INTEGRATING TRADITIONAL ECOLOGICAL

KNOWLEDGE INTO WESTERN SCIENCE BASED

ENVIRONMENTAL TECHNOLOGY

CURRICULUM – AN EXAMINATION

By

CAROL A. G. ANDREWS

Integrated Studies Project

submitted to Dr. Leanne Simpson

in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of

Master of Arts – Integrated Studies

Athabasca, Alberta

June, 2012

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Abstract

Indigenous knowledge is as complex as Western knowledge. In light of the growing recognition

by many that our natural landscapes have been poorly managed and in some cases permanently

altered with the loss of species and habitat, the value in thousands of years of environmental

knowledge and intimate understanding of the environment is gaining appreciation by the

dominant culture. The potential for integration of Western Scientific Knowledge and Traditional

Ecological Knowledge in the curriculum of the School of Environment and Geomatics at Selkirk

College, Castlegar B.C., is examined. Moving forward from this examination is not without its

challenges which are connected to place, history, collaboration, investigation and the need to

develop long term, sustainable relationships with Indigenous knowledge holders. Assumptions

must be investigated. This learning may have the potential for strengthening the diversity of

thought that is required to come up with new and innovative solutions to some of our most

important environmental issues. It may also assist a whole new generation of environmental

technologists in understanding the value in examining environmental problems within a cultural

framework that incorporates human values.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

ABSTRACT .............................................................................................................................................................. 1

INTRODUCTION ..................................................................................................................................................... 3

POSTCOLONIAL THEORY ........................................................................................................................................ 6

BACKGROUND ....................................................................................................................................................... 8

PLACE AND THE ORIGINAL PEOPLE ...................................................................................................................... 11

CURRICULUM ....................................................................................................................................................... 15

WESTERN MODERN SCIENCE ............................................................................................................................... 17

TRADITIONAL ECOLOGICAL KNOWLEDGE ............................................................................................................ 20

INTEGRATING TEK TO NATURAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT PROGRAMS ............................................................ 22

CONCLUSION ....................................................................................................................................................... 25

WORKS CITED ...................................................................................................................................................... 29

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INTRODUCTION

Environmental issues dominate social, cultural and political discourse. There is great attention

paid to the impact of human activity on the environment and concern continues to grow amongst

the global community. In an environmental technology program at a small community college in

the Southern Interior of British Columbia, administration and staff have recently recognized the

importance and relevance of integrating Indigenous knowledge into the current environmental

education curriculum. The School of Environment and Geomatics is interested in developing a

frame of mind within its educators and learners that is characterised by respect, diversity of

knowledge, and innovation. Enhancing the current curriculum by including Indigenous

knowledge, offers a way to support goals associated with local, national and global

sustainability.

The School of Environment and Geomatics (SEG) at Selkirk College, Castlegar, includes three,

two year environmental technology programs, plus an advanced diploma in GIS (Geographic

Information Systems), and a Bachelor of GIS. The school trains environmental technologists

with specialties in forestry, fish, wildlife, recreation, and integrated environmental planning.

Part of the responsibility of instructors in these programs is to help students critically analyse and

question the assumptions we hold regarding the nature of science and the practices associated

with environmental management. Students are taught that there is an “art and science” to

understanding and sustainably caring for the environment. There is easy access to and great use

made of western science based knowledge regarding the environment, for example in the ways in

which ecosystems function. There has been little discourse on the exploration of the “art” of

understanding and making decisions about the environment. It has been suggested that it may be

beneficial for the curriculum to include a cultural framework for environmental problem solving

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that incorporates a more holistic approach. This would involve an initiative that revitalizes the

current curriculum, moving it forward into a new direction that reflects a postcolonial position.

As a starting point for this revision, the School would like to begin the process of thoroughly

examining a respectful way of understanding Indigenous knowledge as a knowledge system,

then moving forward to the possible integration of Traditional Ecological Knowledge into the

current curriculum.

The present curriculum pays some attention to the history of Aboriginal people in Canada and

more specifically British Columbia, but has been confined to a single course (ENVR 250

Aboriginal Peoples and Environmental Management) that is offered as a common core course in

two of the three technology programs. This class examines various aboriginal cultures, languages

and pre and post contact histories. The course also examines current issues facing aboriginal

groups including legal challenges, social conditions, treaty processes, consultation activities,

capacity building and protection of traditional lands and rights (Janzen, ENVR Course Outline).

The current program curriculum is very much based on western scientific knowledge with an

emphasis on long term sustainability of land and all its resources. Instruction is generally based

on the typical linear approach to understanding natural systems even though most of the systems

that are examined are complex cycles of energy exchanges and relationships. This incongruent

pedagogy has been seen as an impediment to deeper understanding of land based systems.

