Traditional ecological knowledge
Can Western science adapt to incorporating indigenous methods?
Credit: Image art by Summer Adlparvar.
Western science should adopt the findings and processes of Indigenous science rather than reject it because of its methods. Indigenous science does not have to replace western science, nor should it, but it should be adopted into the scientific grant and research process. Western science has been underfire for false data and bad science, particularly in the last ten years. The gold-standard of science, the article in the peer-reviewed journal did not screen out these fraudulent papers. Some would say science is still the best thing that has happened to humankind, but to fail to recognize its flaws and open the range of knowledge to include other forms of knowing, is a disservice to humankind.
Peer review is a brilliant system that seeks out reviewers who are familiar with the science in a proposed article for a peer-reviewed journal, and they are asked to review the article, usually without payment, as this is considered to be an ethical and substantive obligation in the profession. However, humans can be flawed and so the peer may succomb to opportunities to thwart competition or even steal from the competition. There are countless personal stories of papers being rejected because the peer reviewer (who must be familiar with that field) may be someone in competition with that author and may not want that paper published. The most unethical stories are those when someone will steal the idea in the paper and then reject its publication. Since another key part of the peer-review process is to keep the reviewer anonymous from the author, it would be next to impossible to prove any of these things happened.
So while western science has made incredible contributions to the world, it has some increasingly serious threats to its integrity. Why not consider the rich resources of indigenous science and traditional ecological knowledge in the quantitative or qualitative part of any research?
Traditional ecological knowledge
This term is broad and comprises indigenous worldviews taught through collected and oral histories and stories that comprise a body of knowledge drawn from the environment over time.
Indigenous science is the use of indigenous methods to learn about the world. These methods include observation of animals and nature over time and passing that knowledge along from one generation to the next. Most knowledge is meant to be shared for the benefit of the world. Some must be kept only within the tribal community. Working and consulting with indigenous elders, knowledge keepers and leaders ensures that this knowledge can be used and shared.
There is a built in peer-review of traditional ecological knowledge. This knowledge must typically be used and passed along to future generations. Its continued use, connection to language and as part of stories ensures it is contributing to the body of knowledge of the tribal community. Traditional ecological knowledge is not stagnant, but can grow, change or evolve.
Western science methods
Western science should adopt Indigenous science rather than reject it because the methods are not that of western science. In the last ten years, peer-reviewed, scientific research, which is the gold standard of western scientific methodology has been under fire for false data and bad science. Much of this is driven by the need for scientist survival to continue to receive grants, obtain faculty status and to continue employment. Those desperate goals have led to a lot of bad outcomes.
The western scientific method emerged around the beginning of the Enlightment Period of western history, in the 1600s, when reason and logic dominated new thinking. The western scientific method is based at its earliest time on the work of Sir Francis Bacon,1 and continued to develop over the next 100 years. This method is an objective process of refining scientific knowledge, typically starting with observing something in nature, then forming a hypothesis that can be tested, making a prediction about how that hypothesis will be answered (If this happens, then this will be the result.). Then an experiment is designed and conducted to test that hypothesis. Data is collected from that experiment and then analyzed both quantitatively and qualitatively. A conclusion is drawn from this analysis and if the conclusion is correct, the experiment should be repeatable yielding the same result.
How then, does the scientific method compare to indigenous science?
