August 03rd, 2014

Our efforts to reach out to Native American individuals and groups for help in gaining increased awareness of the need to change the way we see and relate to our remaining forests, has brought us in contact with many new people. It has also required us to expand our knowledge of recent activities that are beginning to recognize the importance of the wisdom of our Native Americans, particularly as it relates to our environment. This past week I learned the definition of the concept of "traditional knowledge's" as it relates to our indigenous people. This was a completely new concept for me, but appears to be exactly what I have been trying to explain in my book. It is defined as knowledge developed through empirical observation. For me, it is the information or knowledge developed through detailed observation of the complexity of creation, nature and forest communities. Through detailed observation, one begins to understand the multitude and magnitude of the relationships that are occurring within the human environment and forests in particular. Frequently, we refer to traditional knowledge's to recognize there are differences among the various indigenous societies. One must also recognize that much work is being done to protect our indigenous people from the miss-use and misappropriation of traditional knowledge's. 
    For at least the last 50 years, I have been haunted by the feeling that this wisdom our indigenous people have developed must become a dominant part of our western scientific thinking process! I wish I could explain where, how and why these concerns I carry, have dominated my life for so long. I do know we must find ways to take down the barriers that are preventing the sharing of knowledge between cultures for the benefit of all people! TOGETHER WE CAN AND MUST MAKE A DIFFERENCE!