An important step in the endeavor towards a more socially, environmentally, and economically sustainable world is identifying and fostering sustainability competencies (SCs). There are major international initiatives that identify sustainability-related goals (the Sustainable Development Goals) and those that recognize the crucial role of education in achieving such goals (the Decade of Education for Sustainable Development). There are also academic studies that address education for sustainable development. Usually, such initiatives and studies take western worldviews for granted. This limits opportunities for other worldviews which could contribute to sustainability. It is unclear what indigenous knowledge and pedagogies, apart from the dominant western approaches, could help to enhance SCs. To address this gap, a qualitative study was conducted in Ethiopia, a country with more than seventeen centuries old indigenous education system and indigenous knowledge. To utilize alternative worldviews and pedagogies vis-a-vis fostering SCs and incorporating them in modern education systems, five learning design principles were proposed. These are: define worldviews, utilize indigenous knowledge, use sustainability-oriented pedagogies, engage learners, and build on students’ experiences. Theoretically, the study contributes to sustainability, education for sustainable development, and indigenous knowledge. The findings may serve as a starting point in designing education and training for broader sustainability approaches.

Combining Indigenous Knowledge and Modern Education to Foster Sustainability Competencies: Towards a Set of Learning Design Principles

Local and traditional knowledge (LTK) was a key component of many projects in the 2007–2009 International Polar Year (IPY) and much information was amassed through maps, interviews with local experts, photographs, artwork, and other forms of documentation. Unlike conventional physical and life sciences, few options exist for those seeking data management for social, cultural, or traditional knowledge projects. This poses many problems for researchers and communities alike. The collaborative demands of the IPY data policy emphasized the need for effective and appropriate means of recording, preserving, and sharing the information collected in Arctic communities. This article describes the history and activities of the Exchange for Local Observations and Knowledge of the Arctic, a project launched during the IPY that continues to facilitate the collection, preservation, exchange, and use of local observations and knowledge. Using examples, we describe new approaches and special considerations for m...

The role of data management in engaging communities in Arctic research: overview of the Exchange for Local Observations and Knowledge of the Arctic (ELOKA)

Due to the lack of published information (especially in Canada) on modified classification systems and thesauri for describing and organizing Aboriginal materials, I set out to conduct a survey on this topic. The surveys were distributed at five Indigenous-related conferences and gatherings in Canada and the United States between the Fall, 2009, and the Fall, 2010, and more than 50 completed surveys were collected. Research findings included preferred changes in terminology from Library of Congress subject headings (which were seen to be outdated and inappropriate) but there was no resounding consensus on a “one-size fits all” terminology for thesauri terminology. However, this was not seen to be problematic given the diverse range of participants who took part in the survey. Respondents also commented on a survey question inquiring about the use of the “Medicine Wheel” concept as a way to organize Aboriginal-related materials, as well as other possible structures that might prove more culturally relevant for organizing these materials. There was both support for and strong opposition to the use of the Medicine Wheel for this purpose, for a variety of reasons. Participants indicated a preference for non-hierarchical and less linear structures than what current mainstream classification systems provide. There also seemed to be support for “landscape-based” structures. Although research findings were not conclusive, some valuable insights were gained from this study. The exploratory nature of this research project suggests more research (and more in-depth research) in this area is required.

pdf/indigenous-knowledge-organization-a-study-of-concepts-3ct9csppip.pdf

Indigenous Knowledge Organization: A Study of Concepts, Terminology, Structure and (Mostly) Indigenous Voices

The African proverb “When an elder dies, a library burns down” clearly sums up the importance of traditional knowledge preservation and cultural continuity, which the study found to be a key need and concern amongst First Nations communities in Ontario, Canada. To follow-up on elders’ suggestions that libraries are potential custodians of traditional knowledge, this paper explores how traditional knowledge preservation intersects with Library and Information Science (LIS) practices of knowledge classification, organization, and dissemination and establishes the various challenges that this intersection poses to these LIS practices. The paper concludes that libraries and other information institutions need to re-examine and reconstruct themselves in ways that take into account non-western epistemologies and worldviews and develop much needed cultural competency in order to undertake traditional knowledge custodianship.

Traditional knowledge management and preservation: Intersections with Library and Information Science

