{"id":43,"date":"2019-06-17T18:27:28","date_gmt":"2019-06-17T22:27:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/053humanbiology\/chapter\/1-6-traditional-ecological-knowledge\/"},"modified":"2022-01-19T15:39:43","modified_gmt":"2022-01-19T20:39:43","slug":"1-6-traditional-ecological-knowledge","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/053humanbiology\/chapter\/1-6-traditional-ecological-knowledge\/","title":{"raw":"1.6 Traditional Ecological Knowledge","rendered":"1.6 Traditional Ecological Knowledge"},"content":{"raw":"
\n\nCreated by: Christine Miller<\/span>\n

Definition<\/h1>\n<\/div>\nIn order to truly understand the concept of \u00a0Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK), it is important to gather as many definitions as possible- this gives us an accurate breadth of the term with all its nuances.\u00a0 Click through the images below to read several descriptions of TEK.\n\n[h5p id=\"5\"]\n

Value<\/h1>\nPeople who have lived in a community for generations are often the first to notice any signs of environmental change. \u00a0Information about a particular region's climate and ecology is retained when the people from the region take on location as part of their cultural identity across generations. \u00a0This traditional knowledge is passed from generation to generation through story telling and mentorship.\n\nTEK shares some similarities with what is termed \"Western Science\". \u00a0Both recognize that knowledge is always growing and changing and that observations are critical to recognizing patterns and causalities in nature. \u00a0In addition, both TEK and Western Science recognize interdependence in biological systems and the need to treat ecology as\u00a0 a complex system. \u00a0TEK differs in some ways from Western Science: knowledge is passed on orally, partly through metaphor and story, and this learned knowledge is embedded into daily living. \u00a0TEK also differs from Western Science in that TEK is tied in to morality, spirituality and individual identity, making it more than just knowledge; it is sacred knowledge.\n

Examples<\/h1>\n[caption id=\"attachment_41\" align=\"alignright\" width=\"200\"]\" Figure 1.6.1 Avalanche Lily in bloom.<\/em>[\/caption]\n\nPeople who are indigenous to the province of British Columbia have been managing natural resources in this area for time immemorial. \u00a0Numerous examples of sustainable harvesting methods can be found across the province, but our example, harvesting and management of the Avalanche Lily, comes from the Secwepemc<\/a> peoples of the interior of British Columbia. \u00a0Many thanks to Nancy Turner, Marianne Boelscher Ignace and Ronald Ignace for their documentation of these practices in their paper: Traditional Ecological Knowledge and Wisdom of Aboriginal Peoples in British Columbia<\/a>\n\nThe Avalanche Lily is a yellow-flowered member of the lily family native to Western North America. \u00a0This flower grows from an edible \u00a0bulb which ranges in size from 3-5 centimetres. \u00a0The Secwepemc people have harvested these bulbs as an important food source for generations. \u00a0Oral transmission of knowledge allowed the Secwepemc people to use thousands of years of accumulated data around growing cycles, seasons and management practices to harvest these plants effectively while maintaining a healthy population of lilies for future use. \u00a0Very intentional conservation strategies were\/are practiced when harvesting the bulbs:\n