Indigenous Ecological Knowledge
Indigenous Ecological Knowledge (IEK)
Indigenous people of Turtle Island (North America) have been living on this land for time immemorial. Over the past 1000’s of years our people have developed and grown with the landscape. They lived off of the land, and their lifestyles were influenced by seasons, topography, wildlife populations, and crop availability. To live life off the land, without current day conveniences such as grocery stores and houses, Indigenous people had to use what they had around them. This kind of information relied on the people to live amongst the land and understand these resources and natural processes at all times. These lifelong and communal experiences eventually become stronger as they get passed down through the generations.
In today’s world, we know the topic of ecology is a branch of science that is the;
“study of the relationships between living organisms, including humans, and their physical environment; it seeks to understand the vital connections between plants and animals and the world around them. Ecology also provides information about the benefits of ecosystems and how we can use Earth’s resources in ways that leave the environment healthy for future generations.” (The Ecological Society of America. 2022)
Ecology is learned and studied in professional settings with guidelines, timelines, limitations and data collection for the purpose of understanding. These results are very useful in certain situations but do not always capture a full picture. There has been many scenarios where the implementation of restoration projects developed through science and ecological studies have failed. These failed projects may sometimes correlate to a lack of long-term understanding. To get long-term generational knowledge ecologists have now turned to Indigenous communities to share local information to grasp a better understanding of the natural world.
What is Indigenous Ecological Knowledge?
Indigenous Ecological Knowledge (IEK) or sometimes known as Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) is first-hand, life-long, or passed down stories, patterns, relationships, lifestyles, and experience with the natural world.
This knowledge has and still comes from intimate relationships, rather than observing from the outside. IEK does not involve a planned and organized study. It is in fact lived, not studied.
To fully understand Mother Earth we need to start incorporating scientific data and Indigenous Ecological Knowledge together. This combination of science and Indigenous is sometimes referred to “Two-eyed Seeing”. At the Anishinaabek Land Trust, we use both science and IEK when conducting studies and providing information.
Learn how Indigenous Ecological Knowledge is being used in current wildlife conservation projects.
American Eel - Pimizi (Anishinaabemowin) (Anguilla rostrata)