Introduction The Niger Delta people have a rich body of indigenous knowledge developed over many centuries. This body of accumulated knowledge has played a vital role in agriculture, animal and human health, natural resources management, education, and other activities (Camble and Aliyu, 2008). Indigenous people, including farmers, landless labourers, women and artisans, cattle rearers, and tribes, are custodians of indigenous knowledge. Indigenous Knowledge (IK) can be broadly defined as the knowledge that an indigenous (local) community accumulates over generations of living in a particular environment (United Nations Environment Programme, n.d). This definition encompasses technologies, know-how, skills, practices, and beliefs that enable the community to achieve a stable livelihood. According to Nakata and Langton (2005), IK refers to the knowledge, innovation, and practices of indigenous and local communities around the world, developed from experience over centuries, and adapted to the local culture and environment, transmitted orally from generation to generation. IK is collectively owned and exists as stories, songs, folklore, proverbs, cultural values, norms, beliefs, rituals, local languages, and agricultural practices, including the development of plant species and animal breeds (Nakata and Langton, 2005). There is a growing appreciation of the value of IK. It has become valuable not only to those who depend on it in their daily lives, but to modern industry and agriculture as well. Warren (1991) notes that IK has made a tremendous contribution to crop production by poor farmers. Okuneye and Ayinde (2004) add that small scale resource farmers have good reasons for sticking with their local knowledge and farming practices, because modern technologies can only be successful and sustainable if IK is taken into consideration. Many libraries recognize IK as an important source of developmental information. Nakata and Langton (2005) observe that the library and information profession has a lot to learn if they are to meet the information needs of indigenous people and appropriately manage IK. This may require libraries to move outside their comfort zone. The development of services is also demanding, requiring new disciplines, technologies, and collaborations. Indigenous people continue to be generous in sharing their knowledge with libraries, and so libraries must maintain the momentum (Nakata and Langton, 2005). Objectives of the Study The objectives of the study are: * To discover the role of indigenous knowledge in Niger Delta; * To explore the effectiveness of IK management in Niger Delta libraries; * To identify how libraries manage indigenous knowledge; * To examine how libraries create access to indigenous knowledge; and * To investigate the challenges of preservation and accessibility of indigenous knowledge. Literature Review Preservation of Indigenous Knowledge in the Library It is difficult to define IK because it varies along with the indigenous people of the world (Stephen, 2008). Common features have been identified, to create a working definition, such as this one provided by UNESCO: Indigenous knowledge refers to a complete body of knowledge, know how and practices maintained and developed by people, generally in rural areas, who have extended histories of interaction with the natural environment. These sets of understandings, interpretations and meanings are part of a cultural complex that encompasses language, naming and classification systems, practices for using resources, ritual, and spirituality and worldview. It provides the basis for local level decision-making about many fundamental aspects of day-to- day life. Indigenous communities preserve and transmit knowledge using techniques like oral storytelling and experiential instruction. Battiste and Hendersen (2004) state that IK systems can only be understood through the methods of a particular community, such as apprenticeships, ceremonies, and practice, and in the environment in which the system originates. …

/pdf/the-role-of-libraries-in-the-preservation-and-accessibility-zbrnhnq9cc.pdf

The Role of Libraries in the Preservation and Accessibility of Indigenous Knowledge in the Niger Delta Region of Nigeria

There is a growing need to preserve indigenous knowledge, as indigenous communities around the world face ongoing threats to the survival of their traditional languages and cultures. Although libraries have not traditionally focused on this area, libraries and information professionals can play an important role in assisting indigenous communities with the management and preservation of traditional knowledge through providing resources and expertise in collection, organization, storage and retrieval. Indigenous knowledge, however, differs greatly from Western knowledge and so it must be managed in unique and sensitive ways that may challenge conventional knowledge management tools and processes, as well as prevalent assumptions about knowledge and information. Indeed, information professionals should work with indigenous communities to develop unique solutions that meet local needs. Three indigenous knowledge management projects in Australia, Canada and the United States are examined to illustrate the different methods and tools that can be used for managing indigenous knowledge to accommodate oral traditions, holistic belief systems, security and access concerns, and technological limitations.

A Different Way of Knowing: Tools and Strategies for Managing Indigenous Knowledge

Popular Tasks used by Researchers

How can I help with your research?

Get more enhanced response by uploading the PDFs you want me to reference.

No relevant PDFs in your library

SciSpace is the AI research assistant for academics. Run systematic literature reviews on 280M+ papers, and write papers with cited sources. Trusted by 1M+ students, PhDs & researchers.

SciSpace | AI for Research

We encountered an error while loading the panel. Please try refreshing the page.

Something went wrong

Analyze PDFs

Code & Manuscripts

Funding & Grants

Literature & Patents

Medical & Clinical Data

Systematic Review

Visualize & Present

Web & Data

Build a Google Scholar-like website for your research.

Build a website

Create charts and images for your research

Create a Chart

Write a paper for submission to a journal

Draft a manuscript

Patent Search

Design eye-catching scientific posters in minutes.

Scientific Poster Generation

Systematic Literature Review

Anyone with the link can view this chat. You can switch it back to private anytime.

One task is running at the moment. Your messages will be shown right after.

Drag and drop or click here to browse

Loved by <highlight>1 million+</highlight> researchers

Extract a list of specific topics and their sources from unstructured text

Topics

Compare and analyze relevant papers that matches with your search

Papers

Get insights from PDFs and bookmarked papers from your library

My library

Recent searches

Try searching for:

Catch AI-generated content in scholarly and non-scholarly content

{ai} Detector

Ai Writer

Get PDF Summaries, highlighted text explanations 

Chat with PDF

Effortlessly create in-text citations and bibliographies in APA and 2,500 other formats

Citation generator

Get explanations, summaries, and answers on academic papers

Ease up your research workflow with {scispace}'s cohort of exciting AI tools

Elevate your academic writing skills and convey your ideas the way you want

Paraphraser

Explore our range of reading and writing tools

Your file is being prepared and should be ready in a few minutes. If it's a large file, it might take a bit longer. You can close this window, and we'll email you the file when it's done.

You have reached a maximum limit of <strong>{limit}</strong> columns in the table. Remove at least <strong>1</strong> column to add or create another one.

Amanda Stevens

Author Tools

Chat about Author

Papers

A Different Way of Knowing: Tools and Strategies for Managing Indigenous Knowledge