Indigenous Knowledge System and Community Linkages

Vijay Swami, Fulbright Fellow

Executive Director, RIWATCH, Roing

Traditional knowledge

Physical, mental and spiritual harmony comes from understanding and respecting
ourselves and our environment. The environment tells us who we are. Rather, our
culture and traditions form the core of who we are. Indigenous communities all over
the world have learnt as to how to live in tune with the nature. It has now become a
role model for the modern world, that changed our relations with the nature from
“Man is a above the nature to man is part of a nature.”

The 21 century has created distractions that infringe our traditional responsibilities.
Our challenge is to find a balance between the two. Our future depends upon
integrating traditional knowledge with modern world. One without the other is a world
out of balance.

The terms traditional knowledge, indigenous knowledge and local knowledge

generally refer to knowledge systems embedded in the cultural traditions of
regional, indigenous, or local communities.

Traditional knowledge (TK) is a knowledge, know-how, skills and practices that are
developed, sustained and passed on from generation to generation within a
community, often forming part of its cultural or spiritual identity. It is firm, stable and
for local communities “it is Truth”.

For example, taboos are followed with strong faith by different communities in
Arunachal Pradesh. The prediction of rain based on the behaviour of animals and
insects, growth of pests and predators based on flowering of trees are some of the
glaring examples of “TK being truth” for local communities.

For them, it is not merely a practice but it is a spiritual relation with the nature around
them. It is evident from the practice followed by many Arunachalee communities to
offer a piece/part of hunt, or a part of ‘Dav’ as a gratitude and reverence to the forest
God. Praying before cutting a big tree, purification of body by following food
restrictions before going to jungle as a warrior in Kik-Sabha celebrations of
Sherdukpens, profuse prayers by shamans and convincing the soul of a Mithun that
“it is being sent to God as a messenger” before sacrificing it, are striking examples
of invoking spirituality in day to day living practices..
Rather, as per Indian traditions we nourish the balance of the universe by our
thoughts, prayers and practices. *Atmano Moksharth Jagad Hitaya Cha” means “for
one’s own salvation, for the welfare of the world.” Communities living far away from
modern conflicts can understand better, setting an example for the world to explore,
understand the mend their ways to live in tune with the nature.

Several studies have pointed to the increasing significance of knowledge and

Traditional Knowledge systems in sustainable development especially in India. The
culture and knowledge systems of indigenous people and their institutions provide
useful frameworks, ideas, guiding principles, procedures and practices. Traditional
Knowledge is a pluralistic approach for conserving and managing natural resources.
Apatani’s fish with paddy culture is a glaring example of mutually beneficial
traditional practice of sustainable use of natural resource as “fish reduces pests and
rice moderates the growth of fish”. It has also shown the world how water can be
effectively and sustainably used without conflict with nature and conflict with man.

Traditional Knowledge is dynamic - new knowledge is continuously added. Such

systems innovate from within and will also internalize, use and adapt external
knowledge to suit the local situation. These knowledge systems have much to offer
to policymakers, environmental managers, administrators, and stakeholders. We
have seen blending modern knowledge with traditional ones has been bearing the
fruit. No doubt, our future depends upon integrating traditional knowledge with
modern world. .

When we talk of traditional knowledge and sustainable development, the area of

application has no limits. Ethnobotany, Ethnomedicine, Ethnoveterinary Practices,
Ethnofisheries, Traditional Foods & Beverages, Traditional Agriculture, etc

Traditional knowledge refers to the knowledge, innovations and practices of

indigenous and local communities around the world. It tends to be collectively owned
and takes the form of stories, songs, folklore, proverbs, cultural values, beliefs,
rituals, community laws, local language, and agricultural practices, including the
development of plant species and animal breeds. Almost all celebrations and
festivals in Arunachal in particular and northeast in general are plentifully full of such
folklore. Such oral traditions are sung, danced, painted, carved, chanted and
performed since ages.