Traditional Ecological Knowledge is increasingly being sought by academics, scientists, and

policymakers as “a potential source of ideas for emerging models of ecosystem management,

conservation biology, and ecological restoration” (Kimmerer, p.432). It has been recognized as

complementary and equivalent to scientific knowledge.

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In light of the growing recognition by many that our natural landscapes have been inadequately

managed and in some cases permanently altered with the loss of species and habitat, the value in

thousands of years of environmental knowledge and intimate understanding of the environment

is gaining appreciation by the dominant culture. Environmental technologists have a significant

role to play in discovering solutions to the environmental issues facing British Columbia, North

America and the global community. There is a need to reassess how we approach these

challenges and the skills we offer our young people to deal with them.

First Nations communities throughout British Columbia continue to take more control over the

resources connected to their traditional lands. The School of Environment and Geomatics trains

environmental technologists and understands the importance of offering education and

experience that will assist learners in creating open, sensitive, and knowledgeable

communication with First Nations people as they work together to meet the various goals of

environmental sustainability. An introduction to understanding traditional teachings and

practices can not only offer important biological insights but could provide a cultural framework

for environmental problem solving that incorporates human values. To this end the curriculum is

in need of renewal.

Indigenous students are underrepresented in the School of Environment and Geomatics. If a

renewed curriculum can promote cross cultural values and practices, as well as teach Indigenous

knowledge in a culturally responsive way, there may be an increased interest in the

environmental technology program by Indigenous students. This may also help to reduce the

experience of marginalization and alienation by aboriginal students enrolled in the environmental

technology program.

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This paper will explore the ways in which the School of Environment and Geomatics can

integrate TEK into its environmental technology curriculum. The paper will investigate current

research that has been carried out on the connections between TEK and western science and how

other educational programs have attempted to revise curriculum in a way that offers a

decolonized way of teaching and learning.

This paper will assess the potential integration of Western Scientific Knowledge and Traditional

Ecological Knowledge for the curriculum of the School of Environment and Geomatics. This

undertaking is not without its challenges, but an attempt to substantiate an interpretation of TEK

and western science will be reinforced by exploring the epistemological and ontological

underpinnings of western science and TEK.

POSTCOLONIAL THEORY

Postcolonial theory explores the way in which we view the world, nature, place,

and space, based on the interpretation of these entities through the eyes of the colonizer

and the colonized. What was written how it was written and who wrote the literature that

described first contact, had a great influence on how the ideologies of nature, culture, and

nations were formulated in the minds and in the policy of the colonizers and for those who

were colonized. This theory focuses particularly on the way in which literature by the

colonizing culture tended to distort the experience and realities, and inscribe inferiority of

the colonized people. The language, images, scenes, and traditions of the colonized peoples

assisted in articulating their identity, but how these are expressed can shape a view from

the past, that persists to the present, and into the future. Postcolonial theory may also deal

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with the attempts by colonized peoples to articulate their identity and reclaim their past in

the face of that past's distortion of what was real (Lye, 1998). The current term

“decolonization” takes the historic issues surrounding colonization and analyzes the impact

of these issues that persist to this day in some indigenous cultures.

Postcolonial theory looks at the ways in which knowledge about indigenous

people was collected, classified and then represented in various ways back to the colonizer,

then through the eyes of the colonizer, back to the colonized (Smith, 1). The pursuit of

knowledge or research into the nature of the indigenous people’s present situation can only

be carried out after a reflection of the ideology of the ones who collected the research in

the first place. Research and colonization are intertwined and if one is to understand the

realities of the current situation (including land displacement) one must unravel the

questions such as; whose interest did the knowledge gathered serve, who benefited from

the knowledge, who owned the knowledge? The language, images, scenes, traditions,

were written with a certain ideological perspective, and this perspective persists even today

in the examination of indigenous claims to land, self determination, survival of language,

and access to natural resources. Bruce Braun describes the travels and writings of George

Mercer Dawson, who, while working for the Geological Survey of Canada on British

Columbia’s west coast in 1870’s and 1880’s, created journals and reports that were on the

one hand some of the best geological and ethnological studies of their time, and on the

other hand acted as an instrument of the sovereign powers of the time. His documents

were the basis for future national development (Braun, 48).

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There are often two sides to postcolonial theory and how it can be interpreted.

