Should we allow the non-literate knowledge systems developed through the millennia transmitted through word of mouth, tested through trial and error, to vanish without even trying to verify such knowledge? In this note we plead the case of the other knowledge systems to bring them within the ambit of science.
Traditional knowledge has only recently touched the scientific chord of western academic knowledge. More and more researchers today are turning towards it not only to fill gaps in existing societal knowledge but also to find novel knowledge concepts and viewpoints for application in a contemporary context. Since tribal groups have lived within their local environments since time immemorial it is obvious that they do possess a rich knowledge about nature.
The role of Indigenous and tribal peoples and their traditional environmental knowledge (TEK) is now greatly appreciated and recognized in developing location specific strategies and mitigation plans for coping with climate change. The goal of this research, based on six years of collaborative work with Adi tribal peoples from 14 villages of East and Upper Siang districts of Arunachal Pradesh, was to record Adi knowledge and experiences relating to biocultural resources and their interactions with climate change and livelihood sustainability.
The work relates to Pnar tribe of Jaintia Hills district, Meghalaya, whose main occupation is agriculture. Even today they depend on plant species as indicators, such as Butea buteiformis (Voigt) Grier. & Long, Castanopsis indica A. DC., Castanopsis tribuloides (Sm.) DC., Phoenix humilis Royle ex Becc. & Hook. f., Pinus kesiya Royle ex Gord., Quercus serrata Thunb., Schima wallichii (DC.) Korth. for systematizing steps they followed season wise for achieving the best productivity of rice and other agricultural crops.
The Traditional knowledge of a community in a particular region is derived from the local people’s farming experience and is handed down from previous generations to present generations. It entails many insights, perceptions, and intuitions, relating to agricultural practices, health, local environment, etc. It is often stressed that traditional storage methods are the product of decades, if not centuries of development, perhaps by trial and error, but certainly as a result of experience of the users and their ancestors.
Handloom weaving and handicraft are the cultural heritage of the Himachali people and an indispensable part of the lives of Kulluites. The activity of preparing a vide range of handloom and handicraft products was originated to suffice local needs but it gradually took a turn towards commercialization. In the study, handloom and handicrafts of district Kullu of Himachal Pradesh have been presented.
Problems and prospects of minor forest resource uses and management in three remote high elevation villages in the Indian Central Himalaya were studied. Of the 45 species constituting the minor forest product resource base, medicinal plants (14 species), wild edibles (ten species) and bamboos (four species) were important both for local use and for the rural economy. A range of tree species had fodder and organic manure value. The management practices differ in the government owned forests and village community owned forests.
Myrica esculenta Buch.-Ham. ex D. Don is a popular, potentially income-generating wild edible in the Indian Himalaya. The species prefers Pinus roxburghii Sarg., Quercus leucotrichophora A. Cam., and mixed Quercus forests, contributing 15–26% of total tree density in the forests. It performs best in Pinus roxburghii forests, where its density correlates with Pinus tree biomass. The regeneration of Myrica is poor in all the habitats. However, recruitment of species increases consistently from abundant Myrica to no-Myrica stands.
Morchella esculenta is an important mushroom belonging to the family Helvellaceae and is locally known as Guchhi. It is found in the forest between 1800 and 3600 masl and is locally sold to middlemen and traders at 5000 per kg. It is cooked as food and used in medicine and health care system by the traditional societies and also considered important for clinical use.
Most of the inhabitants of the Hills Zone of Assam survive on their traditional knowledge base. These people are bound by traditions and are relatively untouched by modem scientific knowledge on aquaculture and allied sector. An attempt has been made in present study to document Indigenous Technical Knowledge (ITK) related to aquaculture in the Hills Zone of Assam.