DeepSummary
The podcast episode features an interview with Dr. Daniel Wildcat, a professor at Haskell Indian Nations University, who discusses traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) and its relationship to Western science. Dr. Wildcat explains that TEK is the evolving knowledge acquired by indigenous and local peoples over hundreds or thousands of years through direct contact with the environment, and it is transferred intergenerationally through stories, ceremonies, songs, and customs.
Dr. Wildcat highlights the differences between TEK and Western science, with TEK focusing on paying attention to anomalies and changes in the environment, while Western science seeks general laws and principles. He emphasizes the importance of humility and listening to indigenous communities, who have a deep understanding of their local environments.
The conversation also touches on the challenges faced by indigenous communities in preserving and passing down TEK due to the harmful effects of colonization and boarding schools. However, Dr. Wildcat remains hopeful that by involving indigenous knowledge holders in scientific research and teaching children to appreciate the interconnectedness of life systems, TEK can complement Western science in addressing complex issues like climate change.
Key Episodes Takeaways
- Traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) is the evolving knowledge acquired by indigenous and local peoples over hundreds or thousands of years through direct contact with the environment.
- TEK focuses on observing and understanding anomalies and changes in the local environment, while Western science seeks general laws and principles.
- Indigenous communities have a deep understanding of their local environments, and their knowledge can complement and ground-truth scientific data.
- Humility, openness, and a willingness to listen are essential for scientists to effectively collaborate with indigenous knowledge holders.
- Storytelling and context are integral to the preservation and transmission of TEK.
- The harmful effects of colonization and boarding schools have threatened the preservation and intergenerational transfer of TEK.
- Involving indigenous knowledge holders in scientific research and teaching children to appreciate the interconnectedness of life systems can help integrate TEK and Western science.
- Despite the challenges, there is hope for the resilience of the Earth and the potential for humans to reconnect with and learn from the natural world through TEK.
Top Episodes Quotes
- “Traditional ecological knowledge is knowledge that was born of a long, historical, symbiotic relationship between a particular people and a particular landscape.“ by Daniel Wildcat
- “I think it's a tremendous, tremendous mistake not to, as I say, ground truth. The knowledge that those remote sensors gather with, the knowledge, the experiential knowledge, the empirical knowledge that people who have lived there for hundreds, thousands of years have collected.“ by Daniel Wildcat
- “I think we train scientists, and particularly PhD candidates and postdocs to this mindset to where they're supposed to have the answer. And I think that it's all right not to have the answer and that it would be great if more scientists came, as you mentioned earlier, to communities saying, we're here to listen.“ by Daniel Wildcat
- “Our knowledge isn't data. We talk about talking story, because so much of our knowledge is bound up in stories, in telling about something that happened and how it happened and what you saw and of course, most importantly, where.“ by Daniel Wildcat
- “The good news is, in spite of all the things that humankind has done to the planet, she remains incredibly resilient. And my good friend and mentor, the late vine Deloria Junior, would say she's waiting to find those humans who are ready to be mindful once again of their mother, the earth, and pay attention to what her life systems can teach us human beings about how to be better relatives, to the balance of life we share this planet with.“ by Daniel Wildcat
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Episode Information
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8/3/21