TRADITIONAL KNOWLEDGE'S OF OUR INDIGENOUS PEOPLE!
TRADITIONAL INDIGENOUS TERRITORIES ENCOMPASS TWENTY-TWO PERCENT OF THE WORLD’S LAND SURFACE, AND REPRESENT EIGHTY PERCENT OF THE PLANET’S BIODIVERSITY. INDIGENOUS PEOPLES CURRENTLY MAKE UP ONLY SIX PERCENT OF THE WORLD POPULATION. THESE PEOPLE HAVE DEVELOPED CULTURAL VALUES AND BELIEFS FROM THE LIFE EXPERIENCES OF THEIR ANCESTORS, WHO LIVED AS A PART OF THE NATURAL WORLD. INDIGENOUS PEOPLES ARE DISTINCT SOCIAL AND CULTURAL GROUPS THAT SHARE COLLECTIVE ANCESTORIAL TIES TO THE LAND AND NATURAL RESOURCES WHERE THEY LIVE, OCCUPY OR FROM WHICH THEY HAVE BEEN DISPLACED. THE LAND AND NATURAL RESOURCES ON WHICH THEY DEPEND ARE INEXTRICABLY LINKED TO THEIR IDENTITIES, CULTURES, LIVELIHOODS, AS WELL AS THEIR PHYSICAL AND SPIRITUAL WELL-BEING. THERE CURRENTLY ARE AN ESTIMATED 476 MILLION INDIGENOUS PEOPLE, WORLDWIDE.
OVER THE PAST SEVERAL THOUSAND YEARS, THESE PEOPLE HAVE DEVELOPED KNOWLEDGE AND WISDOM ABOUT NATURE THAT ALLOWED THEM TO LIVE IN BALANCE WITH THEIR NATURAL SURROUNDINGS WITHOUT UPSETTING THE NATURAL PROCESSES. THEIR VERY LIVES DEPENDED UPON PRESERVING THE BALANCE OF THE ECOSYSTEMS THAT MAKE UP THE NATURAL WORLD. THEY UNDERSTOOD THE DAMAGING IMPACTS TO NATURE THAT RESULT FROM OVER-HARVESTING, OVER-UTILIZATION, AND THE NECESSITY OF SHARING WITH OTHER LIFE FORMS THAT WERE PART OF THE NATURAL WORLD. THEY UNDERSTOOD THE IMPORTANCE OF BALANCE, REGENERATION AND UNIQUE ELEMENTS PROVIDED BY THE NATURAL WORLD, THAT SUSTAIN LIFE ON OUR PLANET. IT IS ESSENTIAL THAT WE FIND WAYS TO PRESERVE THE TRADITIONAL KNOWLEDGE'S OF THESE PEOPLE, IF WE HOPE TO FIND REALISTIC SOLUTIONS TO THE ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES CONFRONTING HUMANITY TODAY. THEIR WAYS OF LIFE AND WISDOM OF NATURE CAN TEACH US MUCH ABOUT PRESERVING NATURAL RESOURCES, GROWING FOOD IN SUSTAINABLE WAYS, LIVING IN HARMONY WITH NATURE AND RESTORING ECOSYSTEM BALANCE.
THERE ARE SEVERAL WAYS INDIGENOUS PEOPLES ARE CURRENTLY HELPING THE WORLD COMBAT CLIMATE CHANGE. THE FOOD AND AGRICULTURE ORGANIZATION OF THE UNITED NATIONS PUBLISHED A PAPER WHICH LISTS SEVERAL WAYS INDIGENOUS PEOPLES ARE HELPING REDUCE HUNGER WORLDWIDE. THROUGHOUT THE CENTURIES, INDIGENOUS PEOPLE HAVE DEVELOPED AGRICULTURAL TECHNIQUES THAT ARE ADAPTED TO EXTREME ENVIRONMENTS, LIKE THE HIGH ALTITUDES OF THE ANDES, THE DRY GRASSLANDS OF KENYA OR THE EXTREME COLD OF THE ARTIC. THESE TIME-TESTED TECHNIQUES, LIKE TERRACING TO PREVENT SOIL EROSION, FLOATING GARDENS THAT MAKE USE OF FLOODED FIELDS, AND SELECTIVE AGRONOMIC PROGRAMS WHICH ALLOWED THEM TO DEVELOP PLANT SPECIES THAT WERE BETTER SUITED FOR INCREASING INTENSE WEATHER EVENTS AND TEMPERATURES, RESULTING FROM CLIMATE CHANGE.
