Sri Lankan Indigenous communities context. I used two main methods in this study. Firstly, I conducted a systematic review of the literature to explore documented knowledge on this topic through databases such as Web of Science and Scopus. Secondly, I conducted in-depth interviews with Indigenous community members ('Veddas') in Sri Lanka. This research identified 15 key factors that influence the emergence of entrepreneurship in response to climate change. I grouped these factors into five key themes: learning (crop failure, learning, prior entrepreneurial experience), institutions (social networks, institutional support, overcoming the agency-structure paradox), place (resource (un)availability, location, environmental risk factors), capacity (access to information, entrepreneurs' psychological traits, access to capital) and strategy (business characteristics, product range, market characteristics). I applied these factors to Indigenous community context in Sri Lanka and assessed those factors through detailed case studies. The findings of my study highlight the potential for entrepreneurship to support Indigenous communities in adapting to climate change. This research has important implications for researchers, practitioners, and policymakers to develop policies and measures to promote entrepreneurial activities within Indigenous communities.