CHAPTER SEVEN

Indigenous Knowledge
Systems(IKS) and Practices

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7.1 Definition of concepts

 Indigenous Knowledge(Iks); technical
insight of wisdom gained and
developed by people in particular
locality through years of careful
observation and experimentation with
a phenomena around them.
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 IKS is embodied in culture and is

described as an integrated pattern of
human knowledge, belie fs and
behavior.
 It consists of language, ideas, beliefs,
customs, taboos,tools,inistitutions,
artifacts, rituals ceremonies and etc.
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 In sum, IKS refers to “ a total of knowledge

and practices, whether explicit or implicit,
used in the management of socioeconomic,
ecological and spiritual facets of life
(Hoppers, 2005:
 stored in the collective memory and
communicated orally among members of the
community and to the future generations
[through, stories, myth, songs, etc].
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7.1.1 Indigenous peoples, and

Indigenous Knowledge
Indigenous peoples
 In international context, while the term
‘indigenous’ is understood (mostly by
Europeans) as being similar or synonym to
‘traditional’, ‘aboriginal’, ‘vernacular’,
‘African’, ‘Black’, and ‘native American’.
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 So, ‘indigenous people' refers to a specific

group of people occupying a certain
geographic area for many generations.
 Definitions of indigenous in international
governing organizations (IGOs), in
indigenous communities, and in the
academic literature are highly
contested,do not have standard or uniform
meanings.
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 The World Bank's definition of indigenous

peoples includes close attachment to
ancestral territories and the natural
resources in them.
 Indigenousness, as defined by indigenous
peoples, focuses on the relationship with
the community in which they live and
often a ‘natural’ connection to the land.
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 Academic definitions focus on the

following elements of indigenous
identity: living in tradition-based
cultures, having political autonomy
prior to colonialism, and seeking to
preserve cultural integrity in the
present.
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 In sum, despite the lack of an

authoritative / formal universal definition
for the concept of indigenous peoples,
the United Nations Permanent Forum on
Indigenous Issues (UNPFII) sets outs
distinguishing features as a guide for the
identification of indigenous peoples
across the globe. This includes the:
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 Self- identification as Indigenous peoples

at the individual level and accepted by
the community as their member;
 Historical continuity with pre-colonial
and/or pre-settler societies;
 Strong link to territories and surrounding
natural resources;
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 Distinct language, culture and beliefs

 Distinct social, economic or political systems;

 Formation of non-dominant groups of
society; and
 Resolve to maintain and reproduce their
ancestral environments and systems as
distinctive peoples and communities .
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 It is estimated that there are

approximately 370 million indigenous
peoples live in some 90 countries across
the world .
 Of the 7,000 languages in the world
today, it is estimated that more than
4,000 are spoken by the indigenous
people.
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Indigenous Knowledge (IK)

 According to Warren, indigenous
knowledge is the local knowledge –
knowledge that is unique to a given
culture or society. Since every population
is unique in terms of its environment, its
resources, and its tools (both physical
and conceptual), IK will also be unique.
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 IK contrasts with the international

knowledge system generated by universities,
research institutions and private firms.
 It is the basis for local-level decision making
in agriculture, health care, food preparation,
education, natural-resource management,
and a host of other activities in rural
communities .
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 IK exists in rural and urban societies as

part of life that their livelihood depends
on specific skills and knowledge for
survival.
 In sum, indigenous knowledge is the
knowledge that people in a given
community have developed over time,
and that continues to develop.
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7.1.2 Special Features of Indigenous

Knowledge
 Ellen and Harris (1996) identified the following
special features of indigenous knowledge
1. Local, in that it is rooted in a particular
community and situated within broader cultural
traditions; it is a set of experiences generated
by people living in those communities.
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2. Tacit knowledge and, therefore, not

easily codified.
3. Transmitted orally, or through
imitation and demonstration.
4. Experiential rather than
theoretical knowledge. Experience
and trial and error,
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5. Learned through repetition,

Repetition aids in the retention and
reinforcement of IK.
6. Constantly changing, being
produced as well as reproduced,
discovered as well as lost.

