From an Indigenous perspective, the land is a much larger concept more equated to the term ecosystem, which describes the interconnected relationships between the physical environment, biological organisms, atmosphere, and, in the case of Indigenous worldview, spiritual realm. The land is often described as sentient, meaning it has its own agency, spirit, and rights that are to be respected as much as those of humans and other beings...Although Indigenous worldviews vary significantly between cultural groups, there are some common themes that differ from Western worldviews, especially in relation to the land. The role of human beings, our connection to other living beings, and the land are fundamentally different in an Indigenous context. An Indigenous worldview places humans in an interconnected relationship with the rest of living and nonliving beings. Indigenous peoples see human beings as the caretakers of the land, recognizing that our survival depends on how we interact with each other and everything around us.Defining traditional ecological knowledge (often referred to as TEK) in the context of Indigenous worldview is not a simple task, TEK is a western concept. A commonly referenced definition of TEK is “a cumulative body of knowledge, practice and belief, evolving by adaptive processes and handed down through generations by cultural transmission, about the relationship of living beings (including humans) with one another and with their environment” From an Indigenous perspective, TEK is not a pool of data or discipline of study. Instead, it is a way of life, a way of being and doing, a connection to the land, laws, roles and responsibilities that are embedded in stories
Two ways of knowing:
Western approaches to environmental science focus on finding solutions to tackle existing environmental issues through practical data gathering and analysis. These solution-oriented approaches evolve as current technologies or modern equipment evolve for higher efficiency, better pattern recognition and predictability. Sometimes western approaches are viewed as invasive or even hasty; however as far as we can go, sophisticated research studies can deliver evidence-based findings that help form or enhance environmental laws and policies that shape today’s world. But just how fast can we chase after the world’s changing climate and emerging environmental issues?
Indigenous approaches, also known as Traditional Ecological Knowledge or simply Traditional Knowledge, are representations of experience and skills gained over thousands of years co-existing organically in a complex ecosystem. Although these approaches are frequently associated with ontological and spiritual concepts, they are gradually but surely being recognized as proof of practical sustainability, and the finest expression of human survival and adaptation. With one foot outside the world of science, Indigenous approaches remind us of our basic role as part of nature, and of our basic human instinct to strike for survival as opposed to taking it for granted. Now the question is: just how far can we go relying solely on western approaches to solve all the modern-day environmental problems?
From TRADITIONAL ECOLOGICAL KNOWLEDGE CONCEPTS AND CASES
In general, TEK differs from scientific ecological knowledge in a number of substantive ways:
1. TEK is mainly qualitative (as opposed to quantitative);
2. TEK has an intuitive component (as opposed to being purely rational);
3. TEK is holistic (as opposed to reductionist);
4. In TEK, mind and matter are considered together (as opposed to a separation of mind and matter);
5. TEK is moral (as opposed to supposedly value-free);
6. TEK is spiritual (as opposed to mechanistic);
7. TEK is based on empirical observations and accumulation of facts by trial-and-error (as opposed to experimentation and systematic, deliberate accumulation of fact);
8. TEK is based on data generated by resource users themselves (as opposed to that by a specialized cadre of researchers);
9. TEK is based on diachronic data, i.e., long time-series on information on one locality (as opposed to synchronic data, i.e., short time-series over a large area).
For more on worldview differences you can check out Chapter 8 – When Uncles Become Killer Whales: Bridging Indigenous Science, Western Science and Worldviews from the text Knowing Home: Braiding Indigenous Science with Western Science
First Stories - Nganawendaanan Nde'ing (I Keep Them in My Heart), Shannon Letandre, provided by the National Film Board of Canada
And to help you with language diffusion for Indo-European languages (remember the question about the nomadic warrior and sedentary farmer hypotheses?)
You have two charts to fill in a three questions to work on for me today
If there's time, for a different case of obscenity we'll look at "Sniffy the Rat" and artist Rick Gibson. To either giggle or be horrified check out the CBC story here. Is it Really Art or is it Obscene? Philosophy Talk "Art and Obscenity"
Lastly I'll have you work on questions:
- questions 2-3-4 on page 257 of the All About Law text (yesterday)
- questions 1, 2, & 3 on page 240 of the All About Law text along with
- questions 1 & 2 from page 244 of the All About Law text.
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