Using Indigenous Knowledge to Better Understand and Survive Climate Change

 

Indigenous populations have not only survived but thrived for thousands of years without the assistance or reliance on modern technology.  They have managed this by developing a keen understanding of their environments, utilizing that knowledge to understand how and when weather changes occur, transitions of the seasons, the best times to plant versus harvest, and more, by observing cyclical patterns of natural change within their surroundings.  Unfortunately, fluctuating climatic conditions have disrupted these typical patterns, shifting the natural balance and disrupting Indigenous populations ways of life.  The modern contexts facing Indigenous populations is not new as climatic changes have happened throughout history, although not the scale or speed that they are happening today, but Indigenous populations have weathered these changes and are adapted to do so now.  Why?  Because they have passed on their cultural historical knowledge through the generations to ensure their population’s continued survival.  Scholars interested in understanding not only climate change but how to best survive it are recognizing the need to collect, survey, and understand Indigenous knowledge, which is the topic of discussion for this blog post.  This post will cover what Indigenous knowledge is, the populations it is derived from, and the benefits this knowledge can provide in the fight against climate change.

 

Indigenous knowledge is defined as the awareness, beliefs, ideas, and practices of Indigenous populations from around the globe.  This knowledge was developed over the duration of the populations cultural history, and it is typically passed down from generation to generation, either through written communications or oral histories.  This record often contains the cultural histories of the people, but it also acts as a record of environmental and social information, disasters/failures, survival and resilience, and so much more. 

 

Indigenous knowledge is derived from Indigenous populations, who account for 4% of the world’s populations (around 350 million people).  Historically, these populations have only used 22% of the world’s land surface, demonstrating their ingenuity and practicality in not exhausting the Earth’s natural resources.   Many Indigenous people continue to practice their traditional ways of life despite interventions from modern, Western populations who feel that their traditional means are inferior.  Often, they continue to practice their culture as they always had because it is environmentally impossible to change (e.g., the Inuit of Canada and the United States cannot adopt agriculture because they live in the Artic).  It could also be that due to discrimination they are not welcome into the mainstream societies they exist in and are better off maintaining their traditional ways of life.  More importantly, however, it is their culture, and they desire to keep living it because it is theirs.  No one should be forced to give up something that is part of who they are, although historically such actions have taken place throughout history (e.g., boarding or residential school systems or forced removal of children from their families). 

 

Despite the attempts to assimilate or eliminate Indigenous populations they have preserved and continue on today.  Their existence, however, remains under threat, particularly from climate change.  As many of their ways of life are intertwined with the natural environments they exist in disruptions to those patterns threaten their very existence.  It is clear that they will be the first and hardest hit by climate change, but other modern populations are not without risk or danger from climate change.  The difference between the two distinctly different groups-Indigenous versus modern populations-is that Indigenous populations may hold the keys to surviving and adapting more effectively and efficiently.  This is why there has been a push by various scholars and organizations (e.g., the United Nations) to incorporate Indigenous knowledge into scientific discourse on climate change.  One such scholar who is involved with this research is Dr. Karim-Aly Kassam out of Cornell University.   With his cultural anthropological background he is promoting the notion that in order to better understand and combat climate change we need to understand and embrace Indigenous knowledge.  He specifically wants to record how Indigenous populations track natural phenomenon to guide their everyday practices, from farming and harvesting to hunting and gathering.  The goal is by reaching this understanding one can better understand the impacts of climate change and identify real ways of adapting to those changes, particularly if they are irreversible. 

 

Unfortunately, colonization and the actions therein have disrupted the transmission of cultural historical knowledge between generations, producing gaps in necessary knowledge that could not only help Indigenous populations but all human groups globally.  This presents a challenge to both Indigenous populations and climate scholars in fully understanding how best to approach and resolve the issues surrounding and derived from climate change.  Additionally, the historical and current distrust between modern populations and Indigenous groups sometimes inhibits appropriate and productive working relationships between Indigenous populations and climate scholars.  It will take time to build trust between these two groups.  Indigenous populations need to feel comfortable and confident in sharing their knowledge, which will also require scholars to be culturally relativistic and respectful of what is shared.  If and when these bridges between these groups are made then it is believed that a fruitful relationship will blossom in order to identify and implement real solutions that will help all of humanity.

 

Works Cited

Gashler, Krisy. "Climate change adaptation requires Indigenous knowledge." Cornell Chronicle 6 October 2021. Electronic.

Petzold, Jan, et al. "Indigenous knowledge on climate change adaptation: a global evidence map of academic literature." Environmental Research Letters (2020). Electronic.

Raygorodetsky, Gleb. "Why Traditional Knowledge Holds the Key to Climate Change." Article. 2011. Electronic.

UNESCO. "Indigenous Knowledge and Climate Change." 2021. UNESCO. Electronic. 8 December 2021.