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7.2 Significance of indigenous

knowledge
 The knowledge of local people is an
enabling component of development.in
this regard, a large percentage of the
earth’s genetic diversity has been
maintained and managed through
farmer’s IKs
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a. Indigenous knowledge system enable people to

develop strategies for handling household and
communal activities. For example in Ethiopia Debo and
Jige are an important uniting forces in communal
activities.
b. Over the years, IKS authorities (elders) make local rules
to protect important resources such as useful plants,
water bodies, stone terracing, agro-forestry,
watersheds and rivers, food preservations, conflict
management, calendar, fallowing as a soil regeneration
practice, etc.
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c. Ik ,is an important part of the lives of the

poor. Help them how to survive the hard
life with very few resources at hand.
d. provide effective alternatives to Western
know-how. IK offers local people and their
development workers further options in
designing new projects or addressing
specific problems and wider disasters.
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 However, not all IK are helpful and

positive.Example;female circumcision.
7.3. Indigenous knowledge and development
 Indigenous knowledge passes from one
generation to the next and enable indigenous
people to survive, manage their natural
resources and the ecosystems surrounding them
like animals, plants, rivers, seas, natural
environment, and etc .
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 In other words, ''IK is relevant to

development process such as agriculture,
animal husbandry, traditional medicine,
saving and credit, community development,
poverty alleviation, and peaceful
coexistence'‘.
 Indigenous knowledge may help identify
poverty alleviation that are locally
manageable and meaningful.
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 Many plants currently growing wild in the

ancestral domain produce natural dye,
fiber, detergent and natural oil.
 Several plants in the ancestral domain
have medicinal uses.
 Chemical compounds of these plants
could be identified for the production of
organic medicine
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 According to World Development Report,

knowledge, not capital, is the key to
sustainable social and economic
development.
 Building on local knowledge, the basic
component of any country’s knowledge
system, is the first step to mobilize such
capital.
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 The key factor in the adaptation process is the

involvement of those who possess indigenous
knowledge.
7.4. Preservation, Challenges and Limitations of IK
 Indigenous knowledge, which has generally
been passed from generation to generation
byword of mouth, is in danger of being lost
unless it is formally documented and preserved

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 The loss of IK would impoverish society

because, just as the world needs
genetic diversity of species, it needs
diversity of knowledge systems .
 The rapid change in the way of life of
local communities has largely
accounted for the loss of IK.
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 Younger generations underestimate the

utility of IK systems because of the
influence of modern technology and
education.
 "Since IK is essential to development, it
must be gathered, organized and
disseminated, just like Western
knowledge'‘.
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challenges and limitations of IK

 There is historical and contemporary evidence
that indigenous peoples have also committed
environmental sin’s through over grazing, over –
hunting, or over-cultivation of the land.
 Practices based on, for example, mistaken beliefs,
faulty experimentation, or inaccurate information
can be dangerous and may even be a barrier to
improving the well being of indigenous people.
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7.5. The Erosion of Indigenous Knowledge

Systems(IKS)
 The recent and current rate of loss is
accelerating because of rapid population
growth, growth of international markets,
educational systems, environmental
degradation, and development processes —
pressures related to rapid modernization and
cultural homogenization.
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 The introduction of market-oriented

agricultural and forestry practices focused on
mono-cropping is associated with losses in IK
and IK practices, through losses in
biodiversity and cultural diversity. cultural
diversity.
- For instance, policies promoting generic rice
and wheat varieties devalue locally adapted
species.
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- With the ready availability of many commercial

foods, some biodiversity seems to become less
relevant, such as seed and crop varieties
selected over the years for their long-term
storage attributes.
 In the short term, chemical inputs seem to
reduce the need to tailor varieties to difficult
growing conditions, contributing to the demise
of local varieties.
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 With deforestation, certain medicinal plants

become more difficult to find (and the
knowledge or culture associated with the
plants also declines).
  More and more knowledge is being lost as a
result of the disruption of traditional channels
of oral communication. Neither children nor
adults spend as much time in their
communities anymore.
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 As IK is transmitted orally, it is vulnerable to rapid

change — especially when people are displaced or
when young people acquire values and lifestyles
different from those of their ancestors.
 Also, in some countries, official propaganda depicts
indigenous cultures and methodologies as
backward or out of date .
 Often, formal schooling reinforces this negative
attitude.
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THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!

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