indigenous knowledge
Praise for Inuit Traditional Knowledge
Researchers studying Arctic issues are increasingly consulting the local people to gain, in the early stages of their investigations, the benefits of the Inuit traditional knowledge. Nunatsiaq News published an interesting piece on Monday last week about the useful collaboration between scholars and the indigenous people. For instance, during a study of pregnant women in […]
Semai Uses of Forest Foods
The Semai have been gathering plants in the forests for generations and have profited from their knowledge of the wild foods, widely referred to as “ulam.” The Star, a leading Malaysian newspaper, published a story last week in which the reporter interviewed Rachel Thomas Tharmabalan, a researcher who specializes in analyzing the edible foods, especially […]
Batek Illness Becomes Deadly
Back in early April, reports came out about a mysterious illness that was afflicting the Batek of Kuala Koh: some young people were becoming sick and having breathing problems. The state health authorities in Kelantan attempted to provide cover for themselves by blaming the Batek for not being willing to take transportation to clinics to […]
Traditional Lepcha Culture [research report review]
A fascinating research report about a project intended to strengthen the indigenous knowledge systems of the Himalayan peoples, including the Lepchas, was published in June 2018. A news report dated August 31 prompts interest in the report. The research study was designed to reinforce traditional systems of providing foods in the mountains by focusing on […]
The Loss of Traditional Knowledge
On Tuesday last week, a research institute in Kerala released the results of a study that demonstrated how much the Malapandaram, and other tribal societies, are losing their traditional knowledge. The results of the study were summarized by The Hindu and numerous other news sources in India. The study of eight different tribal societies living […]
Innovative Semai Learning Center
A community learning center in Malaysia serves to integrate, for some Semai children, formal academic classroom subjects with lessons about their traditional culture. A school day might begin with instruction in reading, writing, and math presented by their teacher, but it would be followed by the fun of learning to play the chentong, a musical […]
Inuit Protect the Terror
Parks Canada hired 17 Inuit to help guard a couple Canadian treasures—the underwater wrecks of two Franklin Expedition ships discovered over the past three years. Jimmy Pauloosie, Jr., an 18-year old from Gjoa Haven, told the CBC last week that the responsibility of being employed in the Guardians program made him feel “pretty impressive.” He […]
Finding the Terror
Last week a Canadian research team announced that they had found a sunken ship, the Terror, from the lost Franklin Expedition and that the knowledge of an Inuit man had prompted the discovery. Crew members of the research vessel Martin Bergmann found the wreck at the bottom of Terror Bay, located at the southwestern corner […]
Inuit Culture and Climate Change [journal article review]
Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) held by indigenous peoples is slowly gaining recognition by scientists as an alternative way of looking at environmental processes over time. In a recent study, researchers used TEK as a means of increasing our understanding of climate change in the Arctic. In order to carry out the study, lead investigator, Alain […]
Batek Knowledge of Medicinal Plants [journal article review]
The Batek are highly dependent on the diverse life forms that surround them, especially the forest plants that they use for medicinal purposes, and as a result they have accumulated a vast knowledge of local natural resources.
