Introduction : 'on our own terms' : indigenous traders in the global economy -- Indigenous institutions regulating 'popular' markets -- Kinship networks as chains of supply and distribution -- The Chinese connection : an interstitial global economy 'under the radar of the -- Law' -- Revolving...

This article attempts to look at the role of various aspects of the issue - such as the distinction between invention and discovery, the question of patents over genes, and the non-recognition of indigenous knowledge about the use of medicinal plants that has led to pillaging of bio-resources...