Native Knowledge
Essential Questions: What can Western conservationists and modern-day stakeholders learn from indigenous practices?
Standards:
Obtain, evaluate, and communicate information (SEP)
LS-2: Ecosystems: Interactions, Energy, and Dynamics
ESS-2A: Earth Materials and Systems
PS-2C: Stability and Change
Image: Patrick Orton/Getty
Whether climate change, species management, or habitat conservation, most ecology and earth science curriculum only reflects a western understanding of the world around us. However, after recent catastrophic wildfires in California, scientists and the general public alike are turning to indigenous traditions for answers. For centuries, local tribes have been igniting “good fire” as part of a bigger land management tool. This practice of cultural burning (video) served to reduce the fuel load for wildfires, create diverse ecological niches, and promoted propagation of fire-reliant plants. When missionaries and colonists forcibly removed indigenous folks from the land, they also erased and even prohibited cultural practices, including “good fire.” Western culture views fire as destructive rather than regenerating. As such, CalFire has focused on the suppression of fire. Unfortunately, this practice has backfired as the magnitude of recent fires has proven difficult to suppress.
Just as Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) may prove useful in fire management, it is also being sought for a variety of other purposes. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife has utilized both traditional knowledge and Western data to manage salmon populations, determine threat levels to species including the polar bear, and to respond to ecological disasters. U.S. Fish and Wildlife and Alaska Native Organizations (ANO’s) also co-manage the Alaskan marine mammal population. The short series Tending Nature provides ample case studies that are accessible for many ages and levels. For more advanced students prepared to work with primary sources, the Bureau of Indian Affairs also keeps a map of conservation projects they are involved with. (Have more resources? Let me know!)
Vera Spain hangs salmon according to Native Alaskan traditions (image: Clark Mischler)
When teaching about resource management, consider having students compare and contrast modern policies with traditional practices. What can Western conservationists and modern-day stakeholders learn from indigenous practices? How might indigenous practices need to be updated to meet the demands of the 21st century?
“People have relied on this detailed knowledge for their survival. They have literally staked their lives on its accuracy and repeatability.”
— Henry Huntington, Arctic Researcher
