TRADITIONAL ECOLOGICAL KNOWLEDGE AND WISDOM OF ABORIGINAL PEOPLES IN BRITISH COLUMBIA

This paper was written in 2000 by Nancy Turner. Examples of TEK are provided by the Secwepemc (Shuswap), Interior Salish and Kwakwaka’wakw and Nuu-Chah-Nulth peoples of the Northwest Coast. Many TEK topics are discussed, such as: knowledge of ecological principles, such as succession and interrelatedness of all components of the environment; use of ecological indicators; adaptive strategies for monitoring, enhancing, and sustainably harvesting resources; effective systems of knowledge acquisition and transfer; respectful and interactive attitudes and philosophies; close identification with ancestral lands; and beliefs that recognize the power and spirituality of nature.

Going though this valuable resource, there are many sections describing specific methods and knowledge that has allowed Aboriginal people live in a sustainable manner for years and years.

Here is an example of plant resource use: “Plant resource use was (and is) imbued with ecological knowledge and wisdom that take many forms. Contemporaneous life cycles of different species; seasonal signals such as position and size of snow patches on the mountains, or the arrival of the first snow in the fall; relative numbers of particular birds in a given location; flowering of certain plants; and productivity of certain berries: all of these provide indicators for people to know when to expect a salmon run, when the clams are ready to be dug, or when particular roots are ready for harvesting (Turner 1997b). Regeneration of individual plants also has been widely recognized. Pruning or burning of certain berry bushes, for example, was formerly a common practice, and resulted in long-term enhanced yields. Basketry materials, too, were and are managed and enhanced by focused cutting, pruning, and burning (Turner 1996)”