Many indigenous groups all over the world have continued to maintain their unwavering ties with the natural world; a connection so fragile in a world where we humans are moving further away from nature in every way possible.
There seems to be a close overlap between indigenous presence and thriving, rich ecosystems in certain regions. For example, in the Bolivian Amazon and in Guatemala, deforestation is six and twenty times less respectively, in community land. (URL)
Some indigenous communities have deeply entrenched values of environmental ethics (1) and have profound spiritual connections with the natural world (2) that might play a crucial role in their efforts to protect biodiversity. Animal encounters may act as spiritual symbolism. The killing of certain organisms can be associated with bad luck and the sightings of others may indicate good luck and these associations may explain the deep respect and reverence that they have for them. (2)
Often, we find that many indigenous communities have intimate connections with their local ecosystems, as they rely directly on the environment for their survival. They view themselves as a part of the natural environment and are aware of how much their livelihood relies on their ecosystem. This too could possibly explain the sustainable practices adopted by certain groups of indigenous people (3) such as the Kadars of Tamil Nadu and the protectiveness they have over the environment, such as that shown by the Kayopo Indians of the Brazilian Amazon, who have driven away groups that engage in illegal mining and ranching activities.
Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) and food security
A few weeks ago, I learned about agrobiodiversity loss in my Env1101 module and was absolutely shaken by the fact that we rely on just 17 species for 75% for our food and the impacts of doing so.
Certain groups of indigenous people could possibly be more aware about the organisms that exist in their local ecosystems and this knowledge might increase the varieties of edible species known to us and that we could add to gene banks, possibly giving us more opportunities to move away from overly relying on just a few species. For example, it was not until Ethnobotanical studies carried out with the help of six communities in Andra Pradhesh, did close to ten species of edible plants that were previously unreported, become revealed. (URL)
Also, farmers in the Rwenzori, Uganda, have found that making using of indigenous weather forecasting system has helped them with the preservation of soil and water and with diversifying crops. (URL)
There are both biotic and abiotic weather indicators used in Rwenzori. Some examples include bird phenology (where local species such as Abyssinian hornbill and African pied wagtail are observed), and the movement of animals (which can possibly serve as warning signs for impending droughts). Certain insect and tree species (such as the baobab tree), constellations, sea level and cloud formation around mountains are also observed for this purpose. (4)
That is it for now folks! Next week, I will continue to explore TEK but with regards to wildlife conservation!
Here is a link to a video that you might want to check out:
Cheers,
Divina
References
- Feitosa SF. Indigenous Ethical Perspectives. In: ten Have H, editor. Encyclopedia of Global Bioethics. Cham: Springer International Publishing; 2014. p. 1-9. https://www.springer.com/gp/book/9783319094823
- CHABA TEM. 2004. https://www.ajol.info/index.php/sajee/article/view/122680
- Nature W-WWFF. 2000. https://wwfeu.awsassets.panda.org/downloads/EGinG200rep.pdf
- Nkuba MR, Chanda R, Mmopelwa G, Mangheni MN, Lesolle D, Kato E. Indigenous Knowledge Systems and Indicators of Rain: Evidence from Rwenzori Region, Western Uganda. Weather, Climate, and Society. 2020;12(2):213-34. https://journals.ametsoc.org/wcas/article/12/2/213/346431/Indigenous-Knowledge-Systems-and-Indicators-of
Hey Divina!
This is such a unique theme! I’ve always thought of indigenous people as victims of climate change and environmental destruction, but I never considered the perspective that they can provide the answers too. It was also really interesting to learn more about the relationship that the people have with nature, beyond just depending on it for sustenance. Do you think that they can survive this environmental crisis, and pass on their knowledge and skills developed over generations?
Cheers!
Jeng Wei
Hey Jeng Wei! Thank you for stopping by my post! I’m glad that you found it interesting.
Well…sadly, indigenous communities are (and will be) disproportionately affected by the environmental crisis alongside other vulnerable groups. This is something I will be discussing in one of my future posts, so do look out for it!
On top of being victims of this crisis, they are besieged with other issues such as eviction from their ancestral lands, discrimination, hostile commercial development plans, and more recently, this Covid-19 pandemic as well! However, I do believe that if we all work together towards a more inclusive world where we ensure that the voices of the marginalized are heard and embark on greater sustainable efforts, we will all undoubtedly benefit!
Hi Divina!
This topic is so interesting, thanks for the insightful read! I share the same sentiments as Jeng Wei – I never thought that indigenous communities could provide solutions and insight to environmental issues too. Do you think that any of those techniques (such as indigenous weather forecasting to preserve water, soil and crop diversification as mentioned) can be implemented in Singapore, considering that Singapore has such an urban and different environment?
Really looking forward to the rest of your blog!
Cheers,
Kelly
Hey Kelly! Thank you for your kind words!
That is an interesting question! Most of the techniques that I mentioned regarding Indigenous weather forecasting are specific to Rwenzori, Uganda. And yes, Singapore does have a very different environment and climate as opposed to that region (and perhaps many other regions where there might be vast amounts of Indigenous knowledge), thus making the incorporation of certain climate specific techniques rather inappropriate and unfeasible. However, the use of the knowledge in appropriate environments may prove to be useful (for e.g. climate forecast can potentially involve the use of both modern meteorological equipment and traditional knowledge to help communities which are reliant on rain-fed agriculture).
Having said that, as opposed to indicators such as tree/animal phenology which are very climate specific, I believe certain indicators such as wind movement(although local winds differ due to the geography), observations regarding heat and possibly livestock behaviour might be considered rather universal and might potentially be able to be applied.
Cheers,
Divina
Reference
https://journals.ametsoc.org/wcas/article/12/2/213/346431
Hi Kelly,
Not sure if you’ll see this, but which ‘indigenous’ people are you referring to in the local context ?
Thanks,
jc