This depends on who is using it. If you are a non native person, you can use the theory to

understand the basis for many of our preconceived notions of entitlement, land distribution,

policy and politics. If a researcher wanted to uncover the meaning behind our social,

political order, they would need to look closely at the origins of these institutions. In the

case of B.C. , we would need to look no further than the British Empire, for by the time the

British sent envoys to survey British Columbia, they had much experience in other

countries where they had subdued cultures and instituted British ideology into everything

from education to geological surveying, to a system of parliamentary government.

Indigenous people are interested in postcolonial theory as a way of explaining and

understanding the underlying assumptions, motivations and values which were part of the

research practices used in early contact and how these practices shaped indigenous

language, culture and knowledge. For those indigenous people looking at a “decolonizing”

process, they must engage in the realities of imperialism and colonialism at multiple levels

(Smith, 20).

BACKGROUND

Indigenous knowledge, combined with western science, is recognized as a legitimate way to

understand the physical world (Aikenhead, p. 329). New courses, programs and curriculum

materials that reflect a postcolonial approach to science education are emerging all over the

globe. If one of the responsibilities of educators is to help students critically analyse and

question the assumptions we have regarding the nature of science, a revitalised curriculum that

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challenges the dominance of Western knowledge may offer alternative perspectives and insights

into some of the complex issues associated with environmental sustainability.

Incorporating TEK into the current environmental programs at Selkirk College could provide a

significant shift in the pedagogy of the school. Not only would students become better prepared

to participate in environmental issues requiring First Nation consultation, but this knowledge

would deepen their awareness and understanding of aboriginal cultures. By introducing TEK to

our environmental programs, students would be much better equipped to examine ecological

problems from a more holistic and thoughtful framework. Re-examining the cultural

assumptions underlying an instructor’s own view of science and exposing students to a body of

knowledge that connects the environment to human values could begin a process of deep

learning by both instructors and students. This learning could strengthen the diversity of thought

that is required to come up with new and innovative solutions to some important environmental

issues.

The curriculum renewal process requires much collaboration and investigation and must be

carried out with sensitivity and respect. The approach, processes and content of a revitalized

curriculum that expresses a balance between modern science and the connections between

human interaction and the natural world must be carried out after much consideration of

Indigenous worldviews, philosophies, values, methodologies, ontologies, and epistemologies.

Taking elements of Indigenous knowledge out of context, in other words, exploiting Indigenous

knowledge needs to be avoided (Battiste, p. 87)

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In British Columbia, issues associated with sustainable development, resource management,

ecological restoration, and resource extraction, all require extensive consultation with First

Nations. Various government agencies connected to the environment (forestry, fisheries,

agriculture, water) have policies that identify the legal requirement to consult with First Nations.

At present, there are a number of environmental projects planned in this province that will

require comprehensive consultation with First Nations. The legitimacy and effectiveness of

these consultations is continuously being questioned. The knowledge gap between First Nations

and resource agencies is clear. If a process of beginning to understand Indigenous values can

happen while attending school, the graduates from our program may be able to have more

effective and meaningful relationships when they begin their careers as environmental

technologists.

Students who choose to take programs within SEG cross the spectrum of age, interests, ethnic

background, and gender. Instructors have recognized that in recent years many of these young

people are drawn towards the teachings and practices of indigenous cultures. Students have

asked for the opportunity to learn about aboriginal connections to the environment and

traditional knowledge. In a recent question on an ENVR 200, midterm exam, students were

asked the following question:

“Various First Nations groups are already involved in the management of natural resources such

as fish, wildlife, outdoor recreation and timber production. The way things are developing, it

seems that this involvement is likely to expand during your careers. This would likely mean that

you could be working directly with an aboriginal person or be frequently in contact with

aboriginal groups. From your perspective, what are some of the positive feelings you have about

this?”

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Several of their responses are offered below:

Aboriginal people may take a more sustainable approach to resource management.

Aboriginals have a strong voice which can help protect the natural environment

Hopefully they have a better understanding of natural values than non-aboriginal groups

Aboriginal involvement needs to happen to move away from the past

Would help to develop innovative management techniques that use traditional knowledge

They can help us see hidden values in our forests

Aboriginals have a right to have a say what happens to the land.

The world view held by some elders of gradual progression and strong ties to the past is

very valuable for everyone.

(Janzen, ENVR 250 Midterm Question and Response)

These responses were indicative of the value that students place on indigenous knowledge, and

the connections between aboriginal people and the environment.

PLACE AND THE ORIGINAL PEOPLE

The West Kootenay region of British Columbia has a very unique climate and topography. Large

rivers and lakes occur in a mostly north-south alignment and the steep valleys are surrounded by

rugged mountain ranges. Selkirk College, Castlegar campus lies at the confluence of the great

Columbia and Kootenay rivers and is named for the Selkirk Mountains, which surround it.

