ArticlePDF Available

Traditional Ecological Knowledge and Wisdom of Aboriginal Peoples in British Columbia

DOI:10.2307/2641283
Authors:
Nancy J. Turner at University of Victoria
Nancy J. Turner
Marianne Ignace at Simon Fraser University
Marianne Ignace
Ronald Ignace
Ronald Ignace
Ronald Ignace
  • This person is not on ResearchGate, or hasn't claimed this research yet.
Download full-text PDF
Read full-text
Download citation

Abstract

This paper discusses the characteristics and application of Traditional Ecological Knowledge and Wisdom (TEKW) of aboriginal peoples in British Columbia, Canada. Examples are provided from various groups, most notably, the Secwepemc (Shuswap) Interior Salish and Kwakwaka'wakw and Nuu-Chah-Nulth peoples of the Northwest Coast, covering a range of features comprising TEKW: knowledge of ecological principles, such as succession and interrelatedness of all components of the environment; use of ecological indicators; adaptive strategies for monitoring, enhancing, and sustainably harvesting resources; effective systems of knowledge acquisition and transfer; respectful and interactive attitudes and philosophies; close identification with ancestral lands; and beliefs that recognize the power and spirituality of nature. These characteristics, taken in totality, have enabled many groups of aboriginal peoples to live sustainably within their local environments for many thousands of years. In order for TEKW to be incorporated appropriately into current ecosystem-based management strategies, the complete context of TEKW, including its philosophical bases, must be recognized and respected. A case study of ecological and cultural knowledge of the traditional root vegetables yellow avalanche lily (Erythronium grandiflorum) and balsamroot (Balsamorhiza sagittata) illustrates ways in which these components can be integrated.
Content uploaded by Nancy J. Turner
Author content
All content in this area was uploaded by Nancy J. Turner on Feb 11, 2015
Content may be subject to copyright.
Traditional Ecological Knowledge and Wisdom of Aboriginal Peoples in British
Columbia
Nancy J. Turner; Marianne Boelscher Ignace; Ronald Ignace
Ecological Applications, Vol. 10, No. 5. (Oct., 2000), pp. 1275-1287.
Stable URL:
http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=1051-0761%28200010%2910%3A5%3C1275%3ATEKAWO%3E2.0.CO%3B2-U
Ecological Applications is currently published by The Ecological Society of America.
Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of JSTOR's Terms and Conditions of Use, available at
http://www.jstor.org/about/terms.html. JSTOR's Terms and Conditions of Use provides, in part, that unless you have obtained
prior permission, you may not download an entire issue of a journal or multiple copies of articles, and you may use content in
the JSTOR archive only for your personal, non-commercial use.
Please contact the publisher regarding any further use of this work. Publisher contact information may be obtained at
http://www.jstor.org/journals/esa.html.
Each copy of any part of a JSTOR transmission must contain the same copyright notice that appears on the screen or printed
page of such transmission.
JSTOR is an independent not-for-profit organization dedicated to and preserving a digital archive of scholarly journals. For
more information regarding JSTOR, please contact support@jstor.org.
http://www.jstor.org
Sun Feb 4 14:21:36 2007
... De hecho, se propone que, a partir de los saberes locales tradicionales, se pueden generar modelos de gestión de recursos, desarrollo sustentable y vida sostenible, los cuales respondan a las características particulares de cada localidad y a las necesidades específicas de los habitantes. (Turner et al., 2000). En el siguiente apartado se argumenta por qué estos conocimientos pueden ser recursos para la generación de innovación social. ...
... Después, se discutió que los conocimientos locales en varias ocasiones, a pesar de su informalidad y desestructuración, son la base para entender la lógica de una región y para proponer soluciones adecuadas a las necesidades de cada realidad (Dussel, 1996;Escobar, 2010;De Sousa, 2006;Leff, 2006). Ante ello, conceptos como el TEK han cobrado relevancia, ya que intentan rescatar los conocimientos alternativos, especialmente de las comunidades indígenas (Saylor et al., 2017;Turner et al., 2000). ...
... La pertinencia de ello se considera con base en el principio de que la innovación social busca crear un impacto positivo en la sociedad, a partir de la participación activa de esta. Esto refiere a que el cambio será propiciado desde la misma comunidad, por lo que resulta conveniente considerar los conocimientos que las comunidades aprecian y valoran, pues basadas en ellos ofrecerán soluciones y propuestas que consideren adecuadas para su entorno (Saylor et al., 2017;Turner et al., 2000). ...