INDIGENOUS PEOPLES SEE THEMSELVES AS CONNECTED TO NATURE AND A PART OF THE NATURAL WORLD IN WHICH THEY LIVE. NATURAL RESOURCES ARE CONSIDERED SHARED PROPERTY AND RESPECTED AS SUCH. LIVING IN BALANCE AND PROTECTING RESOURCES LIKE FORESTS, GRASSLANDS, LAKES AND RIVERS HELP MITIGATE CHANGING CLIMATIC CONDITIONS. EIGHTY PERCENT OF ALL LIVING ORGANISMS ON PLANET EARTH REQUIRE FOREST ECOSYSTEMS FOR THE SUSTENANCE OF LIFE. DOMINATE SOCIETY CONTINUES TO DEFORESTS AT AN UNSUSTAINABLE RATE, AS WE CONTINUE TO MANAGE OUR REMINING FOREST COVER FOR THE RESOURCES THEY CAN PROVIDE, RATHER THAN THE CRITICAL LIFE SUSTAINING ELEMENTS PROVIDED BY NATURE. WITH THREE QUARTERS OF OUR FORESTED LAND BASE GONE, WE MUST ADJUST OUR MANAGEMENT GOALS. THE IRONIC THING IS, DEFORESTATION EFFECTS CLIMATE-CHANGE AS MUCH AS FOSSIL FUEL CONSUMPTION.
CURRENTLY, THE WORLD’S POPULATION RELIES UPON A VERY LIMITED LIST OF STAPLE CROPS; SUCH AS WHEAT, RICE, POTATOES AND CORN. INDIGENOUS PEOPLE HAVE RELIED UPON AN EXPANDED FOOD BASE, WHICH COULD HELP HUMANITY EXPAND ITS NARROW FOOD BASE. EXPANDING OUR FOOD BASE CAN PROVIDE FOOD SUPPLIES THAT ARE ABLE TO ADAPT TO MORE EXTREME CLIMATE CONDITIONS. WITH THE CHANGING CLIMATIC CONDITIONS, FINDING NEW AND BROADER FOOD SOURCES WILL BE ESSENTIAL. WE MUST FIND FOOD SOURCES THAT ARE MORE RESISTANT TO DROUGHT, WARMER TEMPERATURES, FLOODING, CHANGING ATMOSPHERIC CONDITIONS AND OTHER EXTREME CHANGES. THE EXPANDING WORLD POPULATION WILL DOUBLE OUR DEMAND FOR FOOD SOURCES AND REQUIRE DIFFERENT FARMING TECHNIQUES THAT REDUCE THE ADVERSE IMPACTS ON THE NATURAL WORLD. POPULATION EXPANSION AND URBANIZATION WILL ELEVATE THE IMPORTANCE OF A HEALTHY FARMING ENVIRONMENT TO PROVIDE THE REQUIRED FOOD SUPPLY. INCREASING POPULATION DENSITY AND URBANIZATION NECESSITATES AN INCREASED DEMAND FOR RURAL FARMING TO PROVIDE THE REQUIRED VOLUME OF FOOD. EXPANDING OUR FOOD BASE CAN ASSIST FARMING IN MAINTAINING A RESILIENT FUTURE. ACTIVITIES SUCH AS URBAN GARDENING AND SMALL TRUCK FARMING HAVE TO BECOME COMMON SOURCES FOR FOOD, AS URBANIZATION CONTINUES TO SPREAD.