Selkirk College is the oldest regional college in the province of British Columbia, and was

created as a result of a grassroots community effort to bring post secondary education to a rural

region. The school opened in 1966. (Selkirk College Website)

One of the technology programs within the School of Environment and Geomatics, Forest

Technology, has been offered at Selkirk College since the College opened. It was the first forest

technology school in British Columbia and has from its inception, emphasized an ecological

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approach to forestry education. The forestry program as well as the other two main programs in

the School of Environment and Geomatics; Recreation, Fish, Wildlife, and Integrated

Environmental Planning, offer over half of the student’s educational time outdoors in the forests

and mountains surrounding the College. The College manages a 600 hectare Woodlot, a 200

hectare educational forest, and the College itself sits on about 90 hectares of forested and open

grass land (Selkirk College Website).

The area was settled by non natives in the early 19th Century when mining and then forestry

interests came to the region. In the early 20th Century, the Doukhobors, a pacifist group that was

expelled from Russia immigrated to this valley. Pre and post contact, the Sinixt, or Lakes

People continued a hunter-fisher-gatherer lifestyle that had been practiced for millennia.

Although the Sinixt shared traits with other B.C. Interior Salish people, their language, and

culture were distinct. The Ktunaxa to the east, the Okanagan to the West, and the Shuswap to

the north, overlapped the territory but it is the Sinixt that traditionally lived year round in this

region (Delehanty Pearkes, p.11). Life was successful for the Sinixt, who lived along, and

travelled up and down the rivers and lakes of this territory. They relied on the plentiful salmon

in the great Columbia River and its tributaries; the Slocan, Pend Orielle, and Kootenay rivers.

They hunted game and collected plant foods; enough to carry them through the long cold

winters. The Sinixt territory and the resources within their territory offered them a way of life

that, while not without struggles, gave them the means to survive and flourish.

The Sinixt travelled north and south along the Columbia River, unimpeded by borders from

approximately Colville, Washington to present day Revelstoke, B.C.. A combination of events

changed this way of life forever starting with early white settlement. As with many others

indigenous populations, the Sinixt population was decimated by small pox, measles and

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influenza. The substantial decrease in population made it much more difficult to carry out

traditional fishing, hunting and gathering expeditions. When the Oregon Treaty was signed, the

border between Canada and the USA effectively split the Sinixt traditional territory into two

political realms. Movement across the border was now monitored and discouraged (Delehanty

Pearkes, p. 14,15).

The building of the Grand Coulee Dam in 1944,on the Columbia River in Washington, USA,

and after that the many other dams that harnessed the powers of the Kootenay and Pend Oreille,

effectively ended the salmon fishery on the Columbia and its tributaries. This created a

significant cultural change in the diet and lifestyle of the Sinixt. As a result, the Sinixt were

encouraged to settle in the territory south of the border near Colville, Washington because the

USA government established a reserve there for the Lakes people. Canada, on the other hand

delayed this process until most of the Sinixt settled south of the border. During the initial studies

for the Columbia River Treaty, the Canadian government declared the Sinixt extinct. This was an

effective way to avoid land claim issues during the treaty process, and even though a small

number of Sinixt protested the takeover of their traditional lands their voices were effectively

ignored. Most of the ethnographers of the day suggested that the Sinixt were not a unique

cultural group, but were somehow integrated with tribes to the east, west and south. The

combination of displacement, cultural change, and mandatory settlement effectively dispersed a

culture from its origins. Anthropologists, ethnobiologists, and archaeologists didn’t really get a

chance to study and investigate the Sinixt people. Their culture was supposedly lost before it

could be accurately recorded (Delehanty Pearkes, p.21).

In 1989, when an ancient burial ground was discovered by road builders in the Slocan Valley, the

Sinixt re-appeared, and their stories, traditions and culture were introduced once again to the

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region where they once called home. Since that discovery there has been renewed interest in the

Sinixt culture and their rightful claim to be the first people of this region. It has been discovered

that many Sinixt people continued to live near Colville, Washington, and many of them have

preserved their traditional ways through the teachings passed on to them by their elders. When

the Sinixt elders returned to the Slocan Valley it began the re-emergence of a social memory.

The discovery of the archaeological site motivated the people’s desire to protect the gravesites.

With this came the renewal of interest in the reasons why the Sinixt left this area in the first

place, and what this region meant to their culture. They have re-identified with this land but

more importantly they have discovered a deep desire to further understand their sense of

environmental, cultural, and spiritual place. The Sinixt are re-establishing a lost identity, and are

in the process of trying to put their world back into its proper order (Pryce, p.9).