Experiencias latinoamericanas de análisis organizacionales y políticas públicas locales. Volumen II
Book
Full-text available
  • Jan 2022
El énfasis en lo local y regional ha cobrado especial relevancia en el debate actual sobre los desafíos de nuestra sociedad, principalmente porque en dichos espacios de proximidad, la ciudadanía percibe los impactos de la política pública y del comportamiento de los diferentes actores organizados que intervienen en su formulación e implementación. En esta edición se abordan las implicaciones organizacionales de las políticas públicas para el desarrollo regional en Latinoamérica. El conocimiento organizacional cobra sentido en el marco de la elaboración e implementación de políticas, toda vez que las acciones públicas no pueden ser cabalmente comprendidas sin su dimensión organizativa. Así las cosas, en los dos volúmenes de esta obra se lleva a cabo una reflexión de carácter interdisciplinario entre quienes, desde la perspectiva organizacional, generan conocimiento sobre las políticas públicas regionales. Entonces, se trata aquí de responder a una necesidad ineludible: ofrecer un espacio de reflexión que permita avanzar en el conocimiento de las políticas públicas a través de sus perspectivas organizacionales y territoriales. En resumen, en el volumen I se abordan la educación superior y la gobernanza metropolitana y ambiental, en tanto que en el volumen II se reflexiona sobre la innovación social y tecnológica, el turismo y la gastronomía.
... These instructions govern our roles and define our responsibilities as relatives, or kin, in this moral universe (Johnston 1990, Deloria 1999, Salmón 2000, McGregor 2004, TallBear 2014, Courchene 2016. Through these kin relationships, Anishinaabeg, Giizhik, and manidoog (mun-idoog, spirits) have collaboratively shaped Great Lakes forested landscapes for millennia (Kimmerer 2000, Turner et al. 2000, Kimmerer and Lake 2001. Some of the outcomes of these Anishinaabeg-forest relationalities most recognizable to the readership of this special issue include: habitat and harvest management, monitoring, and enhancement of ecosystem services at fine to coarse spatial and temporal scales (Kimmerer 2000, Turner et al. 2000, Kimmerer and Lake 2001, Hart-Fredeluces et al. 2022. ...
... Through these kin relationships, Anishinaabeg, Giizhik, and manidoog (mun-idoog, spirits) have collaboratively shaped Great Lakes forested landscapes for millennia (Kimmerer 2000, Turner et al. 2000, Kimmerer and Lake 2001. Some of the outcomes of these Anishinaabeg-forest relationalities most recognizable to the readership of this special issue include: habitat and harvest management, monitoring, and enhancement of ecosystem services at fine to coarse spatial and temporal scales (Kimmerer 2000, Turner et al. 2000, Kimmerer and Lake 2001, Hart-Fredeluces et al. 2022. Results also include fulfillment of other spiritual responsibilities codified in Anishinaabe ceremony and our original instructions. ...
... Anishinaabe teachings note that when people fail to maintain their relationships with other beings in Creation, they may lose access to those beings (Simpson 2008, Borrows 2002as cited in McGregor 2010, Kimmerer 2013. Academic studies have shown that reduced Indigenous community harvesting of some plant species can reduce plant populations, as well (Turner et al. 2000, Kimmerer 2013, Long and Lake 2018, Hart-Fredeluces et al. 2022. ...
Gathering Giizhik in a changing landscape
Article
Giizhik (gee-zhick; Northern white cedar; Thuja occidentalis ) maintains essential roles in Anishinaabe teachings, ceremony, and lifeways. Anishinaabeg at Bahweting and Gnoozhekaaning have adaptively gathered Giizhik through millennia of change. Over the last century, Giizhik have declined in abundance across their range and future declines are projected due to climate-driven change. Anishinaabe gatherers maintain relationships with Giizhik forests across a gradient of Giizhik dominance; with these relationships and knowledges, gatherers offer important alternatives in forest management planning and practice. The Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians at Bahweting, Bay Mills Indian Community at Gnoozhekaaning, and Giizhik gatherers from each community are pursuing forest relations based on Anishinaabe lifeways and relationalities. We describe gathering practices and changes through time based on group discussions and semi-structured interviews with 25 Anishinaabe gatherers and tribal natural resource staff. Spiritual and physical relationships among Anishinaabeg and Giizhik were discussed within the contexts of our original instructions (guidance defining respectful kin relations in this moral universe, handed down through the generations since time immemorial), settler colonialism, and forest management. This work builds upon the concepts of relationalities and collective continuance in the context of Anishinaabe forest relationships. We offer suggestions on ways of respecting and protecting forest communities by putting forest management into the context of forest relationalities.
