What is Indigenous Knowledge System?
Discuss about the Importance of Indigenous Knowledge System.
Indigenous knowledge system is a collection of perceptions, information and behaviors which are used to guide local members of the society in relation to the use of land and natural resources. These are skills and understanding developed by a society due to their history of the interaction with their surroundings. Indigenous Knowledge is usually aligned to a specific culture and specific society. Indigenous knowledge system is surrounded in community practices, various institutions, their relationships and particular rituals. Human beings collect knowledge and information basically to achieve two goals: survival and meaning. We try to evaluate, understand and come to conform to the surrounding environment for the purpose of survival. We also struggle for the reasons to live beyond the threats that are physical in reality. This shortly summarizes the basis to all types of activities which focus at development of knowledge systems (Reyes-García, 2010).
Indigenous knowledge systems provide knowledge and skill to guide for appropriate usage of land and resource programs formulated for the sustainability and management of natural resources. This is so true because for a long time before the creation of modern science, indigenous peoples and communities have trained and created well their means of knowing the way to survival and also of ideas crucial about values, purpose and meanings. It has then turned out to be customary to identify this form of knowledge as ‘indigenous knowledge’ or ‘traditional knowledge’. Indigenous knowledge system has also been seen as a very contrasting form of knowledge from other forms such as the western ways of developing, recording and conveying knowledge (Mutema, 2009).
In the quest of designing sustainable development and management of resources especially in Canada, there is a good organized collective human experience put into practice for a better standard of living. The purpose being to create a swift environment for the community and enhance development of natural resources for instance in Canada(Henningfeld, 2009).Indigenous knowledge system is developed and sustained so as to meet their needs of living which comprise health, shelter, food, savings and spirituality. The system may be usually specific and adapted to local conditions and to the community’s economic and social situations and cultural beliefs (Tauxe, 2009). The information in this type of knowledge system can be simple or more complex but it has been managed by the community due to the changing socio-economic circumstances and as per the creativeness and innovations of the members of the community and as a result of the influence of other cultures and technological activities from the outside. The state of Canada has recognized state resource management systems. In the case of forest management in ensuring socio-economic management, there has been a great awareness of knowledge held by indigenous people. For example, in forest management system in Canada the formula goes that since traditional people have created a unique cultural and spiritual bond with land and a special knowledge of the forest and considering that their traditional way of living is majorly on the idea of managing and using resources with the aim of sustaining them for it to last in perpetuity. This ecological knowledge has been incorporated by the government in Canada to contribute to sustainability and forest management practices (Johnson, 2012). The sate integrates Traditional ecological Knowledge with science and since this evaluation ecologists and resource managers have discovered that indigenous knowledge of ecology has been very useful in management of resources and in designing sustainable management programs for example in forest management programs for that matter.
Role of Indigenous Knowledge System in Resource Management
As far as education and students are concerned, the students have used the information from the indigenous knowledge and in the process used it to improve their learning process in various fields through incorporating the experiences therein in the indigenous knowledge system to enhance their present learning fields(Krishnaswamy, 2009).As a criminology student for example, the traditional knowledge of crime and arbitration is very useful more so in study of solving conflicts and disputes incorporating the traditional knowledge. For example they uphold humanity so much as they put conflicting parties to table and mediate them after which they can offer sacrifice to appease the other party and conflict is settled; Unlike modern science where penalties are heavy and some against humanity. Sentence to death and life imprisonment in parts of the constitution is not a practice we students wish to uphold even in our modern society today, thus indigenous knowledge is valuable for that matter. As law students we incorporate indigenous knowledge to solve disputes at professional levels which helps create a bridge between the two, traditional and modern science and also due to the value of traditional knowledge in adapting to and the exploitation of the environment at large. Local knowledge is in big contrast with the knowledge systems created by the universities, institutions of learning, research and private firms. This is due to the basis of local levels of making decisions in agriculture, food preparation, provision, and management of natural resources, education and other activities in the rural setting. Canada has repeatedly refused incorporating the indigenous systems however in their systems of education and not much considered the quality presented by the system of local knowledge (Julie McGonegal, 2009). It should however by legal rights considered in the firms to be effective and basic knowledge can be retrieved from the indigenous knowledge. This is because the failures incurred have led to exposed shortcomings that have led to theories about modern education as well as its practice.
The best concept to deal with these struggles is by generally practicing the presentation of the indigenous knowledge elements to the culture which is often connected with spirituality and are non-indigenous knowledge researchers. The small points will present facts which will be understood by the outsiders and those non-indigenous researchers and in time the relations of the two researchers will improve in the end connect a good relationship between indigenous and scientific knowledge. The legal avenues including courts have found the benefiting impact of the education and it is time for education systems in Canada and every international to uphold the system and draw to constitutional rights for the system be put in practice so as to enhance the society, education, economic and social development (Johnson, 2012).
