"Traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) describes indigenous and other traditional knowledge of local resources."
IKS refers to the local knowledge and practices of indigenous communities, which are often based on traditional ecological knowledge.
Indigenous Knowledge Systems (IKS): The complex and integrated set of beliefs, practices, values, and traditions that are unique to specific indigenous communities.
Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK): The cumulative knowledge of indigenous peoples about the environment, including flora and fauna, climate, and land and resource management.
Oral traditions and histories: The stories, myths, legends, and historical accounts passed down through generations that provide insight into indigenous culture and belief systems.
Indigenous spirituality and ritual practices: The spiritual beliefs and practices unique to indigenous communities, which often emphasize the interconnectedness of all things.
Indigenous languages: The diverse languages spoken by indigenous communities, which convey a unique understanding of the world and its inhabitants.
Indigenous land rights and stewardship: The intricate relationship between indigenous peoples and the land, including traditional practices for managing resources and protecting sacred sites.
Indigenous governance and decision-making: The indigenous systems of power and authority that often differ from Western democratic models.
Indigenous health and healing practices: The holistic approaches to health and well-being that are central to many indigenous cultures.
Indigenous economies and trade: The traditional systems of production, distribution, and consumption that sustain indigenous livelihoods.
Indigenous education and knowledge transmission: The ways in which knowledge and skills are passed down through generations in indigenous communities.
Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK): TEK refers to the knowledge Indigenous peoples have about their surrounding environment, including flora and fauna identification, resource management practices, and ecological relationships within their landscape.
Ethnomedicine: Ethnomedicine refers to Indigenous healing practices that incorporate traditional knowledge about medicinal plants, spiritual practices, and the body.
Livelihoods and Foodways: Indigenous Knowledge relating to food production, processing and preservation and technologies, material culture that includes indigenous tools and traditional clothing;.
Tribal Law and Governance: Tribal Law and Governance refers to Indigenous governance systems, such as kinship systems, decision-making, dispute resolution, and leadership.
Ritual, Religion, and Ceremonial Practice: Indigenous Knowledge relating to traditional spiritual, ceremonial, and religious practices stemming from their connection to the land and creation stories.
Oral Traditions, Language, and Education: Indigenous Knowledge Systems that involve language and cultural transmission including storytelling, songs, arts, crafts and dance.
Material Culture: Traditional indigenous knowledge around crafts and artefacts, that includes indigenous technologies such as pottery, basket weaving, or carving.
Traditional Architecture and Engineering Systems: This refers to Indigenous knowledge about architecture and engineering systems dating back centuries.
Knowledge of the Cosmos and Astronomy: This refers to Indigenous Knowledge about the cosmos and astronomy, including traditional beliefs about the universe and stars that connect it with Indigenous spirituality, religion and cosmology.
Indigenous science and mathematics: This refers to Indigenous knowledge about science and mathematics that derive from their environment, such as traditional navigation or agricultural system that have informed their way of life for centuries.
"It is handed down through generations through traditional songs, stories, and beliefs."
"It is concerned with the relationship of living beings (including human) with their traditional groups and with their environment."
"TEK is used as a substitute for baseline environmental data in cases where there is little recorded scientific data, or may complement Western scientific methods of ecological management."
"The application of TEK in the field of ecological management and science is still controversial."
"Methods of acquiring and collecting knowledge... differ from those used to create and validate scientific ecological knowledge from a Western perspective."
"Non-tribal government agencies, such as the U.S. EPA, have established integration programs with some tribal governments in order to incorporate TEK in environmental plans and climate change tracking."
"There is a debate whether Indigenous populations retain an intellectual property right over traditional knowledge."
"TEK is most frequently preserved as oral tradition and as such may lack objectively confirmed documentation."
"Traditional knowledge is used to maintain resources necessary for survival."
"TEK itself, and the communities tied to the oral tradition, may become threatened in the context of rapid climate change or environmental degradation."
"TEK is proving critical for understanding the impacts of those changes within the ecosystem."
"TEK can also refer to traditional environmental knowledge which emphasizes the different components and interactions of the environment."
"TEK refers to 'a cumulative body of knowledge, belief, and practice, evolving by accumulation of TEK.'"
"...handed down through generations through traditional songs, stories, and beliefs."
"Methods of acquiring and collecting knowledge...differ from those used to create and validate scientific ecological knowledge from a Western perspective."
"Non-tribal government agencies...established integration programs with some tribal governments in order to incorporate TEK in environmental plans and climate change tracking."
"As such, the same methods that could resolve the issue of documentation to meet Western requirements may compromise the very nature of traditional knowledge."
"TEK is concerned with the relationship of living beings with their traditional groups and with their environment."
"TEK is used in natural resource management as a substitute for baseline environmental data in cases where there is little recorded scientific data, or may complement Western scientific methods of ecological management."