... De hecho, se propone que, a partir de los saberes locales tradicionales, se pueden generar modelos de gestión de recursos, desarrollo sustentable y vida sostenible, los cuales respondan a las características particulares de cada localidad y a las necesidades específicas de los habitantes. (Turner et al., 2000). En el siguiente apartado se argumenta por qué estos conocimientos pueden ser recursos para la generación de innovación social. ...
... Después, se discutió que los conocimientos locales en varias ocasiones, a pesar de su informalidad y desestructuración, son la base para entender la lógica de una región y para proponer soluciones adecuadas a las necesidades de cada realidad (Dussel, 1996;Escobar, 2010;De Sousa, 2006;Leff, 2006). Ante ello, conceptos como el TEK han cobrado relevancia, ya que intentan rescatar los conocimientos alternativos, especialmente de las comunidades indígenas (Saylor et al., 2017;Turner et al., 2000). ...
... La pertinencia de ello se considera con base en el principio de que la innovación social busca crear un impacto positivo en la sociedad, a partir de la participación activa de esta. Esto refiere a que el cambio será propiciado desde la misma comunidad, por lo que resulta conveniente considerar los conocimientos que las comunidades aprecian y valoran, pues basadas en ellos ofrecerán soluciones y propuestas que consideren adecuadas para su entorno (Saylor et al., 2017;Turner et al., 2000). ...
CAPÍTULO X Transferencia de tecnología a comunidades marginales como apoyo a la seguridad alimentaria
Chapter
Full-text available
  • Dec 2022
En México existe un matiz de contextos en las poblaciones, pues mientras en las ciudades logramos percibir el desarrollo y avance tecnológico, en zonas rurales es complicado que estos avances puedan llegar, y no nos referimos a tecnologías de la comunicación, sino a aquellas que se relacionan con el bienestar social y la búsqueda de un desarrollo integral; en estos procesos el papel de la universidad es fundamental, pues es un medio a través del cual estas innovaciones de corte social pueden llegar a poblaciones alejadas y de difícil acceso. En el caso específico de la Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana Unidad Iztapalapa, el Proyecto de Extensión Comunitaria (PEC) ha propiciado la relación entre municipios alejados en los Estados de Guerrero y Oaxaca principalmente, así como con organizaciones de los mismos estados a través las cuales se han firmado convenios de colaboración para el acompañamiento e implantación de proyectos que contribuyan al desarrollo de las poblaciones pertenecientes a estos municipios. En este sentido en el presente trabajo presentaremos los avances obtenidos en el proyecto del cultivo de Spirulina, implantado en diferentes comunidades del estado de Oaxaca; con el objetivo de apoyar en el combate a la desnutrición (principalmente infantil), y que nos ayudaran a comprender la importancia de la trasferencia de tecnología realizada a través de la universidad pública y cómo puede influenciar en el desarrollo de la comuidad. Para tal fin el documento se dividirá en al menos tres partes, en la primera de ellas se hará una descripción del proyecto, en la segunda haremos referencia, de manera breve a la metodología empleada, para finalmente presentar algunas reflexiones en torno a este proyecto.
... Besides, given the present environmental crisis, degradation of natural ecosystems, and climate change, TEK is being considered an important tool to mitigate the efects of changing global environmental and ecological conditions, as it advocates the philosophy of coexistence and sustainability [12]. Being a set of unique local knowledge refned over the years, TEK helps to design practices for local level decision-making in agriculture, pastoralism, food preparation, health care, natural resource management, and a host of other activities [13][14][15]. ...
... Tere are reports on advocating applicability and integration of TEK to ensure ecosystem stability and resilience, land use management, soil fertility, soil water regimes, global change, livelihood generation, and poverty eradication [33,34]. In addition, the TEK demands recognition and respect as a whole including its philosophical bases for the purpose of ecosystem sustainability [14]. ...
