Traditional knowledge

About: Traditional knowledge is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 10825 publications have been published within this topic receiving 202790 citations. The topic is also known as: indigenous knowledge & indigenous knowledge system.

Indigenous Knowledge of Ecological Variability and Commons Management: A Case Study on Berry Harvesting from Northern Canada

Abstract: Common property arrangements govern the subsistence harvest of berries in the Gwich’in region of the Northwest Territories, Canada. Some of these arrangements, including rules for resource access, sharing information and harvest sharing, enable the Gwich’in to deal with ecological variability. The rules change in response to year-to-year variations in the abundance and distribution of the species, spatially and temporally across the region. This paper illustrates the interrelationships between ecosystem dynamics and local institutions, a neglected area of commons research.

Indigenous Knowledge and Archaeological Science: The Challenges of Public Archaeology in the Reserva Uaçá

Abstract: The move towards public archaeology counsels archaeologists to work participatively, placing a high priority on educational and developmental activities with local communities in order to share the means of production of historical knowledge and promote the conservation of heritage. Describing key moments in an archaeological project which took these principles as starting points in an indigenous peoples' reserve in northern Brazil, the paper contends that public archaeology is comprised not of a series of goals and activities additional to the task of archaeology, but rather that public archaeology constitutes a wholly different approach to the generation of research questions and the production of knowledge. Examining assumptions about empowerment, consultation, heritage, historiography, strategic essentialism and ethics as they affected decisions in the field, the case study demonstrates that, while challenging, participatory research holds significant benefits for the production of knowledge.

Ethical and regulatory issues surrounding African traditional medicine in the context of HIV/AIDS.

Abstract: It has been estimated that more than 80% of people in Africa use traditional medicine (TM). With the HIV/AIDS epidemic claiming many lives in Africa the majority of people affected rely on TM mainly because it is relatively affordable and available to the poor populations who cannot afford orthodox medicine. Whereas orthodox medicine is practiced under stringent regulations and ethical guidelines emanating from The Nuremburg Code African TM seems to be exempt from such scrutiny. Although recently there have been calls for TM to be incorporated into the health care system less emphasis has been placed on ethical and regulatory issues. In this paper an overview of the use of African TM in general and for HIV/AIDS in particular is given followed by a look at: (i) the relative laxity in the application of ethical standards and regulatory requirements with regards to TM; (ii) the importance of research on TM in order to improve and demystify its therapeutic qualities; (iii) the need to tailor-make intellectual property laws to protect traditional knowledge and biodiversity. A framework of partnerships involving traditional healers associations scientists policy makers patients community leaders members of the communities and funding organizations is suggested as a possible method to tackle these issues. It is hoped that this paper will stimulate objective and constructive debate that could enhance the protection of patients welfare. (authors)

New perspectives in fire management in South American savannas: The importance of intercultural governance

Abstract: Wildfires continue to cause damage to property, livelihoods and environments around the world. Acknowledging that dealing with wildfires has to go beyond fire-fighting, governments in countries with fire-prone ecosystems have begun to recognize the multiple perspectives of landscape burning and the need to engage with local communities and their practices. In this perspective, we outline the experiences of Brazil and Venezuela, two countries where fire management has been highly contested, but where there have been recent advances in fire management approaches. Success of these new initiatives have been measured by the reduction in wildfire extent through prescribed burning, and the opening of a dialogue on fire management between government agencies and local communities. Yet, it is clear that further developments in community participation need to take place in order to avoid the appropriation of local knowledge systems by institutions, and to better reflect more equitable fire governance.

Nature is culture: indigenous knowledge and socio-cultural aspects of trees and forests in non-European cultures

Abstract: Foreword vii FRANZ SCHMITHOSEN 1. Introduction 1 KLAUS SEELAND 2. Culturing trees: socialized knowledge in the political ecology of Kissia and Kuranko forest islands of Guinea 7 JAMES FAIRHEAD AND MELISSA LEACH 3. The perceived environment as a system of knowledge and meaning: a study of the Mewahang Rai of eastern Nepal 19 BARUN GURUNG 4. Tatari: livelihood and danger in upland Japan 28 JOHN KNIGHT 5. Forests and trees in the cultural landscape of Lawa swidden farmers in northern Thailand 44 DIETRICH SCHMIDT-VOGT 6. Tree marriage in India 51 ROBERT PARKIN 1. The influence of religious beliefs and rituals on forest conservation in Nepal 57 ANDREW W. INGLES 8. The Huaorani and their trees: managing and imagining the Ecuadorian rain forest 67 LAURA RIVAL 9. Where trees do matter for society: the socio-cultural aspects of sal (Shorea robusta) and salap (Caryota urens L.) in the Similipal hills of Orissa, India 79 MIHIR KUMAR JENA, KLAUS SEELAND AND KAMALA KUMARIPATNAIK 10. War, forests and the future: the environmental understanding of the young in Sierra Leone 90 PAUL RICHARDS 11. Indigenous knowledge of trees and forests in non- European societies 101 KLAUS SEELAND 12. Forests and trees in the world of two Tamang villages in central Nepal: observations with special reference to the role of Tamang women in forest management 113 BETT1NA MAAG Appendix to Chapter 12 130 Notes on contributors 136 Notes 138 Bibliography 142