Category: Module 4- Ecological Issues in Indigenous Education and Technology

Website:  http://www.ser.org/iprn/tek.asp

This is a wonderful website pertaining to traditional ecological knowledge (TEK).

The site looks at the reasons behind the new attention being paid to traditional knowledge, and western cultures hopes to utilize this knowledge as a way to repair the damage we have done to our environment.

There are links to information about TEKs relationship to restoration, climate change, western science, and even a link to TEK radio.

The site contains links to conferences pertaining to TEK, organizations involved in TEK, references about TEK, education and outreach, funding sources and upcoming events.

This is a great site to peruse as an introduction to this topic, and as a source for further information.

Website:  http://www.ecoknow.ca/index.html

This is the website for a research group, based out of UBC, that focuses on ecological knowledge research done in collaboration with Indigenous communities along the north coast of BC.

Participants in the research group include students and professors from the Anthropology department at UBC and members of the Gitxaala Nation.

This group has had seven papers based on their research published in the Canadian Journal of Native Education so far.

Information contained on the website includes: an introductory page, background, communities, research, seminars and education materials.

A great site showing the possibilities when western science works in collaboration with indigenous knowledge.

Website:  http://www.nafaforestry.org/forest_home/knowledge.html

This is a very interesting website, designed to help increase Aboriginal consultation and understanding within the Forestry sector.

The site covers a large range of information including: the national forest strategy, aboriginal law, capacity building, institutions traditional knowledge, business, youth, metis forestry, trapping and hunting, etc.

For me, the most interesting (and pertinent to this course) section of the website was the page dedicated to traditional knowledge. The page contains information on international and Canadian policies on traditional knowledge in the forestry sector, along with projects and initiatives, community-based research protocols and links to further websites pertaining to this subject.

Website: http://members.ozemail.com.au/~mmichie/april06.htm

This is a website dedicated to distributing information about events pertaining to Indigenous science and it’s integration into Western education.

This particular link will take you to the April, 2006 edition of the bulletin, where a research proposal by two students of the University of Victoria, BC is highlighted.

This proposal, entitled “The Aboriginal Knowledge and Science Education Research Project” aims to investigate the reasons behind low Aboriginal representation in senior science courses leading to University eligibility, such as Biology 12, Chemistry 12 and Physics 12.

The authors discuss the need for Aboriginal students to gain science or mathematics related degrees, and hopes to correlate a lack of indigenous knowledge in the senior science courses curricula, with the low participation levels of Aboriginal students.

Research plans include interviewing students and teachers in the BC school system, conferring with Aboriginal communities to identify examples of indigenous knowledge to incorporate into science classrooms, and working towards the development of an indigenous science course.

Website:

http://www.scidev.net/en/policy-briefs/raising-awareness-of-indigenous-knowledge-in-scien.html

This web page contains a paper regarding possible ways to implement Indigenous knowledge in Western science and technology classes.

Written in 2002, it is interesting to note the suggestions given by the author that have not yet been adequately addressed, six years later.

This paper stresses the need for a formal agreement between Aboriginal and Western parties on their respective rights and responsibilities in terms of science and technology education.

It is an interesting and informative read, presenting shrewd possibilities for a better science and technology education for all students.