"Traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) describes indigenous and other traditional knowledge of local resources."
A study of the traditional knowledge systems and practices of Native American tribes including medicine, agriculture, and ecological management.
Indigenous epistemologies: The ways in which cultures of indigenous peoples construct knowledge and understanding of the world around them.
Oral traditions: The importance of oral storytelling, mythologies, and other forms of transmission of knowledge in indigenous cultures.
Sacred sites and landscapes: The significance of specific places or natural features that hold spiritual or cultural significance in indigenous cultures.
Traditional ecological knowledge: The understanding of ecosystems and natural resources developed by indigenous communities over generations.
Healing practices: The traditional ways of maintaining health and treating illnesses in indigenous communities, including the use of herbs, ceremony, and other forms of healing.
Gender and power relations: The specific ways in which gender roles and power dynamics function in indigenous communities.
Language and culture: The importance of language and its intersection with culture in indigenous societies.
Cultural revitalization: The efforts to revive and preserve indigenous cultures and knowledge systems in the face of colonialism and cultural assimilation.
Land rights and sovereignty: The struggles for land rights and self-determination by indigenous peoples around the world.
Modern issues affecting indigenous peoples: Current social, political, and economic issues facing indigenous communities, such as environmental degradation, cultural appropriation, and discrimination.
Traditional ecological knowledge: This knowledge system involves a deep understanding of the relationships between living organisms and their environment, including the cycles, patterns, and dynamics of the natural world. It covers a range of areas, such as land management, agriculture, biodiversity conservation, and stewardship.
Indigenous medicine: This knowledge system covers the use of traditional plant-based remedies, spiritual practices, and healing ceremonies to address physical, mental, and spiritual health issues. It is often based on a holistic view of health and well-being that integrates spiritual, emotional, and physical components.
Oral traditions: This knowledge system involves the transmission of knowledge, beliefs, values, and practices through storytelling, songs, dances, and other forms of oral expression. It plays a vital role in preserving cultural identity and passing down knowledge and wisdom from generation to generation.
Cosmology and spirituality: This knowledge system encompasses the belief systems, values, and spiritual practices of Indigenous communities. It includes the understanding of creation stories, relationships between human beings and the natural world, and rituals and ceremonies to ensure spiritual balance.
Indigenous language: This knowledge system includes the unique ways of speaking, understanding, and communicating that are specific to different Indigenous communities. It is an essential part of cultural identity, and the language itself is often intertwined with Indigenous knowledge and ways of understanding the world.
Governance and political systems: This knowledge system involves the practices, laws, and customs that Indigenous people have used to govern themselves and manage their resources. It often includes a communal decision-making process that takes into account the needs and well-being of the entire community.
Traditional arts and crafts: This knowledge system encompasses the traditional arts, crafts, music, and dance of Indigenous communities. It reflects the unique cultural expressions of different Indigenous peoples, and is often used to convey knowledge and values to future generations.
"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."