Topic
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.
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TL;DR: The growing realization that indigenous knowledge has a role to play in national development as well as the knowledge management environment has led to the growth of interest in preserving and managing it.
Abstract: Managing knowledge in general and indigenous knowledge in particular has become an important and valuable input in the management of sustainable development programmes. Historically, indigenous knowledge has been downplayed in the management of information. The tendency among library and information professionals has been to emphasize recorded knowledge at the expense of unrecorded indigenous knowledge. However, the growing realization that indigenous knowledge has a role to play in national development as well as the knowledge management environment has led to the growth of interest in preserving and managing it. The major challenges to the management and preservation of indigenous knowledge are issues relating to collection development, intellectual property rights, access and the preservation media.
112 citations
01 Jan 2011
TL;DR: In this article, the authors reviewed the literature on Australian Aboriginal seasonal knowledge to characterize contemporary and potential applications to natural resource management (NRM) and, through this, to more resilient social-ecological systems.
Abstract: Natural resource scientists and managers increasingly recognize traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) for its potential contribution to contemporary natural resource management (NRM) and, through this, to more resilient social-ecological systems. In practice, however, inadequate cross-cultural means to organize and communicate TEK can limit its effective inclusion in management decisions. Indigenous seasonal knowledge involving temporal knowledge of biota, landscapes, weather, seasonal cycles, and their links with culture and land uses is one type of TEK relevant to this issue. We reviewed the literature on Australian Aboriginal seasonal knowledge to characterize contemporary and potential applications to NRM. This knowledge was often documented through cross-cultural collaboration in the form of ecological calendars. Our analysis revealed a variety of basic and applied environmental information in Aboriginal seasonal descriptions and calendars that can contribute directly to NRM. Documented applications have been limited to date, but include fire management, inclusion as general material in NRM plans, and interpretative information about environments. Emerging applications include water management and climate change monitoring. Importantly, seasonal knowledge can also contribute indirectly to NRM outcomes by providing an organizing framework for the recovery, retention, and cross- cultural communication of TEK and linking to its broader cultural and cosmological contexts. We conclude that by facilitating the combination of experiential with experimental knowledge and fostering complementarity of different knowledge systems, Aboriginal seasonal knowledge can increasingly contribute to more resilient social-ecological outcomes in NRM. Nevertheless, the seasonal framework should augment, rather than override, other approaches to cross-cultural NRM such as those with spatial and/or social-ecological emphasis.
112 citations
TL;DR: There is great need to conserve the rich plant biodiversity in the ranch as well as preserve knowledge on the value and use of traditional plant based remedies amidst a rapidly changing society.
Abstract: This study investigated the use of traditional health remedies among the Maasai of Kuku Group Ranch of Southern Kajiado District, Kenya A structured and semi—structured questionnaire was administered to heads or adult members of households in the study area as well as key people who are knowledgeable in Maasai traditional medicine Use of ethno-medicine was prevalent, with 73% of the respondents indicating this was their preferred type of treatment Traditional medicine was the primary health care system for the community even though 98% of the respondents mentioned that they frequently sought modern medical care provided by local dispensaries and clinics Knowledge on traditional plant health remedies was immense, and a wide variety of illnesses and body conditions were treated and managed using locally available medicinal plants The community had an elaborate and complex pharmacopoeia supported by a wide range of plant species majority of which were readily harvested within the group ranch Knowledge about the use of ethno-medicinal resources and the resources themselves appeared to be threatened by rapid changes in traditional lifestyles and cultural practices particularly the spread of Christianity, formal education and emphasis on reliance of modern medical care Plants recognized to be of medicinal value by the community appeared to be equally threatened by a myriad of factors particularly land use changes There is great need to conserve the rich plant biodiversity in the ranch as well as preserve knowledge on the value and use of traditional plant based remedies amidst a rapidly changing society
112 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors present a framework drawing on theoretical and empirical science education research that explains the common prominent field-based components of the handful of persistent and successful Earth science education programs designed for indigenous communities in North America.
Abstract: The purpose of this study is to propose a framework drawing on theoretical and empirical science education research that explains the common prominent field-based components of the handful of persistent and successful Earth science education programs designed for indigenous communities in North America. These programs are primarily designed for adult learners, either in a postsecondary or in a technical education setting and all include active collaboration between local indigenous communities and geoscientists from nearby universities. Successful Earth science curricula for indigenous learners share in common an explicit emphasis on outdoor education, a place and problem-based structure, and the explicit inclusion of traditional indigenous knowledge in the instruction. Programs sharing this basic design have proven successful and popular for a wide range of indigenous cultures across North America. We present an analysis of common field-based elements to yield insight into indigenous Earth science education. We provide an explanation for the success of this design based in research on field-based learning, Native American learning styles research, and theoretical and empirical research into the nature and structure of indigenous knowledge. We also provide future research directions that can test and further refine our understanding of best practices in indigenous Earth science education. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Sci Ed, 89:296–313, 2005
112 citations
TL;DR: It is argued that the transfer of indigenous knowledge on traditional vegetables will ensure the availability and utilisation of this important food source for resource-poor rural communities.
112 citations