ndigenous Knowledge That Are Taught and
Lesson 3:
I
racticed By Indigenous People
P
Indigenous Science and Technology ♥ Predicting weather conditions and
seasons using knowledge in observing
animals’ behavior and celestial bodies
♥ Using herbal medicine
Indigenous Knowledge ♥ Preserving foods
♥ I ndigenous knowledge is the unique ♥ Classifying plants and animals into families
knowledge confined to a particular culture and groups based on cultural properties
or society. ♥ Preserving and selecting good seeds for
♥ It refers to the understandings, skills and planting
philosophies developed by societies with ♥ Producing wines and juices from tropical
long histories of interaction with their fruits
natural surroundings. For rural and ♥ Keeping the custom of growing plants and
indigenous people. vegetables in the yard
♥ It is also known as:
♡
Local knowledge Indigenous Science
♡
Folk knowledge ♥ I ndigenous science (IS) relies upon direct
♡
People’s knowledge observation for forecasting and generating
♡
Traditional wisdom predictions; it’s power lies in its ability to
♡
Traditional science make connections and perceive patterns
across vast cycles of space and time.
ndigenous Knowledge System
I ♥ Indigenous scientists are trained in various
♥ Embedded in the daily life experience of specializations such as herbalism, weather
young children as they grow up. observations, mental health, and time
♥ Practiced by the members of the keeping, and there are tests to ensure IS
community validity.
♥ Parents and other folks served as the first ♥ Indigenous science uses science process
teachers and their methods of teaching are skills such as observing, comparing,
very effective in transmitting cultural classifying, measuring, problem solving,
knowledge in the mind of the children. inferring, communicating, and predicting.
♥ Lessons they learned are intimately
interwoven with their culture and the I ndigenous science is guided by culture and
environment community values such as the following:
♥ Lessons are comprised of good values and ♥ The land is the source of life. It is a
life stories of people on their daily precious gift from the creator
struggles ♥ All living and non-living things are
♥ Views about nature and their reflections interconnected and interdependent with
on their experiences in daily life are each other
evident in their stories, poems and songs. ♥ Human beings are stewards of the land
and other natural resources. They have a
responsibility to preserve it
♥ Nature is a friend to human beings – it
needs respect and proper care
♥ The Earth is revered as “Mother Earth.” It
is the origin of their identity as a people.
I ndigenous science is composed of traditional . Annedda tree
2
knowledge practices and valued by people ♥ The herbal medicine is used as an
and communities such as: instrument for pharmacological
♥ E thno-biology.The scientific study of the development.
way living things are treated or used by ♥ Indigenous people in North America
different human cultures. It studies the helped newcomers to cure scurvy
dynamic relationship between people, ♥ using conifer-needle tonics (Annedda tree)
biota, and environments, from the past to that were rich in vitamin C.
the present 3. Sambong Leaves
♥ E thno-medicine. The study of comparison ♥ Sambong is a traditional medicine as a
of traditional medicine based on bioactive treatment for fever, cough, headache, boils,
compounds in plants and animals and and abdominal pain.
practiced by various ethnic groups, ♥ It also treats urinary tract infections and
especially those with little access to reduce high blood pressure.
western medicines. 4. Anino
♥ I ndigenous farming methods. Methods to ♥ This covers everything from cancer
sustain productivity of land healing plants to natural ways to help a
♥ F olk astronomy. Creating stories about common cold.
astronomical phenomena ♥ The leaves of this particular plant can be
used to take away the pain of
mportance of Indigenous Science
I ♥ headaches while the fruit has cancer
♥ Indigenous science gave birth to the healing properties.
development of science and technology as 5. Acupuncture
a field and as a discipline ♥ Acupuncture is a form of treatment that
♥ Indigenous science helped the people in involves inserting very thin needles
understanding the natural environment through a person's skin at specific points
and in coping with everyday life on the body, to various depths.
♥ It can help to relieve pain and it is used for
Indigenous Technology a wide range of other complaints.
♥ I ndigenous technologies refer to the ♥ Originated in China. It was first mentioned
outcomes produced by studying and recorded in documents dating a few
indigenous sciences hundred years before the Common Era.
♥ Acupuncture is a technique in which
Examples of Indigenous Knowledge practitioners stimulate specific points on
. Observation of the Environment to Predict
1 the body, usually by inserting thin needles
nd Prevent Landslides
a through the skin.
♥ landslides are most likely to occur if sacred ♥ Ancient Chinese method of relieving pain
trees (ai-lulik) are cut and sacred stones it is used to treat pain, anxiety, weight
(fatuk-lulik) are destroyed. reduction and substance abuse.
♥ The physical structure of soil is fragile . F
6 arming S ystem o
f C
ordillera’s I fugao’s:
when there are no stones and tree roots to Payoh, Muyung and Uma
secure the ground. ♥ The Ifugaos of Cordillera
♥ Indigenous Knowledge System
Technologies and Practices: Farming
System
♥ Evolutionary Changes and Problems
. Zai Pit System
7 ♥ T he alcohol or acids act as a natural
♥ Zai holes or Tumbukiza/roof/ gardens/ preservative & give fermented foods a
circle gardens/vertical gardens distinct zest and tartness.