Traditional Ecological Knowledge of Tribal Communities and Sustainability of Nature and Natural Resources in Pachmarhi Biosphere Reserve in India
Article
Full-text available
  • Dec 2022
Traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) continues to erode as a result of globalization and the homogenization of diverse cultures, yet it has helped to conserve natural resources and preserve nature for centuries. Biosphere reserves have been established in regions where both cultural and natural resource assortments are deemed rich. The present study was carried out in the Pachmarhi Biosphere Reserve (PBR) of India with the major objective of investigating the TEK of local communities with respect to the sustainability of nature and natural resources. Through both a questionnaire and interviews with tribal groups in PBR, a total of 128 plant species were documented, of which the highest number of species (52%) was used for food, followed by medicine (40%), cultural practices (13%), and construction of houses (11%). Apart from the collection of plants from the adjacent forests for their sustenance, the tribal groups engaged in various other activities including farming practices, maintenance of home gardens, soil and water conservation, and continuance of sacred groves. The nature and natural resource-based livelihood and conservation activities of tribal groups involve specific cultural practices and customary norms. This study reveals that the traditional knowledge of tribal communities offers unique ideas for developing and contributing to more effective sustainable management practices and nature conservation. It has a great potential to strengthen the agriculture and health sectors, as the tribal communities have accumulated a fair amount of knowledge in such sectors.
... Il est largement reconnu que les connaissances et usages des plantes médicinales par les peuples autochtones relèvent principalement des femmes (Beaulieu et al. 2013 ;Desbiens et Simard-Gagnon 2012 ;Lévesque et al. 2016 ;Turner et al. 2000). La transmission des savoirs sur les plantes médicinales est en péril en raison de la destruction des milieux forestiers (Turner et Turner 2008). ...
Perceptions des femmes atikamekw de leur rôle et de leur place dans la gouvernance du territoire et des ressources naturelles
Article
Full-text available
  • Dec 2022
La relation privilégiée des peuples autochtones avec le territoire, coeur de leur identité, est mal comprise et compromise par les nouvelles formes d'occupation du territoire depuis le contact avec les Eurocanadiens. Le rôle et la place des femmes autochtones dans la gouvernance du territoire et la gestion des ressources naturelles est méconnu, voire occulté. L'analyse thématique de 32 entrevues avec des femmes des trois communautés Atikamekw a montré : (1) que les femmes Atikamekw ont un fort lien d'attachement au territoire; (2) qu'elles ont dû s'adapter rapidement aux bouleversements de leur mode de vie; (3) qu'elles tiennent à perpétuer la transmission des savoirs Atikamekw; et (4) qu'elles ont un rôle à jouer dans la prise de décision locale et territoriale et qu'elles valorisent leur leadership politique. Des solutions sont proposées afin d'atténuer le sentiment d'insécurité territoriale et culturelle des femmes Atikamekw et de mettre en valeur leurs savoirs en lien avec le territoire et sa gestion, et ce, afin de « retrouver l'équilibre » essentiel à la transmission de l'identité et de la culture Atikamekw.
... Pengetahuan lokal berkembang sebagai adaptasi terhadap lingkungannya yang terus dikembangkan serta diajarkan turun temurun. Masyarakat yang bertempat tinggal disuatu tempat tertentu, umumnya akan mengembangkan pengetahuan ekologi lokalnya (Turner et al., 2000;Berkes et al., 2000) dan dihubungkan dengan ketergantungan terhadap sumberdaya alam, selain itu mereka juga mengembangkan manajemen strategis, mengembangkan indikator lokal dan memastikan keberlanjutan sumberdaya alam sebagai sumber dan jaminan matapencahariannya (Babai dan Molnár, 2014). ...
Perajin Sedotan Purun Di Sungai Sebangau: Produk Ramah Lingkungan Berbahan Baku Lokal: Purun Straws Craftsman on the Sebangau River: Eco-Friendly Products from Local Raw Materials
Article
Full-text available
  • Dec 2022
The problem of plastic waste is still an environmental threat, but efforts to suppress plastic waste continue to be developed until now. Purun straws are a biodegradable product to solve the problem of plastic waste. So, purun straw products can become the concern of an environmentally aware global community. The research aims to describe purun straws as an eco-friendly product. In-depth interviews with key informants revealed that purun danau (Lepironia articulate) was sufficiently available as a raw material, and a semi-finished purun straw product was produced, which was eco-friendly
... Con la adopción del EBC el mundo tiene la oportunidad de adoptar un nuevo parámetro para la conservación, además con una nueva concepción de las áreas protegidas y conservadas en las que se respeten y garanticen plenamente los derechos de los pueblos indígenas (Nitah, 2021). Actualmente existe un creciente consenso en que la conservación de la biodiversidad puede ser más eficaz, ética y justa si las acciones se enfocan a contrarrestar simultáneamente la erosión biológica y cultural (Davidson-Hunt et al., 2012;McShane et al., 2011;Turner et al., 2000). Esta orientación requiere que el conocimiento local asociado a la biodiversidad sea asumido como una premisa para aumentar la capacidad adaptativa de comunidades humanas y no-humanas (Gavin et al., 2015;Nemogá, 2016). ...
