Traditional Ecological Knowledge: Learning from Indigenous Practices for Environmental Sustainability

New Directions in Sustainability and Society

by Melissa K. Nelson (Editor), Daniel Shilling (Editor)

This book examines the importance of Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) and how it can provide models for a time-tested form of sustainability needed in the world today. The essays, written by a team of scholars from diverse disciplinary backgrounds, explore TEK through compelling cases of environmental sustainability from multiple tribal and geographic locations in North America and beyond. Addressing the philosophical issues concerning indigenous and ecological knowledge production and maintenance, they focus on how environmental values and ethics are applied to the uses of land.Grounded in an understanding of the profound relationship between biological and cultural diversity, this book defines, interrogates, and problematizes, the many definitions of traditional ecological knowledge and sustainability. It includes a holistic and broad disciplinary approach to sustainability, including language, art, and ceremony, as critical ways to maintain healthy human-environment relations.

Genres: Nonfiction, Indigenous, Nature, Science, Ecology, Sustainability, Environment

285 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 11, 2018

Reviews

[Jeffrey Pedro · Rating 5 out of 5]

(4.5/5) When I initially started this book I was under the impression that I’d be reading about practical/specific applications of land and plant use. I admit I never read the description and this was solely based on my ignorance and misinterpretation of the title. This book is a culmination of essays that dive deep into ecology and native knowledge. Each essay deals with a specific topic and theme that provides timely information into various topics regarding traditional knowledge, kincentric ecology, eco-feminism, colonialism, origins of capitalism, and the sixth extinction event.

The information packed in this book is highly insightful and focuses on the concepts of kinship, reciprocity, respect, tradition, and love/ care for nature. Not only does it plant the seeds of doubt regarding the sustainability of the current system of capitalism, it also provides alternatives to living a more fulfilling and peaceful life by being active keepers of the green world.

[Natasha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wish I had a physical copy to flip through more easily - so much rich material here to pore over, read through, and revisit in attempts to soak it all in. How will we rekindle our relationship to land in ethical, relationship-based avenues of reciprocity? And how can we promote Traditional Ecological Knowledge without commodifying it or tokenizing the Indigenous communities from which it comes? I really appreciated this intro into TEK & Indigenous environmental ethic/science/thought.

[Matthew Lynch · Rating 4 out of 5]

A mix of essays on an important subject, with some repetition of themes across the book. The influence of Aldo Leopold, though not himself an indigenous person, is notable. This is an academic volume, so the writing quality varied. The core values that run through these essays (which address Traditional Ecological Knowledge) are summed up well in the intro:
Common threads in TEK:
* Reciprocity and respect define the bond between all members of the land family.
* Reverance toward nature plays a critical role in religious ceremonies, hunting rituals, arts and crafts, agricultural techniques, and other day-to-day activities.
* One's relationship to the land is shaped by something other than economic profit.
* To speak of an individual owning land is anathema, not unlike owning another person, akin to slavery.
* Each generation has a responsibility to leave a healthy world to future generations (12).
Also, in McGregor's essay:
1. Community - includes all beings, with obligations to others. Sacredness to this. Human-to-human relationships similar to human-to-animal relationships & human-to-planet. Economic - reciprocity must exist.
2. Connectedness - description of how the world is. "This principle also cautions that we cannot treat entities in isolation, and that our actions have far-reaching consequences due to nature's connectedness, much like the 'butterfly effect' from chaos theory" (112)
3. The Seventh Generation - legacy and duty to future
4. Humility - "Nature is intricately connected in complex relationships that we can't fully understand, which argues for a culture of humility as opposed to arrogance in the face of our limited knowledge" (112).
The balance of insight tended to be from indigenous knowledge >> benefits for addressing environmental concerns. I was also interested in insights that ran in another direction, i.e., from traditional environmental knowledge to contemporary ethics, esp regarding the moral weave that binds humans and land (+ animals) together. This was addressed at points, but more as a statement of fact rather than a topic of exploration in its own right.
You can feel the volume's struggle to avoid romanticizing (or generalizing) indigenous knowledge, and not all essays avoided this. Nonetheless, thought-provoking insights abounded, and I have much to learn here!

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was hard for me to get into, the first few chapters. Once I broke into it, I really enjoyed it. I am reading it for a book club for teachers and that discussion has been interesting. There are lots of challenging, well thought out, researched ideas that are in the book. It challenges ‘western’, colonial l, capitalistic ideas of existing in and relating to the world. The varying topics it went over from an indigenous perspective were broad, and not quite what I expected from a book on TEK (which is good!) I am recommending it to lots of people.

[Max Henderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having read quite a few popular science texts on the subject, I was pleased to find this essay collection which felt somewhat more substantial. I'd recommend this book to anyone keen to learn more about TEK, particularly from the Americas.

[Dalia Maeroff · Rating 5 out of 5]

Had the privilege of reading this in a class with Melissa and it changed my whole outlook on how I view science, and I LOVE books that do that. Every scientist should read this book!!