I HAVE PREVIOUSLY POINTED OUT THAT, “THE EXTENT OF DIVERSITY IS THE MEASURE OF PERFECTION”. RECENT REPORTS TELL US THAT INDIGENOUS TERRITORIES CONTAIN EIGHTY PERCENT OF THE REMINING WORLD’S BIODIVERSITY. MAINTAINING DIVERSITY IS ESSENTIAL IF WE HOPE TO PRESERVE FUTURE FOOD SECURITY AND EXPAND OUR FOOD BASE. INDIGENOUS PEOPLES LIVING AS A PART OF NATURE, HAVE DEVELOPED THE WISDOM REQUIRED TO SUSTAIN AND PRESERVE THE DIVERSITY OF PLANTS AND ANIMALS AND THE ECOSYSTEMS THEY LIVE WITHIN. YES, INDIGENOUS PEOPLES HAVE THE WISDOM AND RESPECT OF NATURE THAT ALLOWS THEM TO LIVE AS A PART OF THE NATURAL WORLD, A LIFE-STYLE THAT CAN OFFER OPPORTUNITIES TO PROLONG HUMANITY’S FUTURE!
THE PROBLEM IS THAT AS TIME PROGRESSES, THESE INDIGENOUS TRADITIONAL KNOWLEDGE'S ARE SLOWLY DISAPPEARING. THEIR YOUTH, LIKE THE REST OF THE POPULATION, ARE BEING BOMBARDED BY COMPUTERS, SMART PHONES, SOCIAL MEDIA AND ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY; WHILE PULLING THEM AWAY FROM THE WISDOM OF THEIR FOREFATHERS. STAYING IN TOUCH WITH NATURE AND FOLLOWING THE WAYS OF THEIR ANCESTORS IS BEING REPLACED BY THESE MODERN-DAY COMMUNICATION TOOLS. IT IS ALSO TRUE, THAT MANY OF THE ELDERS ARE SOMEWHAT RELUCTANT TO SHARE THEIR KNOWLEDGE AND WISDOM WITH DOMINATE SOCIETY FOR FEAR OF MISUSE OR MISUNDERSTANDING. MANY OF THEIR WAYS ARE CONSIDERED TO BE OF A SPIRITUAL NATURE AND MAY NOT BE PROPERLY UNDERSTOOD YET, THEIR WISDOM IS ESSENTIAL FOR THE FUTURE SUSTENANCE OF HUMANITY.
WE MUST FIND WAYS TO TEAR DOWN THE BARRIERS, JOIN HANDS AS BROTHERS AND SISTERS, TO FIND SOLUTIONS TO PROLONGING LIFE, AS THE NATURAL WORLD CONTINUES TO SHRINK. IF WE LOSE THE KNOWLEDGE AND WISDOM OF OUR INDIGENOUS PEOPLE, THE TASK MAY BE UNOBTAINABLE! SCIENTIFIC INTELLIGENCE AND ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY WILL ONLY EXACERBATE THE PROBLEMS, AS THESE ADVANCEMENTS TEND TO ACCELERATE THE DAMAGE TO THE NATURAL WORLD. IT IS THE ELEMENTS PROVIDED ONLY BY THE NATURAL WORLD THAT WILL SUSTAIN FUTURE LIFE! OUR FUTURE REQUIRES ADJUSTING OUR LIFE-STYLES TO LIVE IN BALANCE WITH WHAT REMAINS OF THE NATURAL WORLD! THE TRADITIONAL KNOWLEDGES OF OUR INDIGENOUS PEOPLES MUST BE SHARED AND PRESERVED. DOMINATE SOCIETY MUST LEARN THE WAYS OF BALANCE AND REPLACE THE CURRENT FOCUS OF GREED AND INDIVIDUALISM! THE ECOSYSTEMS OF OUR FORESTS, PRAIRIES, OCEANS, LAKES, RIVERS AND ATMOSPHERE MUST BECOME SACRED TO HUMANITY WORLDWIDE. FUTURE GENERATIONS ARE DEMANDING US TO CHANGE, SO THEY TOO MAY LIVE A DESIRABLE LIFE ON THIS MAGICAL PLANET. WITH A LITTLE EFFORT, WE CAN PASS ON THE BENEFITS OF CREATION! EARTH DOES NOT BELONG TO MANKIND; WE BELONG TO EARTH! COULD THE NATURAL WORLD BE THE GARDEN OF EDEN?