The process will involve many investigations, not the least of which will be the relationship

between the Sinixt and the resources within their traditional territory. These resources offered

them a way of life that made them a distinct, autonomous, secure and strong people. If thely

choose to share their knowledge with the dominant culture it may be an important step in

creating a more informed understanding within the aboriginal and non aboriginal community.

The Sinixt culture is rich. It is as distinct as the environment from which it developed in.

Selkirk College is situated on the traditional grounds of the Sinixt and it is for this reason as well

as many others that the College needs to examine the connections between the institution and the

original people.

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CURRICULUM

The processes that create curriculum are far reaching and complex. Curriculum represents the

knowledge, skill and values of society and has a specific goals, and outcomes. It is much more

than the design of a course outline that states learning outcomes and indicators. Curriculum is

deliberate and contains ideological and cultural forces that are expressed within the teaching and

learning. Selkirk College, and specifically the School of Environment and Geomatics, has

created curriculum over the past 40 years that is the sum of its history, experience, activities,

policies, and practices, of employers, the institution and faculty members. Curriculum has been

constructed through formal and the informal processes. It has been intentional and unintentional.

Each faculty member brings with them their own cultural practice as well, that is beliefs, values

and meanings which influence learner’s sense of the knowledge provided.

The current programs within the School of Environment and Geomatics are based on the

foundations of western scientific knowledge and the present curriculum offers little exposure to

the values attached to Traditional Ecological Knowledge of the Sinixt or any other first nations

group connected to this region.

The curriculum for all programs within the School of Environment and Geomatics is developed

in part by consultation with a Program Advisory Committee (PAC). The PAC membership

includes local representatives who hire students and or people who have expertise in the skills

connected to various environmental technologies. Many members are past graduates.

Organizations having representatives on the committees include: government, industry, and

consultants. The PAC meets regularly, and their feedback often results in changes to the

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program. Over the past few years, PAC membership has been stressing the importance of

providing our students with the knowledge and skills to work and communicate effectively with

First Nations. The PAC does not have any representation from local First Nations. It is

important to invite local First Nations representatives to join this advisory committee in the

future.

The College has recently built an Aboriginal Gathering Place; a space which is dedicated to the

promotion of aboriginal culture, tradition and ceremony; an environment that is welcoming and

relevant to aboriginal students (Selkirk College website). This initiative, along with the directive

offered by PAC members, as well as faculty interest, has prompted SEG to look at a revision of

curriculum at this time.

Curriculum renewal or reform has many challenges especially if the changes are to include

recognition of indigenous knowledge as foundational to an environmental program. The

challenge for SEG will be to first acknowledge the dominance of western science in our

curriculum, and understand how it influences our assumptions, motivations and values which

become part of what and how we teach.

Curriculum reform initiatives attempting to offer alternative perspectives to the dominant

Western Eurocentrism requires an understanding that curriculum is a cultural practice where

beliefs, values and meaning are drawn upon to make sense of the world (Kanu, p. 4). To begin

the exercise of introducing TEK into the programs there will first have to be an examination of

curriculum as a cultural practice. Is there Western Eurocentric prejudice at the core of SEG

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curriculum? If this is true, will there be acceptance that proposed changes be made? Will

instructors be willing to learn how to identify this prejudice in their individual courses and

follow up by making changes to curriculum? Can all of this be done without alienating teachers,

learners, or the knowledge keepers? The process of reform includes deep and meaningful

consultation within and outside the School.

WESTERN MODERN SCIENCE

Conventional science, based on western history, culture, and practice relies on a linear process of

cause and effect, and if the causes can be measured in the natural world, and some understanding

gained, Western scientists feel confident in making predictions about what may happen in the

future. Society has traditionally put much faith in this process. This process results in

knowledge being gained, techniques acquired and values inferred. This is how the students in

SEG are taught and how they are expected to behave and believe.

We have seen the results of our inability to apply linear approaches to natural systems that are

complex cycles of energy exchanges and relationships in such things as the loss of species and

habitats and entire ecosystems (Freeman, 1992).

The post-colonial world is rich with diversity of culture and values, and ways of knowing

(Aikenhead, p. 326). There has been a growing interest over the past decade or more by

academics, agency scientists, and policymakers in TEK “…as a potential source of ideas for

emerging models of ecosystem management, conservation biology, and ecological restoration. It

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has been recognized as complementary and equivalent to scientific knowledge (Kimmerer, p.

432).