How Indigenous Knowledge System Influences Education and Law
The indigenous knowledge system has been able to enable a smooth running of activities in the society’s setting and the performance development of the society at large has been on the right track. Indigenous knowledge system is very important in the development of the society, among nations such as Canada and internationally. The ecology of this system proofs the positive influence impacted by the information and experience and contentment in the set of living standards and environment the indigenous people have created for them(TODD, 2008). Indigenous knowledge has influenced many aspects of life through the deep concrete study of the resource management and sustainable development of the community in various fields of discussion. They include food security, cultural heritage, land rights, resource management, biodiversity as well as cultural rights and medical practices. These features declare that indigenous knowledge is so helpful in the development of local communities. Reports have indicated that unlike capital, knowledge is very necessary for the sustainability of social and economic development and projects of a particular community or society (Johnson, 2012).
Indigenous knowledge has been a breakthrough for many societies in the food security position. This is evident as the food programs have been getting the knowledge to sustain and provide food to every person especially the poor communities. In a food for work program for instance indigenous knowledge has become more effective and of great influence to the development as compared to the modern knowledge and science (Karst & Turner, 2011). In a local setup where a donor gives out food, a lot of problems are experience but in the time where the local knowledge and solutions were reached for by the managers, the use of the local strategies and local equipment, it was jointly determined that distribution and community linked could be the best method to distribute food especially in the local context (HARISHA, 2016).
Traditional and local authorities have settled critical issues in the community by use of indigenous knowledge .Without the help from the central government or the outside aid they are able to settle cases such as land disputes and conflicting communities come to a firm resolution only by employing strategies from indigenous knowledge (Tsai & Lo, 2013).
Biodiversity can be promoted by the use of indigenous knowledge through characterization of appropriate resource uses to particular landscape. Resource management is also a particular field that is promoted well by use of local knowledge. Indigenous knowledge is an important part of the environment of the poor people. It is a vital tool for the poor nation people .Indigenous knowledge is a special element of the society’s social capital mainly for the poor. It is well incorporated by them to invest in the social lives to provide basic needs like shelter, to provide food and to achieve management of their own lives. Indigenous knowledge also gives the people problem-solving mechanisms for the local people and helps improve the local visions and their perceptions of the environment and society in general (Henning Feld, 2009). Typical instances include the concept of global knowledge in the indigenous knowledge progress and community development is seen to be controlled easily. However other importance of using indigenous knowledge include women empowerment ,treatment of diseases ,cattle’s and farm protection, soil and land rights and classification, constructions ,water catchment and providing herbal medicine.
In summary, it is important to note that Indigenous knowledge is necessary both to the local community and the global communities. It provides services that is very useful to all particulars especially in the long term development progress and in the resource manage which is vital in every state management .Also aids the locals especially the poor people in the local communities to live a happy livelihood and thus indigenous knowledge should be respected and uphold because of its relevance.
References
Harisha, r. (2016). traditional ecological knowledge (tek) and Its importance in South India: perspective from local communities. Applied Ecology And Environmental Research, 14(1), 311-326. doi: 10.15666/aeer/1401_311326
Henningfeld, D. (2009). Indigenous peoples. Detroit: Greenhaven Press.
Johnson, S. (2012). Indigenous knowledge. Cambridge: White Horse Press.
Julie McGonegal. (2009). The Great Canadian (and Australian) Secret: The Limits ofNon-Indigenous Knowledge and Representation. ESC: English Studies In Canada, 35(1), 67-83. doi: 10.1353/esc.0.0162
Karst, A., & Turner, N. (2011). Local Ecological Knowledge and Importance of Bakeapple (Rubus chamaemorus L.) in a Southeast Labrador Métis Community. Ethnobiology Letters, 2(0), 6. doi: 10.14237/ebl.2.2011.6-18
Krishnaswamy, S. (2009). Regulating Access to Knowledge: Traditional Knowledge Policy in India. SSRN Electronic Journal. doi: 10.2139/ssrn.1437015
Mutema, G. (2009). Phenomenology, Hermeneutics and the study of indigenous knowledge systems. Indilinga: African Journal Of Indigenous Knowledge Systems, 2(1). doi: 10.4314/indilinga.v2i1.46995
Reyes-García, V. (2010). The relevance of traditional knowledge systems for ethnopharmacological research: theoretical and methodological contributions.Journal Of Ethnobiology And Ethnomedicine, 6(1), 32. doi: 10.1186/1746-4269-6-32
Sigurjo?n Baldur Hafsteinsson., & Bredin, M. (2010). Indigenous screen culturesin Canada. Winnipeg [Man.]: University of Manitoba Press.
Tauxe, C. (2009). Local Science vs. Global Science: Approaches to IndigenousKnowledge in International Development. American Anthropologist, 111(1), 122123. doi: 10.1111/j.1548-1433.2009.01087_12.x
Todd, C. (2008). Local science vs. global science: approaches to indigenous knowledgein international development edited by Sillitoe, Paul. Social Anthropology, 16(3), 379-380. doi: 10.1111/j.1469-8676.2008.00043_16.x
Tsai, B., & Lo, Y. (2013). The Spatial Knowledge of Indigenous People in Mountainous Environments: A Case Study of Three Taiwanese Indigenous Tribes. Geographical Review, 103(3), 390-408. doi: 10.1111/j.1931-0846.2013.00005.x
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