TRADITIONAL INDIGENOUS TERRITORIES ENCOMPASS TWENTY-TWO PERCENT OF THE WORLD’S LAND SURFACE, AND REPRESENT EIGHTY PERCENT OF THE PLANET’S BIODIVERSITY. INDIGENOUS PEOPLES CURRENTLY MAKE UP ONLY SIX PERCENT OF THE WORLD POPULATION. THESE PEOPLE HAVE DEVELOPED CULTURAL VALUES AND BELIEFS FROM THE LIFE EXPERIENCES OF THEIR ANCESTORS, WHO LIVED AS A PART OF THE NATURAL WORLD. INDIGENOUS PEOPLES ARE DISTINCT SOCIAL AND CULTURAL GROUPS THAT SHARE COLLECTIVE ANCESTORIAL TIES TO THE LAND AND NATURAL RESOURCES WHERE THEY LIVE, OCCUPY OR FROM WHICH THEY HAVE BEEN DISPLACED. THE LAND AND NATURAL RESOURCES ON WHICH THEY DEPEND ARE INEXTRICABLY LINKED TO THEIR IDENTITIES, CULTURES, LIVELIHOODS, AS WELL AS THEIR PHYSICAL AND SPIRITUAL WELL-BEING. THERE CURRENTLY ARE AN ESTIMATED 476 MILLION INDIGENOUS PEOPLE, WORLDWIDE.
OVER THE PAST SEVERAL THOUSAND YEARS, THESE PEOPLE HAVE DEVELOPED KNOWLEDGE AND WISDOM ABOUT NATURE THAT ALLOWED THEM TO LIVE IN BALANCE WITH THEIR NATURAL SURROUNDINGS WITHOUT UPSETTING THE NATURAL PROCESSES. THEIR VERY LIVES DEPENDED UPON PRESERVING THE BALANCE OF THE ECOSYSTEMS THAT MAKE UP THE NATURAL WORLD. THEY UNDERSTOOD THE DAMAGING IMPACTS TO NATURE THAT RESULT FROM OVER-HARVESTING, OVER-UTILIZATION, AND THE NECESSITY OF SHARING WITH OTHER LIFE FORMS THAT WERE PART OF THE NATURAL WORLD. THEY UNDERSTOOD THE IMPORTANCE OF BALANCE, REGENERATION AND UNIQUE ELEMENTS PROVIDED BY THE NATURAL WORLD, THAT SUSTAIN LIFE ON OUR PLANET. IT IS ESSENTIAL THAT WE FIND WAYS TO PRESERVE THE TRADITIONAL KNOWLEDGE'S OF THESE PEOPLE, IF WE HOPE TO FIND REALISTIC SOLUTIONS TO THE ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES CONFRONTING HUMANITY TODAY. THEIR WAYS OF LIFE AND WISDOM OF NATURE CAN TEACH US MUCH ABOUT PRESERVING NATURAL RESOURCES, GROWING FOOD IN SUSTAINABLE WAYS, LIVING IN HARMONY WITH NATURE AND RESTORING ECOSYSTEM BALANCE.
THERE ARE SEVERAL WAYS INDIGENOUS PEOPLES ARE CURRENTLY HELPING THE WORLD COMBAT CLIMATE CHANGE. THE FOOD AND AGRICULTURE ORGANIZATION OF THE UNITED NATIONS PUBLISHED A PAPER WHICH LISTS SEVERAL WAYS INDIGENOUS PEOPLES ARE HELPING REDUCE HUNGER WORLDWIDE. THROUGHOUT THE CENTURIES, INDIGENOUS PEOPLE HAVE DEVELOPED AGRICULTURAL TECHNIQUES THAT ARE ADAPTED TO EXTREME ENVIRONMENTS, LIKE THE HIGH ALTITUDES OF THE ANDES, THE DRY GRASSLANDS OF KENYA OR THE EXTREME COLD OF THE ARTIC. THESE TIME-TESTED TECHNIQUES, LIKE TERRACING TO PREVENT SOIL EROSION, FLOATING GARDENS THAT MAKE USE OF FLOODED FIELDS, AND SELECTIVE AGRONOMIC PROGRAMS WHICH ALLOWED THEM TO DEVELOP PLANT SPECIES THAT WERE BETTER SUITED FOR INCREASING INTENSE WEATHER EVENTS AND TEMPERATURES, RESULTING FROM CLIMATE CHANGE.
