Sue Coleman's Spirit Of The Orca print from 1994.

Traditional Ecological Knowledge

Traditional Ecological
Knowledge
– One of the most important aspects of First Peoples.
– Includes detailed local knowledge gained through their relationships with the
landscape where they live.
– It takes in the world view that includes relationships with their local ecosystems and
the plants and animals, as well as with spiritual dimensions.
– Skills and practices people have used and developed over thousands of years
– Embeds beliefs about the natural world and the role people play in that world.
– The aim of First Peoples science is to live in balance with the rest of the world and
reflects an understanding that survival depends on an equal relationship with the
rest of the universe.
Is it so different?

– TEK is evidence-based and involves methods such as observation, measuring,

testing, and hypothesizing.
– Observations are collected over thousands of years and traditionally
transmitted through oral traditions. TEK is primarily local knowledge, learned
through direct interaction with the local environment.
– Traditional Ecological Knowledge is intellectual property and much is considered
sacred and not shared Sometimes First Peoples will share their Traditional
Ecological Knowledge with scientists with the goal of contributing to wider
scientific knowledge as their specific knowledge of the local ecosystem is a
storehouse of data.
Recognizing First Peoples
Perspectives

– Modern science deals with the natural world from the perspective of Western
science.
– There are also places where you can think about the world from a First Peoples
perspective of science.
– We can think of these foundations by considering four related themes or ideas:
– From a First Peoples perspective everything in the universe is connected.
Four Key Elements

– Interconnectedness – humans are not sperate from nature or the universe.

– Transformation – Everything is in motion; change is natural and the universe
itself is a creative force.
– Renewal – Change is often cyclical, ex. seasons. For an ecosystem to renew itself
it must be sustained
– Connection with place – Knowledge is gained from interaction with specific
ecosystems and locations
Crossing the divide

– First Peoples perspectives on science provides a holistic (all-inclusive) view that

seeks to understand how all things are connected and dependent on each
other.
– Western science often emphasizes the study of details, looking at certain
aspects of the natural word as if they are separate from it.

Neither view is better or worse, we can benefit from both.

Can we learn something new by looking at it from a different perspective?
Group activity.