The biocultural approach to nature conservation El enfoque biocultural para la conservación de la naturaleza
Article
Full-text available
  • Dec 2022
Resumen El objetivo principal del artículo es exponer el enfoque biocultural como una herramienta de avanzada para la conservación de la naturaleza. El trabajo se enmarca en una investigación documental sistemática y profunda, a través de base de datos en páginas web y motores de búsqueda académica y científica. El análisis de la información permitió describir las siguientes proposiciones: 1. Es urgente implementar un enfoque biocultural, y de patrimonio biocultural para la conservación de la naturaleza y de la diversidad cultural y lingüística en su conjunto. 2. Actualmente, existen vastos casos de éxito de conservación biocultural documentados alrededor del mundo. 3. Existen afectaciones contundentes en la conservación de la naturaleza por la pérdida y ruptura de procesos bioculturales. Se concluye que es imprescindible el enfoque biocultural en las acciones e investigaciones de conservación en el país, especialmente en el sureste de México dada su riqueza biocultural. Palabras clave: Patrimonio biocultural. Interculturalidad. Epistemología ambiental. Conocimiento ecológico tradicional.
... There is considerable interest in recent years in local knowledge as a resource for enhancing governmental and societal mechanisms for regulating the environment and making the best and most sustainable use of resources (cf. Fischer 2000; Turner et al. 2000). Localized traditional knowledge has become the object of research in many societies in order to ensure that environmental provisions are optimized, given that 'these forms of knowledge have formed the basis for societal growth in many regions able to deal with the constraints that the environment imposes' (Vedwan 2006: 6). ...
... There is considerable interest in recent years in local knowledge as a resource for enhancing governmental and societal mechanisms for regulating the environment and making the best and most sustainable use of resources (cf. Fischer 2000; Turner et al. 2000). Localized traditional knowledge has become the object of research in many societies in order to ensure that environmental provisions are optimized, given that 'these forms of knowledge have formed the basis for societal growth in many regions able to deal with the constraints that the environment imposes' (Vedwan 2006: 6). ...
... Sampling sites on islands were selected non-randomly but influenced by our knowledge of the area and its resources. Local First Nations colleagues and the traditional ecological knowledge they shared (Huntington 2000;Pierotti and Wildcat 2000;Turner et al. 2000) also guided us. At each location, we surveyed beaches, estuaries, and forests of the beach fringe, often on wildlife trails. ...
Influence of natural landscape fragmentation and resource availability on distribution and connectivity of gray wolves ( Canis lupus ) in the archipelago of coastal British Columbia, Canada
Chapter
Full-text available
  • Nov 2006
One of the biggest threats to the survival of many plant and animal species is the destruction or fragmentation of their natural habitats. The conservation of landscape connections, where animals, plants, and ecological processes can move freely from one habitat to another, is therefore an essential part of any new conservation or environmental protection plan. In practice, however, maintaining, creating, and protecting connectivity in our increasingly dissected world is a daunting challenge. This fascinating volume provides a synthesis on the current status and literature of connectivity conservation research and implementation. It shows the challenges involved in applying existing knowledge to real-world examples and highlights areas in need of further study. Containing contributions from leading scientists and practitioners, this topical and thought-provoking volume will be essential reading for graduate students, researchers, and practitioners working in conservation biology and natural resource management.
Contemporary use of bark for medicine by two salishan native elders of Southeast Vancouver Island, Canada
Article
Elders of the Saanich and Cowichan Coast Salish people of southern Vancouver Island treat, or have treated in the recent past, many ailments with bark preparations. Interviews with two elder Salishan women revealed that: respiratory ailments were treated with bark of Abies grandis, Arbutus menziesii, Cornus nuttallii, Prunus emarginata, Pseudotsuga menziesii and Quercus garryana; digestive tract ailments with the bark of Abies grandis, Alnus rubra, Arbutus menziesii, Malus fusca. Oemleria cerasiformis, Populus tremuloides, Pseudotsuga menziesii, Rhamnus purshianus and Rubus spectabilis; gynaecological problems with bark of Abies grandis, Arbutus menziesii, Populus tremuloides, Prunus emarginata, Pseudotsuga menziesii and Sambucus racemosa; and dermatological complaints with the bark of Mahonia spp., Rubus spectabilis, and Symphoricarpos albus. Tree barks have also been used to treat fevers, diabetes, kidney problems, sore eyes, and haemorrhaging, and also as general tonics. Two recipes for general-purpose multi-bark medicines are provided. In most cases, infusions or decoctions of barks are used. The medicines are drunk or applied externally as a wash.