In a world where we are constantly told to look towards the future, we often forget where our origins come from. Origins are heavily valued and are constantly reminded in indigenous culture, especially in traditional storytelling. In this blog post, we will explore how Indigenous storytelling traditions can convey ecological wisdom, stewardship, and resilience in the face of environmental degradation and climate crises, offering valuable insights for sustainable living and environmental justice advocacy that have historically been undervalued and overlooked.
What Eurocentric Cultures Can Learn From Indigenous Storytelling
In recent years, environmental advocates have been focusing their attention on the spread and use of indigenous practices, realizing that several traditional techniques for growing food, controlling wildfires, or conserving endangered species can help slow down the decline caused by climate change. Such knowledge is starting to become known as Traditional Ecological Knowledge (abbreviated as TEK). According to an article by Jim Robbins, a writer at Yale Environment 360, “TEK is deep knowledge of a place that has been painstakingly discovered by those who have adapted to it over thousands of years.”
For example, while it is commonly known that birds would hunt mice and small creatures as they flee from wildfires, Indigenous people in northern Australia have stories containing TEK that suggest that some birds start these fires by dropping a burning branch in unburned places. In several areas in Vietnam or Okinawa, scientists would discover new, undiscovered species, only to find out that local Indigenous people have a name, and in some cases, stories and legends. This was the case of the Yanbaru Kuina, otherwise known as the Okinawa rail, where locals were eating them for many years prior to scientists discovering the species.
TEK is also deeply rooted in language through nouns, songs, proverbs, and stories that highlight ecological knowledge and behavioral norms; for example, the Tuvan people, indigenous to Siberia, according to environmental journalist Katarina Zimmer, “have limits and boundaries around the proper use of the environment” and “believe in not taking more than what they need.” The creation stories of the Blackfoot Tribe historically inhabiting the territory from the North Saskatchewan River to the Yellowstone River, upon research and close examination, have found that creation stories centered around the Creator Old Man, or Napi, have a close resemblance to the current scientific understanding of the glacial and settlement history of the Rocky Mountains. Other tribes also have similar stories that closely correlate with the Ice Age that explain the formation of glacial lakes.
Conclusion
Indigenous Language and Storytelling are incredibly rich with traditional ecological knowledge, otherwise abbreviated by TEK, that results from the close interaction of natural species and environments. Including information on wildfire management, native species, and glacial/settlement history, TEK demonstrates the value of learning and integrating indigenous wisdom with modern science. As many experts suggest, recognizing and respecting this knowledge is a crucial step toward fostering global environmental resilience and sustainability.