INDIGENOUS PEOPLES SEE THEMSELVES AS CONNECTED TO NATURE AND A PART OF THE NATURAL WORLD IN WHICH THEY LIVE. NATURAL RESOURCES ARE CONSIDERED SHARED PROPERTY AND RESPECTED AS SUCH. LIVING IN BALANCE AND PROTECTING RESOURCES LIKE FORESTS, GRASSLANDS, LAKES AND RIVERS HELP MITIGATE CHANGING CLIMATIC CONDITIONS. EIGHTY PERCENT OF ALL LIVING ORGANISMS ON PLANET EARTH REQUIRE FOREST ECOSYSTEMS FOR THE SUSTENANCE OF LIFE. DOMINATE SOCIETY CONTINUES TO DEFORESTS AT AN UNSUSTAINABLE RATE, AS WE CONTINUE TO MANAGE OUR REMINING FOREST COVER FOR THE RESOURCES THEY CAN PROVIDE, RATHER THAN THE CRITICAL LIFE SUSTAINING ELEMENTS PROVIDED BY NATURE. WITH THREE QUARTERS OF OUR FORESTED LAND BASE GONE, WE MUST ADJUST OUR MANAGEMENT GOALS. THE IRONIC THING IS, DEFORESTATION EFFECTS CLIMATE-CHANGE AS MUCH AS FOSSIL FUEL CONSUMPTION.
CURRENTLY, THE WORLD’S POPULATION RELIES UPON A VERY LIMITED LIST OF STAPLE CROPS; SUCH AS WHEAT, RICE, POTATOES AND CORN. INDIGENOUS PEOPLE HAVE RELIED UPON AN EXPANDED FOOD BASE, WHICH COULD HELP HUMANITY EXPAND ITS NARROW FOOD BASE. EXPANDING OUR FOOD BASE CAN PROVIDE FOOD SUPPLIES THAT ARE ABLE TO ADAPT TO MORE EXTREME CLIMATE CONDITIONS. WITH THE CHANGING CLIMATIC CONDITIONS, FINDING NEW AND BROADER FOOD SOURCES WILL BE ESSENTIAL. WE MUST FIND FOOD SOURCES THAT ARE MORE RESISTANT TO DROUGHT, WARMER TEMPERATURES, FLOODING, CHANGING ATMOSPHERIC CONDITIONS AND OTHER EXTREME CHANGES. THE EXPANDING WORLD POPULATION WILL DOUBLE OUR DEMAND FOR FOOD SOURCES AND REQUIRE DIFFERENT FARMING TECHNIQUES THAT REDUCE THE ADVERSE IMPACTS ON THE NATURAL WORLD. POPULATION EXPANSION AND URBANIZATION WILL ELEVATE THE IMPORTANCE OF A HEALTHY FARMING ENVIRONMENT TO PROVIDE THE REQUIRED FOOD SUPPLY. INCREASING POPULATION DENSITY AND URBANIZATION NECESSITATES AN INCREASED DEMAND FOR RURAL FARMING TO PROVIDE THE REQUIRED VOLUME OF FOOD. EXPANDING OUR FOOD BASE CAN ASSIST FARMING IN MAINTAINING A RESILIENT FUTURE. ACTIVITIES SUCH AS URBAN GARDENING AND SMALL TRUCK FARMING HAVE TO BECOME COMMON SOURCES FOR FOOD, AS URBANIZATION CONTINUES TO SPREAD.
