Some key tenants of Traditional Knowledge
All living and non-living things on earth are interconnected in a vast
symbiotic relationship (Sherman ND). All elements of earth and all life
forms have a spirit similar to that of humans; humans and all life forms
depend on mother earth for survival (Fed. Saskatchewan Indian Nations
1992).
Native Elders, with their multi-generational insight and cultural wisdom
handed down from the ancients, will tell you that if you watch and listen
closely, you will hear the heartbeat of Mother Earth; that she will share
her knowledge, her history and her bounty. However, she will also share
her heartache and her wrath with equal measure. Survival is a spirit of
mutual good. Disrespect of any natural resource will afflict all natural
resources. The web of life and ownership of what land provides are
completely opposite. From the Tlingit culture point of view, Mother Earth
depicts us all as equal in her garden which is the foundation by which
Natives contemplate brotherhood with plant, rock, and wildlife in common
endorsement to live on earth. In complete and wholesome measure, the
Native American possess the science of respect for and commitment to live
in harmony with Mother Earth and the web of life and to pass it on to
future generations. Native Americans have enjoyed this relationship for
eons and built a society with successful cohabitation with plant, rock,
and wildlife.
We Need Traditional Knowledge
Threats to our Environment
During 1950-1990, the human global population more than doubled, from 2.5
billion to 5.3 billion. More than 1 billion will be added in the 1990's
(Raven, 1990). There is no overall accepted strategy to sustain the global
ecosystem. Almost every square inch of the globe is affected by human
activities. Natural habitats and countless species are being lost.
Solutions will require far more than reactionary technological fixes or
more environmentally-friendly development or relying solely on Western
Science. Social/economic systems and controls will be required that firmly
institutionalize respect for the land and protect the biological diversity
which supports all of us. "The fate of humanity is bound to that of
the diverse ecosystems that are the bedrock of human economies."
(O'Neal, et al. 1995). Tainter (1996) states: ". . . in the long
term, sustainable land use and management must be based on social and
political institutions that are themselves sustainable."
Human Dependency on Biological Diversity
World plant and animal species, biological communities, and genetic
resources, form the foundation for human societies. (Balick, Elisabetsky,
Laird 1996; Montgomery and Pollack 1996; Tainter 1996; WRI-IUCN-UNEP 1992;
Raven 1990; Wilson 1988). They play critical direct roles in human
spiritual, cultural, religious and family systems for human survival.
Raven (1990) states: "(human) Sustainability and preservation of
biological diversity are two sides of the same coin." According to
World Health Organization estimates, some 80 percent of people living in
developing countries rely on harvested plants for some part of their
primary health care (Balick, Elisabetsky, Laird 1996). In Alaska, about
one-third of the State's residents depend on wild meat to keep them alive.