Western science has not failed in understanding the complexities of natural ecosystems, but

there has been a deficiency or gap in connecting the natural world with the cultural context in

which it exists. This deficiency is just beginning to be realized.

Western science developed historically within an increasingly secular and

materialistic culture without spiritual, reciprocal obligations to the natural world

and views nature as without spirit. It is reductionist, not holistic. It is linear,

not circular. It is product more than process. Nature is divided into its

component parts in order to gain a large measure of control for technological

innovations and development as well as for the verification or falsification of

hypotheses through replicable empirical experiments for predictions of natural

phenomena in short intervals of time and space (Tweedie, 2008).

.

Western modern science has dominated our view of the natural world and more specifically has

typically placed humans quite apart from nature. For the past six or seven decades, science has

been moving at an incredible speed to support industrial progress and extraction technology.

Scientists have been working in a socio- economic and political climate that promotes expansion

and growth. Entire populations have grown up believing that there were no limits to what we can

take from the earth. We live in a paradigm that was created by socio- economic, cultural and

scientific ideologies. The philosophical assumptions that underscore Western Science include the

notion that progress is good and growth should be aspired to. As long as we appear to

understand how nature works, we can manipulate it to our advantage. These assumptions, based

on ideologies have produced serious threats to environmental sustainability (climate change,

resource depletion, ecosystem destruction, species and habitat loss). The credibility of the

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scientific theory as well as the scientific research, and the policies in place in various nations

around the world has been rarely questioned. Now, as we become aware of new information we

must consider re-evaluating what we once held to be fact. The new information means that we

are readjusting the way we see the world and how we contribute to the problem.

Of all the systems that Western science has proclaimed to understand, the ecological systems are

by far the most complex.

The adoption of a single mode of thinking based on a materialistic view of

nature has contributed to serious environmental degradation.

The complex issues of environmental sustainability require

a diversity of intellectual approaches and can benefit from a

thoughtful consideration and incorporation of traditional ecological

knowledge. Traditional knowledge represents an intellectual tradition

of generating, validating, and interpreting information about

relationships in the natural world. As such, it is of intrinsic

value to scientists. However, this extensive body of knowledge

has great applied value as well (Kimmerer, p.434 ).

Defenders of TEK based resource management and environmental education rarely agree on

how it should be implemented or even the appropriateness of using the knowledge of others

which is based on conditions in the past (Read et.al. p. 7). But most agree that there is much to

be restored in the way we view the environment and educate students about the environment.

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TRADITIONAL ECOLOGICAL KNOWLEDGE

Menzies describes TEK as “cumulative and long term, dynamic, historical, local, holistic,

embedded, and moral and spiritual… a specifically indigenous form of knowledge (that is based

on) several centuries of accumulated knowledge… not static or unchanging….adapt(ive) to

change and incorporates contemporary information and technology…(with) knowledge of past

and present” (Menzies, p.8).

TEK is cumulative and dynamic because it is multigenerational and offers a perspective of nature

that reflects the impact of colonialism and industrial development. As such it is an important

baseline indicator that predates modern scientific study. This baseline data can give us important

information on species abundance and the impact of pollution and resource extraction so that we

can critically identify the effects of environmental change over time (Menzies, p. 9). It must be

remembered that aboriginal people were actively involved in managing the boreal and other

regions long before western science or industrial development came along (Suzuki, 2005).

Berkes describes TEK as “knowledge of the land….a fairly broad consideration of ecology, but

not broad enough to encompass all aspects of knowledge” (Berkes, p. 5).

TEK is very specific to the local ecosystems. Local ecological knowledge is based on the direct

dependence on local resources over long periods of time. The intimacy between nature and the

first inhabitants helped create an Indigenous wisdom. TEK based on observation, inference,

verification, and prediction results in a world view that is very different from the science based

world view.

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TEK is considered holistic in that nature is viewed as interconnected. Indigenous thinking does

not separate spirit and matter, and is never static. TEK reflects the multiple relationships

between humans and nature and includes the reciprocal obligations between humans and the

natural world. TEK is relationship centered (Tweedie, 2008). This is a fundamental difference

between western science and TEK.

A holistic approach to resource management is a result, in part, by “a shift in interest in the

environmental ethos of First Nations from objects of anthropological study to sources of insight

and guidance in the design of new environmental management approaches” (Hawley, et al,p.37).

The inclusion of TEK could very well become a major contributor to solutions of environmental

issues both locally and globally if it is recognized as a legitimate way to view the connections

between humans and nature.

