A short technical note by Dr. Kritee (Kanko)

Indigenous Wisdom is Crucial for Systematic Resilience, Climate Mitigation and Our Collective Survial

Abstract: Indigenous communities, at just 5% of the global population, safeguard 80% of world’s biodiversity (1) and over a third of irreplaceable forest carbon (2). Their stewardship is rooted in Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK), a “living” whole-systems approach across socio-cultural-economic realms. The urgency is paramount as Indigenous elders, the custodians of indigenous wisdom and TEK, age.  We must empower indigenous communities by giving them land, resources and support for transmitting TEK to those who can leverage it: indigenous youth and mainstream scientist-allies. We need inter-domain alliances of multiple organizations to expedite indigenous community-led TEK transfer for indigenous tribes across the world, providing a vital toolkit for global integration of indigenous wisdom for trauma healing (or psychological resilience), climate adaptation, and mitigation.


In the mid 1950s, development strategists usually saw traditional knowledge systems as inefficient, inferior, and an obstacle to development. Now, because indigenous knowledge systems have permitted their holders to exist in "harmony" with nature, they are increasingly seen as especially pivotal in discussions of ecological crisis.

Most visionary thinkers would agree that to avoid total collapse (3) due to the ongoing polycrisis and create local islands of resilience amidst global chaos (4), an interdisciplinary whole systems approach (5-6) at local scales is necessary. Indigenous TEK is the original form of systems thinking, addressing phenomena across biological, physical, cultural, and spiritual realms. Scientists (7-10), policymakers (11-12), governments (13-14) and other stakeholders (15-17) agree: TEK is rooted in living rightly on Earth, offering an innovative perspective on systemic resilience.

Indigenous wisdom encompasses more than just a biocentric worldview; it represents the embodiment of life's interconnectedness. Indigenous TEK, profoundly nuanced and cumulative, evolves through lived experimentations spanning millennia. It develops in close association with local ecosystems, guiding adaptations to extreme environmental conditions and fostering resilience across generations. Indigenous culture imparts the principles and practices of leading a biocentric lifestyle within a particular ecosystem and is best handed down through generations by cultural transmission. Research on disasters also demonstrates that a strong sense of place-based cohesion, i.e., belonging to both an ecosystem and a community, influences disaster preparedness and the psychological impact of disasters (18-19). Indigenous cultures are prime examples of this cohesion. It, therefore, comes as no surprise that the Intergovernmental Panels on Climate Change (12) and Biodiversity & Ecosystem Services (11) acknowledge the paramount significance of embedding TEK at the heart of initiatives aimed at climate mitigation, disaster resilience, land management, and biodiversity preservation.

When we have the permission of the tribes, indigenous worldviews and practices can also be very crucial for bringing healing to a growing number of people who are experiencing "climate grief" and debilitating anxiety at this time. We must invest in deepest levels of trauma healing that can come from reindigenization.

References

  1. Garnett, S.T. et al. (2018) A spatial overview of the global importance of Indigenous lands for conservation. Nat Sustain 1, 369–374  (Link)

  2. Noon, M.L. et al. (2022) Mapping the irrecoverable carbon in Earth’s ecosystems. Nat Sustain 5, 37–46 (Link)

  3. Klare MT. (2023) We Are Witnessing the First Stages of Civilization’s Collapse. The Nation August 2023. From Nation’s Defense Correspondent (Link)

  4. Kritee K., (2022), Interview by Vicki Robin, originally published by “What Could Possibly Go Right?”, a project of the Post Carbon Institute. (Link)T

  5. Lenton TM. 2020 Tipping positive change.Phil. Trans. R. Soc. B375:20190123. (Link)

  6. Orlove, B. et al. (2023) Placing diverse knowledge systems at the core of transformative climate research. Ambio 52, 1431–1447. (Link)

  7. Smith H.A. & Sharp K.(2012) Indigenous climate knowledges, WIREs Clim Change 3 (5) 467-476 (Link)

  8. Nelson, M.K. and D. Shilling, 2018: Traditional ecological knowledge: Learning from Indigenous practices for environmental sustainability. Cambridge University Press, New York, NY, US.

  9. Dawson, N. M. et al (2021) The role of Indigenous peoples and local communities in effective and equitable conservation. Ecology and Society 26(3):19. (Link)

  10. Mardero, S. et al (2023) Traditional knowledge for climate change adaptation in Mesoamerica: A systematic review. Social Sciences & Humanities Open 7 (1) 100473 (Link)

  11. E.S. Brondízio, et al. (2019.), Global Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services, IPBES

  12. UNFCCC (2020) The Local Communities and Indigenous Peoples Platform Web Portal Website of United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (Link) 

  13. Fourth National Climate Assessment (2018), Tribes and Indigenous Peoples, Volume II, Chapter 15 (Link)

  14. The U.S. White House (2021) White House Commits to Elevating Indigenous Knowledge in Federal Policy Decisions (Link)

  15. IISD (2023) Indigenous Peoples: Defending an Environment for All (Link)

  16. Pfeiffer J., (2022) Solving the Climate Crisis Requires Traditional Ecological Knowledge. Yes Magazine Oct 2022 Issue (Link)

  17. Rainforest Alliance (2022): The World’s Best Forest Guardians: Indigenous Peoples. Webpage accessed on Aug 26, 2023 (Link)

  18. Townshend, I. et al. (2015) Social cohesion and resilience across communities that have experienced a disaster. Nat Hazards 76, 913–938 (Link)

  19. Hikichi H. et al (2016) Can Community Social Cohesion Prevent Posttraumatic Stress Disorder in the Aftermath of a Disaster? A Natural Experiment From the 2011 Tohoku Earthquake and Tsunami. Am J Epidemiol.183(10):902-10. (Link)

  20. Agrawal, A. (1995). Dismantling the divide between indigenous and scientific knowledge. Development and Change, 26(3), 413-439. (Link)