Relevance of indigenous knowledge

RELEVANCE OF INDIGENOUS KNOWLEDGE

According to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), indigenous knowledge refers to the understandings, skills and philosophies developed by societies with long histories of interaction with their natural surroundings. This knowledge (indigenous), influences the decision-making of day-to-day life for the local people.

Indigenous knowledge is essentially a complex mixture of:

-language 

-systems of classification 

-resource use practices

-interactions rituals and 

-spirituality

Indigenous knowledge is a unique way of gaining information about important facets of world's cultural diversity and is an important source of locally-appropriate sustainable development.

Indigenous knowledge has proved to be of significance in reducing risk from disasters caused by natural phenomena like earthquake, cyclone, droughts, landslide, tsunami etc. Indigenous knowledge is culture specific and represents people's lifestyle.

Local communities use indigenous knowledge to reduce risk, cope and survive natural disasters. Indigenous knowledge refers to methods and practices developed by a group of people who have an advanced knowledge of the local environment that has accumulated from several generations of habitations. The important characteristics of this type of knowledge that distinguish it from other types of knowledge is that it originates within the community, has as non-formal means of dissemination, is collectively owned, is developed over several generations and is subjected to adaptation. It is embedded in the community's way of life as a means of survival.

A few examples of the use of indigenous knowledge to manage or mitigate the effects of disasters are listed below:

• Indigenous construction practices for earthquake safe housing in Kashmir known as "Taq" and "Dhajji Dewari" have earthquake resistant qualities
• Bamboo plantation along canal bunds by villagers in Assam has protected embankments, bridges and roads from damage during heavy rains
• The rich collection of indigenous knowledge uses local resources is cost efficient in the case of locals of Philippines who use it to master the damages by seasonal typhoons
• The traditional and indigenous knowledge of the people of Sri Lanka helped the people build a village tank cascade system for drought mitigation and rural-well being in the drought-prone Purana villages of Sri Lanka
• Indigenous knowledge (Mokken knowledge) helped several people survive the killer Tsunami of 2007 in Thailand
• Indigenous knowledge for weather forecasting is extensively used in the drought prone areas of Vietnam. In this case, farmers use moon observations and observe the habits of insects to cultivate crops. This indigenous knowledge is passed on through thousands of years from generation to generation by the community
• The 'Karez' technology is used in China to combat droughts. This is an indigenous knowledge in Xinjiang area of China that makes use of underground water efficiently. It takes advantage of topography for gravity irrigation and is still in use. This indigenous technology can be used in the face of a severe drought disaster.