TEK is very much based on unique local culture, history and traditions, and it is important to

realize that the experiences in one environment will be different from the next. Traditional

territories and the cultural practices connected to land vary greatly from First Nation to First

Nation. Locality is an important starting point in understanding TEK. Common to most

aboriginal traditions is the moral and spiritual relationship between people and their

environment. The first people relied on the environment for survival but there was also a

spiritual and moral obligation to nature that was all part of the connections between humans and

nature (Menzies, p. 10).

Integration of Indigenous knowledge into SEC curriculum will be based on local experience,

tradition, history and culture provided by local knowledge holders.

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INTEGRATING TEK TO NATURAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT PROGRAMS

Indigenous students are increasingly looking for training in forestry and other environmental

technologies from programs at established colleges or universities. For the most part, these

programs offer scientific perspectives that may not be compatible with their own knowledge

systems and may in fact inhibit the search for local knowledge within the Indigenous community

(Battiste, p. 269). The value of designing an environmental technology curriculum that includes

local ecological knowledge is that it may facilitate mutual respect, knowledge seeking and

sharing for first nations and non aboriginal peoples.

Understanding indigenous knowledge brings with it the question of bridging knowledge

systems. Attempts at integration inevitable come up against the questions of power

sharing and decision making…..the use of indigenous knowledge can provide both

empowerment for local peoples and improvement of the knowledge base for decision

making…. Perhaps the most useful way to think about indigenous knowledge is that it is

complementary to Western scientific knowledge and not a replacement for it (Berkes, p.

270).

A thorough examination of course learning objectives and outcomes within SEG must be

undertaken and analyzed for the overt or covert expression of Western Eurocentrism. This

examination can only be completed after faculty are trained to identify these values. At the

University of Victoria, a major professional development project has been designed to help

teachers understand what Indigenous knowledge is and offers them classroom support

(Aikenhead, p. 328). Something similar to this would assist the instructors at Selkirk College.

Learning Indigenous knowledge from place will come from spending time with local elders,

knowledge holders and traditional land users. Potential challenges to starting this process may

include the acceptance of this undertaking as a legitimate initiative, but within SEG there has

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already been a strong indication by instructors that they are ready and willing to try. Shifting

perspectives is a complex task.

Gathering and understanding the local First Nations’ perspective will require an extensive

literature review as well as the inclusion of various participants that hold the traditional

knowledge. This process will also have its challenges in that there are several First Nation

groups that claim this region as traditional territory. The College is has been working towards

providing the physical space (Aboriginal Gathering Place) and administrative support through its

strategic priority of enhancing services to Aboriginal learners. Bringing together all concerned

groups to work towards this common goal will required much thoughtful processes.

The introduction of the wisdom of traditional knowledge and its value to students of

environmental technology will most likely have its critics. There will have to be a creative

approach to the introduction that is sensitive to the presentation of the information as well as the

relevancy of the content to students who are mostly non aboriginal. TEK is based on local

knowledge, but only a few of our graduates will find full time work in this particular part of the

province. Local knowledge, or knowledge from place should also include the importance of

understanding local First Nation knowledge in whatever community our students find themselves

and the need to spend time getting to know local indigenous knowledge and practice from the

knowledge holders.

This region of British Columbia is unique, in that there are relatively few First Nation people

living in the immediate area, and no reserves. Even though the Arrow Lakes or Sinixt Interior

Salish people were declared extinct in 1956, the Sinixt continued to live south of the Canada-

USA border and their historical use of the land in the West Kootenay region of British Columbia

P a g e | 24

was defended and preserved by them and a few academics and local residents. This group was

defined by its geography, history, language, and traditions that contributed to their unique ethnic

identity. Sinixt traditional territory, the steep mountains, the long narrow lakes, large rivers and

forest ecosystems are unlike any ecosystem that surrounds this geographic area. The natural

surroundings sustained the development of a distinctive culture rooted in the mountains, rivers,

lakes, vegetation, animals and climate and the Sinixt’s deep connection to nature was embodied

in their housing design, transportation, diet, clothing, tools, cooking methods, and healing

traditions (Delehanty Pearkes, p. 10).

The intimate relationship of the Sinixt to this land is the source for identifying local, culturally

relevant approaches, processes and content of curriculum and instruction. The appropriate

accompanying materials will be found here, in the local environment and from the local

Indigenous knowledge holders.

