Indigenous Knowledge Systems

knowledge

information, understanding and skills acquired through experience, observation, reasoning or education

knowledge system

organised structure for interconnected concepts, beliefs and practices that a community uses to interpret, explain and interact with its world

Indigenous Knowledge

developed by local communities over generations through long-term interactions with the environment

IKS

cumulative, dynamic body of knowledge, practice and belief that evolves through adaptive experience and is passed down through generations, describing the relationships of living beings, including people, with one another and the environment

types of knowledge

-Tacit
-Explicit
-Indigenous
- Scientific
-Empirical
-Spiritual

Characteristics of IKS

-holistic
-cumulative and dynamic
-orally transmitted
-communally held
- culturally embedded
-experiential
-place-based
-adaptive and resilient

Importance of IKS

-long term observation
-Cultural identity
-cost-effective and locally appropriate
-resilient
-biodiversity
compliments science

Applications of IKS

resource governance
agriculture
water management
forestry
wildlife management
weather forecasting

Indigenous conservation

the practices, beliefs and institutions that communities use to sustainably manage and protect their environment

Indigenous conservation mechanism

sacred sites and forests
totemism
taboo
rotational resource use
traditional leadership
customary tenure