We all know an old-timer who’s lived in the area forever. They can tell you about the flood of the century or the time the bay froze. Sometimes there’s a little tall tale thrown in, but for the most part you can trust them to know the best secret fishing hole or backwoods bbq joint. But when you add that old-timer’s lived experience with that of his grandparents, great-grandparents, and ancestors who lived before that, imagine how much valuable information you could learn!
About 15 years ago, I attended an extension conference in Alaska. The keynote speaker was an indigenous Alaska Native. During his speech, he introduced a term for that local, passed-down-for-years information. Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) is what scientists refer to when learning about the natural world from residents who are part of cultural groups that have lived in a place for years. The National Park Service defines TEK as, “the on-going accumulation of knowledge, practice and belief about relationships between living beings in a specific ecosystem that is acquired by indigenous people over hundreds or thousands of years through direct contact with the environment, handed down through generations, and used for life-sustaining ways. This knowledge includes the relationships between people, plants, animals, natural phenomena, landscapes, and timing of events for activities such as hunting, fishing, trapping, agriculture, and forestry. It encompasses the world view of a people, which includes ecology, spirituality, human and animal relationships, and more.”
Historically, this type of expertise was seen as less reliable or important than formal research, but a lot of ecologists have changed their tune. People who have lived off the land or water are intimately familiar with the ways of nature in a way a visiting researcher could never be. Particularly when studying changes in an ecosystem, whether it be fish populations or fire frequency, TEK can be invaluable. The science of phenology, in fact, relies heavily on volunteer observers recording seasonal changes like the onset of blooming or nest-building to understand climate-related differences. The US Fish and Wildlife Service used the deep history of TEK to fully understand the impacts of the Valdez Oil Spill on wildlife, and to help justify listing the polar bear as a threatened species. Alaskan Fish & Game wardens use indigenous records of salmon catches and populations to inform fisheries management. Shell middens found all along the Gulf Coast, including a large one near Cedar Key, give us clues as to how early civilizations understood celestial phenomena like solstices and adapted to hurricanes and flooding. The scientific journal of the Ecological Society of America even includes a “Traditional Ecological Knowledge” section and encourages joint research partnerships with traditional scientists and indigenous people.
Through partnerships with the Santa Rosa Band of the Lower Muscogee Creek tribe this past year, Extension programs benefited directly from local TEK. Our Master Naturalist class visited the tribe’s education center and learned about historic leaders in the area, along with indigenous uses and words for plants and animals. We also worked with Chief Dan to design the UWF Heritage Roots Garden, centering it around ancient traditions built on a sacred fire and native wildlife. All our signage included information on plants’ traditional uses, with plant names identified in three languages—English, Latin, and Muscogee.
TEK combines aspects of sociology, history, ethnobotany, traditional fishing and hunting practices, and lived experience. When combined with Western science, the result is a deeper, more holistic understanding of the world around us and our role within it.
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