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Article History

Received: 16 May 2025

Accepted: 10 November 2025

First Online: 13 February 2026

Competing interests

: The authors declare no competing interests.

: The collection of ethnobotanical data (through informal conversations and direct and participatory observations) that is presented in this study was done by the Norwegian authors in the period from 1990 to 2001. This was during a period when there was no formal system for ethics approval in Norway. In fact, there is still no formal requirement of ethical preapproval from a national or regional committee until today in Norway (see attachment 1). Hence, the work in this paper should be considered under the category where ethics approval is exempted. The Research Ethics Act of 2017 (§5) points out the responsibility for good research ethics to the research institutions, and ethics self-assessments to the researchers themselves. The data collection presented in this paper followed recognised ethical norms and guidelines, including informed consent, anonymity and confidentiality where relevant, and respect for privacy and family life. The use of photos and the content of the paper have been approved by those involved. The fieldwork was approved by local institutions and was always collaborative and conducted in close cooperation with a qualified interpreter and with the permission and guidance of local Beja custodians. See the for information on ethical evaluation and processing of personal data for research purposes for the humanities and social sciences at the University of Bergen.

: Consent for the old photograph was obtained orally through author Mohamed Talib and the Beja Cultural Studies Centre, Red Sea University, Port Sudan. The data collection presented in this paper followed recognised ethical norms and guidelines, including informed consent, anonymity and confidentiality where relevant, and respect for privacy and family life. The use of photos and the content of the paper have been approved by those involved.