♥ “Zai” is a term that farmers in northern ♥ Promotes the growth of beneficial bacteria,
Burkina Faso use to refer to small planting known as probiotics
pits Examples of Fermentation
♥ Traditional land rehabilitation to ♡
Food drying is a method of food
rehabilitate degraded drylands and to preservation in which food is dried
restore soil fertility to the benefit of (dehydrated or desiccated). Drying
farmers living in drylands. inhibits the growth of bacteria, yeasts,
8. Seaweeds Farming and mold through the removal of water.
♥ The development objective of this project ♡
Dehydration has been used widely. For
is to contribute to the improvement of the this purpose, since ancient times. Open
socio-economic conditions of fishing air drying using sun and wind has
community’s dependent on coastal been practiced since ancient times to
fisheries for livelihood by developing preserve food
alternative employment and income ♡
Smoking is the process of flavoring,
opportunities through diversification of browning, cooking, or preserving food
seaweed farming. This activity would by exposing it to smoke from burning
divert fishing to farming, thus, reduce or smoldering material, most often
fishing effort on the overfished coastal wood. Fish and meat are often smoke.
fishery resources 10. Volcanic Eruption
♥ Seaweed gathering is a seasonal activity of ♥ Animal behavior changes (rats, snakes,
coastal villagers particularly where crabs, goats)
monsoon season is pronounced. This is 11. Pambabatok
true in the Visayas and Luzon Islands. In ♥ A tattooing technique of the Butbut Tribe
Mindanao, where monsoon season does in the Philippines
not affect the region's weather conditions, 12. Etag
seaweed farming has become a more ♥ Native’s traditional way of preserving pork.
established occupation particularly in 13. Coconut oil
Tawi-Tawi, Sulu, wherein about 3,000 ♥ Lessens the pain of the body due to its
seaweed farms operate soothing oil that penetrates the skin.
♥ Seaweed farming is considered an 14. Bamboo Drip Irrigation System
economic activity for coastal fishermen. It ♥ Is a 200-year-old system of tapping stream
does not require intensive capital; family and spring water by using bamboo pipe
labor is gainfully employed and the and transporting water from higher to
product is marketed both in the domestic lower regions through gravity.
and international outlets, given the quality 15. Bark of a Willow Tree
of products produced. ♥ A symbolic medicinal plant
9. Fermentation ♥ It is chemically known as acetylsalicylic
♥ A natural process through which acid or salicylate
microorganisms like yeast and bacteria ♥ It has been used for centuries as a pain
convert carbs such as starch and sugar reliever
into alcohol or acids ♥ The main pharmacologically active
ingredient of willow is the “salicin”
structure
♥ S alicin is comprised of D-glucose [It ♥ I n Japan, Miso and Soy sauce is fermented
circulates in human circulation as blood which is one of the oldest condiments.
glucose and acts as an essential energy ♥ Food Fermentation occurs with the help of
source for many organisms through bacteria and yeast since in the ancient
aerobic or anaerobic respiration and people does not have sanitizers or alcohol
fermentation] and salicyl alcohol [local bacteria is easily accumulated
anesthetic and anti-inflammatory] ♥ Due to food fermentation there are
16. Aspirin products that have been discovered and
♥ pain reliever up to market till now.
♥ It is known as a salicylate and a ♥ One of it is the most used preservatives in
nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug canned foods, canned vegetables, to add
(NSAID) flavor to soup and meat and that is
♥ Essential in the pharmacological Monosodium Glutamate or MSG.
development ♥ Kikunae Ikeda, a chemistry professor at
♥ It is used to reduce fever and relieve mild Imperial University of Tokyo and founder
to moderate pain from conditions such as of Ajinomoto, discovered the
muscle aches, toothaches, common cold, flavor-enhancing property of MSG in 1908.
and headaches. It may also be used to ♥ Another example of it is Yogurt, Sardines,
reduce pain and swelling in conditions Spam and many canned foods.
such as arthritis. 19. Water Harvesting
17. Rice-Fish Co-Culture System ♥ Redirection and productive use of rainfall
♥ farming technique for over 1,200 years in ♥ It involves collecting water from rooftops,
south China (Qingtian, Zhejiang Province) swollen streams and rivers or from
♥ "globally-important agricultural heritage constructed catchments.
system," by the UN Food and Agriculture ♥ Water harvesting ensures that farmers
Organization have enough amount of water stored in
♥ Economic benefits - net proceeds case of limited rainfall or shortness supply
♥ Beneficial to farmers of water
♥ Boosts their tourism
♥ Public Health benefits
♥ Environmental benefits
♥ Mutualism is defined as an interaction
between individuals of different species
that results in positive (beneficial) effects
on per capita reproduction and/or survival
of the interacting populations
18. Food Fermentation and Preservation
♥ Since ancient times in every civilization,
there will be food preservation or
fermentation.
♥ It is to prolong the foods and stock it
♥ Ancient Egypt one of the avid practitioners
of food fermentation and one of the oldest.
♥ Beer and Mead is fermented in Ancient
Egypt.