The indigenous people of the world possess an immense knowledge of their

environments, based on centuries of living close to nature. Living in and from the
richness and variety of complex ecosystems, they have an understanding of the
properties of plants and animals, the functioning of ecosystems and the techniques
for using and managing them that is particular and often detailed. Local communities
know the seasonal plants, their growth tendencies, usages and applicability, quantity
of use and after effects of the use. We have seen, the people using herbal medicines
in multiple bone fractures, chronic malaria, jaundice, peptic ulcers, termination of
pregnancy, critical skin diseases etc in various parts of Arunachal Pradesh.

We need to facilitate research on Traditional Knowledge, a systematic

documentation of information on the subject, and the exchange and sharing of
information with different communities situated in different regions. Time has come to
document it effectively for the larger good of the world.

How do indigenous people define traditional knowledge?

1. It is practical common sense based on teachings and experiences passed on

from generation to generation.

2. It is sacred and secular together. It is subjective and experimental. It is

powerful in predictions in local areas

3. It covers knowledge of the environment - Forest, animal kingdom, snow,

weather, resources - and the relationships between things.

4. It is holistic. It cannot be compartmentalized and cannot be separated from

the people who hold it. It is rooted in the spiritual health, culture and language
of the people. It is a way of life.

5. Traditional knowledge is an authority system. It sets out the rules governing

the use of resources - respect, an obligation to share. It is dynamic,
cumulative and stable. It is truth.

6. It uses the heart and the head together. It comes from the spirit in order to
survive.

Traditional Knowledge System role and value

Traditional knowledge (TK) is integral to the identity of most local communities. Their
rich endowment of TK and biodiversity plays a critical role in their health care, food
security, culture, religion, identity, environment, trade and development.

There is today a growing appreciation of the value of traditional knowledge. This

knowledge is valuable not only to those who depend on it in their daily lives, but to
modern industry and agriculture as well. Many widely used products, such as plant-
based medicines, health products and cosmetics, are derived from traditional
knowledge.

Traditional knowledge contributes significantly to sustainable development. Most

indigenous and local communities are situated in areas where the vast majority of
the world's genetic resources are found. Many of them have cultivated and used
biological diversity in a sustainable way for thousands of years. Some of their
practices have been proven to enhance and promote biodiversity at the local level
and aid in maintaining healthy ecosystems. However, the contribution of indigenous
and local communities to the conservation and sustainable use of biological diversity
goes far beyond their role as natural resource managers. Their skills and techniques
provide valuable information to the global community and a useful model for
biodiversity policies.

Building Synergies

The Contribution of Indigenous and Local Knowledge Systems to the well being of all
(Vasudhaiv Kutumbakam)

1. A mutually-beneficial relationship has been well documented: fish reduce rice

pests; rice moderates the fishes' environment, a relationship that reduces by
68% the need for pesticides and by 24% the need for chemical fertilizer
compared with monocultures. The findings suggest modern agricultural
systems might be improved by exploiting other synergies between species.

2. Agricultural diversity: An important source of resilience for indigenous

peoples, who have long and successfully managed the risks and impacts of
natural variability and extreme weather.

3. Rotational farming, Terrace cultivation as practiced in the highlands.

illustrate a unique and indigenous farming system. In Tanzania we find pits
surrounded by four ridges on steep slopes to plant maize, beans and wheat
on a rotational basis.

4. Rainwater harvesting, thought to have originated 6,500 years ago and revived
in the 1970s when the Alwar district of India's Rajasthan state was declared a
'dark zone'– indicating severe drought and rapid depletion of groundwater.

5. Animal herd management in the Arctic, where remote satellite sensing,

meteorology and modelling are complemented with the indigenous knowledge
of Sami and Nenets reindeer herders to co-produce datasets.

We need to set an example of sharing and learning and facilitate research on

Traditional Knowledge, a systematic documentation of information on the subject
that is directly connected with very survival of the only home of ours “the mother
earth”.

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