Western science is objective and quantitative as opposed to traditional knowledge, which is mainly subjective and qualitative. Western science is based on an academic and literate transmission, while traditional knowledge is often passed on orally from one generation to the next by the elders.2
Scrutiny of peer-reviewed research articles have revealed shockingly excessive fraud and falsification of results. One survey of 7,000 scientists found:
An estimated 8% of scientists who participated in an anonymous survey of research practices at Dutch universities confessed1 to falsifying and/or fabricating data at least once between 2017 and 2020. More than 10% of medical and life-science researchers admitted to committing this type of fraud, the survey found.3
Journals quietly withdraw papers that attract attention and are determined to be false. Careers are lost, but more often the researcher sits out a year of grant writing and than starts again. One study found that “[O]ver a 10-year period, 200 publications derived from misconduct were identified. For 20.5% of those papers, no retraction notice was published.”4
The U.S. has defined scientific misconduct to include falsifying data, and the most severe penalty by the National Science Foundation is three years suspension from any federal research grants. Some have suggested that it might be more effective to use the same standard used in sports with anti-doping rules, and penalize scientists similarly. 5
Predicting weather - an example of indigenous knowledge
How can traditional ecological knowledge help us predict catastrophe-level weather events? By combining this indigenous wisdom with modern technology, we gain a better understanding of the atmosphere, its patterns and behavior, while also gaining respect for the knowledge of indigenous cultures. By doing so, we learn more about nature and can better anticipate dangerous weather that might otherwise have gone unnoticed. Furthermore, understanding traditional ecological knowledge helps us see the interconnectedness of all life on this planet and how each organism plays an important role in our environment. This helps us make decisions that are mindful of how we interact with the environment, allowing us to live in harmony with nature and the world around us. Ultimately, this helps protect our planet against disasters like those caused by extreme weather. By combining western science and traditional ecological knowledge, we can learn from both areas of understanding and become better equipped to face changes in our environment.
It has been proven to be effective in the preservation of indigenous lands, cultures, and languages.
Western science has been criticized for its methods and questionable data. Recently, indigenous science has come under the spotlight as an alternative way of learning about our environment that could replace or complement western science. Indigenous science is based on observation of nature over time rather than making assumptions about the environment. It is also based on listening to indigenous peoples and understanding their specific culture, language, and history.
Indigenous science should be embraced by western science for its ability to provide a more holistic approach to learning about our environment. By incorporating indigenous methods of observation, knowledge sharing, and cultural connection into scientific research, we can gain a better understanding of the environment and how to protect it. Indigenous science offers an opportunity for Western scientists to learn about indigenous cultures, languages, and ways of life, as well as providing valuable data and information that can be used in scientific studies. In this way, indigenous science can provide a platform for traditional knowledge to be included in western research.
Indigenous science should not be viewed as an alternative to Western science but rather as a complementary approach that could provide valuable insights into our environment. By incorporating indigenous methods and knowledge, western science can benefit from traditional ecological knowledge and gain a better understanding of the world around us.
In conclusion, indigenous science should be embraced by Western science rather than rejected solely because the methods are not those derived from Sir Francis Bacon. By incorporating indigenous methods and knowledge into scientist’s own research, western scientists can benefit from traditional ecological knowledge as well as gain a better understanding of the environment and how to protect it. Indigenous science should be seen as an opportunity, not a threat, and embraced by all who wish to learn more about our world.
Traditional ecological knowledge is a broad topic and one that I wrote about here that addressed the problem with the criteria in the western patent system that does not protect traditional ecological knowledge.
In this case, the federal government could do more to ensure the protection and incorporation traditional ecological knowledge. In November 2021, the Biden Administration sent a joint memorandum from OSTP and CEQ that they should begin using “indigenous traditional ecological knowledge” (ITEK) in federal decisionmaking.6 The memorandum simply provided for taking knowledge rather than a collaborative process of nurturing and continuing to build traditional ecological knowledge. Specifically, the memo fell short in that it failed to direct that research grants from our federal agencies (NSF, NIH, EPA, etc.) should open the proposals that can be funded and supported to include traditional ecological knowledge.
Collaborations between western science and indigenous science could be supported by this important funding source for almost all scientists, and by collaborating bring more sunlight to the western scientific process while joining forces with indigenous science that predates Sir Francis Bacon.
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Francis-Bacon-Viscount-Saint-Alban
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1479546/
https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-021-02035-2
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/1747016118820496
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/1747016119898400
https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/111521-OSTP-CEQ-ITEK-Memo.pdf