Good Science: Using Indigenous Traditional Economic Knowledge in Order to Understand Climate Change

Our climate is indeed changing. Flood, drought, fire, wind and cold — extreme events are becoming the norm. Science is critical to our health, ability to live full lives and also the well-being of community. We use science in order to advance medicine, enhance our use of natural resources, ensure our food supply and much, much more. Though, why do we only prioritize Western systems of scientific knowledge?

Indeed, Western science is just one way of knowing. Traditional knowledge and wisdom of Indigenous peoples is recognized by the United Nations for its potential to sustainably manage complex ecosystems. Yet, all too often, Western science has disregarded centuries of science-based knowledge coming from Indigenous peoples and community.

It is vital that Indigenous Knowledge be defined and contextualized by Indigenous people. Eurocentric understanding has been a cognitive imperialism. A form of cognitive manipulation used to disclaim other knowledge bases and values.

Even internationally, Indigenous knowledge is seen as having a valuable contribution to make to scientific, conservation, pedagogy and sustainable development. In Western academic discourse, traditional systems of knowledge are characterized as mixtures of knowledge, practice and belief. At one level, traditional knowledge may be equated to that which is purely empirical in Western science.

At other levels, the knowledge system may invoke religious, spiritual, or cultural values and relationships that are not held by scientists working within a materialist paradigm or who pursue predictability and controllability in their work, features commonly associated with Western science.

Traditional knowledge is dynamic, holistic, intergenerational, linked to experience on traditional lands and the integrity of the knowledge depends on maintaining the integrity of the land itself.

Adapting to changes in the environment requires that Canadians re-think our relationship with nature. Over the generations, we have lost our way. The path to a resilient future starts with Western science acknowledging environment change for its central, functional and spiritual roles in our world. Western science is not wrong. It is just not complete. It does not account for environmental change as part of a living ecosystem.

The Indigenous peoples of Canada and other Arctic regions around the world have long argued they are the first to experience and suffer from the effects of global warming. They also possess a wealth of traditional ecological knowledge — through oral histories, hunting and fishing patterns, and other observations that come from calling a place home for millennia — that can document the effects of the changing climate and, perhaps, offer solutions on how to better protect it.

Indigenous peoples have lived in our particular locations for many generations, and define themselves in relation to the given home environments. The deep and long-standing relationships with the environment are unique; and their existence depends on their ability to conserve and maintain lands and waters for the enjoyment of future generations to come.

Today, tribes, First Nations, Indigenous peoples and Aboriginals are sounding a loud alarm about the impacts of climate change. Rising sea levels, broken natural systems, and increasing fire and flooding are apparent and documented throughout the various landscapes.

While others debate the causes of climate change, Indigenous peoples who live close to the land are experiencing major impacts from the changing climate and call for immediate and strong action to protect the resources on which we all rely. We cannot afford to disregard Indigenous knowledge about climate change, and therefore must hold up traditional ways of knowing as equal to Western knoweldge.

Respecting and embracing Indigenous knowledge as important science benefits all of us. In looking for solutions to the environmental dilemmas that confront us, it is critical to apply Indigenous knowledge. All of us are looking for a better understanding of the Earth and the ecosystems. Though, by integrating traditional knowledge with Western science, together we can solve some of the biggest challenges, including those brought by our changing climate.

Threats to scientific knowledge must be rejected, and decision making based on fact must be embraced.

The traditions that govern Indigenous communities have enabled people to live sustainably in their environment for generations. Equally important, Indigenous empirical knowledge has sustained people and cultures and has laid the groundwork for many modern “discoveries.”

Indigenous peoples are truly the experts of their area and place, with a deep understanding of the interconnectedness of nature and role in conserving resources for future generations, Therefore, in working together to ensure a environment suitable for future generations we must first account for all systems of knowledge to be deemed factual.