I HAVE PREVIOUSLY POINTED OUT THAT, “THE EXTENT OF DIVERSITY IS THE MEASURE OF PERFECTION”. RECENT REPORTS TELL US THAT INDIGENOUS TERRITORIES CONTAIN EIGHTY PERCENT OF THE REMINING WORLD’S BIODIVERSITY. MAINTAINING DIVERSITY IS ESSENTIAL IF WE HOPE TO PRESERVE FUTURE FOOD SECURITY AND EXPAND OUR FOOD BASE. INDIGENOUS PEOPLES LIVING AS A PART OF NATURE, HAVE DEVELOPED THE WISDOM REQUIRED TO SUSTAIN AND PRESERVE THE DIVERSITY OF PLANTS AND ANIMALS AND THE ECOSYSTEMS THEY LIVE WITHIN. YES, INDIGENOUS PEOPLES HAVE THE WISDOM AND RESPECT OF NATURE THAT ALLOWS THEM TO LIVE AS A PART OF THE NATURAL WORLD, A LIFE-STYLE THAT CAN OFFER OPPORTUNITIES TO PROLONG HUMANITY’S FUTURE!
THE PROBLEM IS THAT AS TIME PROGRESSES, THESE INDIGENOUS TRADITIONAL KNOWLEDGE'S ARE SLOWLY DISAPPEARING. THEIR YOUTH, LIKE THE REST OF THE POPULATION, ARE BEING BOMBARDED BY COMPUTERS, SMART PHONES, SOCIAL MEDIA AND ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY; WHILE PULLING THEM AWAY FROM THE WISDOM OF THEIR FOREFATHERS. STAYING IN TOUCH WITH NATURE AND FOLLOWING THE WAYS OF THEIR ANCESTORS IS BEING REPLACED BY THESE MODERN-DAY COMMUNICATION TOOLS. IT IS ALSO TRUE, THAT MANY OF THE ELDERS ARE SOMEWHAT RELUCTANT TO SHARE THEIR KNOWLEDGE AND WISDOM WITH DOMINATE SOCIETY FOR FEAR OF MISUSE OR MISUNDERSTANDING. MANY OF THEIR WAYS ARE CONSIDERED TO BE OF A SPIRITUAL NATURE AND MAY NOT BE PROPERLY UNDERSTOOD YET, THEIR WISDOM IS ESSENTIAL FOR THE FUTURE SUSTENANCE OF HUMANITY.
WE MUST FIND WAYS TO TEAR DOWN THE BARRIERS, JOIN HANDS AS BROTHERS AND SISTERS, TO FIND SOLUTIONS TO PROLONGING LIFE, AS THE NATURAL WORLD CONTINUES TO SHRINK. IF WE LOSE THE KNOWLEDGE AND WISDOM OF OUR INDIGENOUS PEOPLE, THE TASK MAY BE UNOBTAINABLE! SCIENTIFIC INTELLIGENCE AND ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY WILL ONLY EXACERBATE THE PROBLEMS, AS THESE ADVANCEMENTS TEND TO ACCELERATE THE DAMAGE TO THE NATURAL WORLD. IT IS THE ELEMENTS PROVIDED ONLY BY THE NATURAL WORLD THAT WILL SUSTAIN FUTURE LIFE! OUR FUTURE REQUIRES ADJUSTING OUR LIFE-STYLES TO LIVE IN BALANCE WITH WHAT REMAINS OF THE NATURAL WORLD! THE TRADITIONAL KNOWLEDGES OF OUR INDIGENOUS PEOPLES MUST BE SHARED AND PRESERVED. DOMINATE SOCIETY MUST LEARN THE WAYS OF BALANCE AND REPLACE THE CURRENT FOCUS OF GREED AND INDIVIDUALISM! THE ECOSYSTEMS OF OUR FORESTS, PRAIRIES, OCEANS, LAKES, RIVERS AND ATMOSPHERE MUST BECOME SACRED TO HUMANITY WORLDWIDE. FUTURE GENERATIONS ARE DEMANDING US TO CHANGE, SO THEY TOO MAY LIVE A DESIRABLE LIFE ON THIS MAGICAL PLANET. WITH A LITTLE EFFORT, WE CAN PASS ON THE BENEFITS OF CREATION! EARTH DOES NOT BELONG TO MANKIND; WE BELONG TO EARTH! COULD THE NATURAL WORLD BE THE GARDEN OF EDEN?