The majority of students within the School of Environment are non- aboriginal. The process of

introducing Traditional Ecological Knowledge into the curriculum must be done with cultural

sensitivity and at the same time provide relevant connections to the learning outcomes of the

program. SEG offers technology diplomas, and much of the learning is around developing skills

specific to the various environmental works that graduates hope to be involved with. Providing

the students with both the scientific and Indigenous ways of knowing could be foundational in

their deeper understanding of environmental issues. The ultimate goal is that not only will non-

aboriginal students benefit from this knowledge, but that a new curriculum incorporating TEK

will help nurture Indigenous students’ desire to strengthen their own intellectual and cultural

self-identity. Creating a culturally relevant program and a culturally responsive way of teaching

will build cultural bridges between Eurocentric science culture and local Indigenous culture.

P a g e | 25

Continuous collaboration with local indigenous communities and individuals will help create

land based culturally responsive curriculum. Engaging college personnel, local indigenous

educators experienced in indigenous history, culture, tradition, will help to create a cross cultural

pedagogy.

CONCLUSION

The science based world view and the traditional Aboriginal world view are both complex and

different. It has been acknowledged that Western prejudice is at the core of virtually all

education systems operating in the world today. The rethinking of curriculum is taking many

forms including: engaged differences, ecological diversity, and indigenous knowledges

(Kanu,p.3).

If environmental sustainability is a goal for creating and maintaining a healthy environment for

generations to come, it will require a new way of thinking of the world. The complexities of

nature and our ability to solve the environmental problems of today and into the future could be

aided by incorporating Traditional Ecological Knowledge into our environmental curriculum.

Resilience is the key to the preservation of cultures and the environment.

There is an urgency to find new and creative ways to solve the environmental issues that threaten

cultures, species and sustainable economic benefits. Many who have been fully indoctrinated

with the science-based world view are now convinced that a fundamental change in perspectives

is required to fully understand nature. It is becoming an imperative, now more than ever, to look

for explanations from a holistic view. The land, water, air, plants and animals are intrinsically

P a g e | 26

linked to people and culture, and it is this link that will help clarify, explore and understand the

connections so that more appropriate predictions can be made. Up until recently, Western

modern science rarely acknowledged the wealth of information derived from thousands of years

of knowledge, practice and beliefs firmly rooted in the landscape and a land based culture.

Indigenous knowledge systems are cumulative, long term, dynamic, historical, local, holistic,

and embedded with moral and spiritual information. Environmental educators who recognize the

value in this source of long term ecological information could offer their students a holistic

perspective of ecological systems.

TEK offers not only important biological

insights but a cultural framework for environmental

problem solving that incorporates human values.

Modern scientific knowledge, with its accompanying

worldview of human beings apart from and above the natural world, has been

extraordinarily successful in furthering human understanding and manipulation

of simpler systems. However, neither this worldview nor scientific knowledge

has been particularly successful when confronted with complex ecological

systems.... It is in this context that traditional ecological knowledge is of

significance (Kimmerer, p.434).

The benefits of incorporating TEK into the School of Environment and Geomatics, are

significant. Not only would students become better prepared to participate in environmental

issues requiring First Nation consultation, but this knowledge would deepen their awareness,

understanding and empathy of aboriginal cultures. By introducing TEK to the environmental

programs, students would be much better equipped to examine ecological problems from a more

holistic and thoughtful framework. Re-examining the cultural assumptions underlying their own

view of science and exposing students to a body of knowledge that connects the environment to

human values could begin a process of deep learning. This learning could strengthen the

P a g e | 27

diversity of thought that is required to come up with new and innovative solutions to some of our

most important environmental issues. If environmental sustainability is a goal for creating and

maintaining a healthy environment for generations to come, it will require a new way of thinking

of the world. The complexities of nature and our ability to solve the environmental problems

that exist today could be supported by incorporating Traditional Ecological Knowledge into our

environmental curriculum. This process must be done with sensitivity and respect and must not

detract from the power of science, or the legitimacy of the cultural connections and human

interaction with the natural world.

The current underrepresentation if Indigenous students in the School of Environment and

Geomatics is something the College would like to improve upon. If the College can provide

culturally responsive teachings, there may be more interest by Indigenous students to enroll in

our environmental programs.

Incomplete knowledge and lack of appreciation of the complexities of nature has limited our

ability to make sound, sustainable, and realistic decisions concerning some very important

environmental issues. The value of Indigenous knowledge in contributing to our understanding

and finding solutions to many of our ecological problems as well as socio economic challenges

cannot be understated.

Selkirk College could play a powerful role in the legitimization of Indigenous knowledge not

only within the institution, but also within the larger community. The College could help initiate

the conversations between diverse communities. Integrating Indigenous knowledge into the

P a g e | 28

School of Environment and Geomatics may be the first step in a larger role in our local

community by supporting and promoting courses, programs and curriculum that reflects a deeper

understanding of connections between humans and nature.

P a g e | 29

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