Manojan K P

Hyderabad

Importance of indigenous knowledge in the contemporary society

Always the word development focuses the change towards the positive direction .It
envisages the several myths about different sections of the society. According to (Subhash
Sharma(2010))1 paradigm of development depends upon some myths such as economic growth
such as the increase in gross domestic product (GDP),catching up western model capitalist
industrialization, quantifiable cum measurable scientific rationality, high level of
consumerism, ,faster pace of achieving development, improved number of millionaires in the
upper echelons of the society, involvement of semi and nongovernmental involvement ,increased
no of visible concrete big infra structural development, use of external language(English) and the
optimum utilization of available natural resources. The myth do not taker accounts for the moral
value, gender aspects, environmental aspects, quality of life aspects, socio- cultural aspects,
attitudes and perception of the local community. Further unfortunately they ignore or de
recognizes the indigenous knowledge system of technology, medicine and education as well as
the rich tradition of the local people. Rather than these in development, the real development
consists of their cooperation of the indigenous knowledge system in the technologies local
initiative, access to and use of local resources, collective empowerment; i.e., development with
the people, not for the people, comprehensive agricultural sustainability, inclusive approach not
exclusion, collective self reliance, change in the culture of consumerism, gainful employment
and the education of all the people.

The importance of the IK system not limits in the mere concepts of development, but it
has the vast dimensions on the science of universal existence. The traditional treasure of
knowledge that acquired through experiences and observations are capable for explaining the
practices of environmental, medicinal, architectural, folklore etc to the several spheres of
mankind as well as the animal kind opportunities of different life occasions. That is why It has
much importance to recognize indigenous knowledge trough which the indigenous people are
exposing to the surroundings based on their location specific traditional practices of their
particular environment. in the challenging environment of declaiming biodiversities the
challenging task to sustain plant diversity and related knowledge in the conservation of spices
and checking knowledge erosion among younger generation. And it is worth to mention that a
well planned and time bound strategy has to be adopted for the proper documentation of
inherited ethnic knowledge. (R.C Sreevasthava,R.K Singh and T K Mukharjee(2010))2
 Indigenous Knowledge (IK) is a community based functional knowledge system,
developed, preserved and refined by generations of people through continuous interaction,
observation and experimentation with their surrounding environment. It is a dynamic system,
ever changing, adapting and adjusting to the local situations and has close links with the culture,
civilization and religious practices of the communities. IK covers all spheres of human activity
such as art, literature, health, education, agriculture environment etc. indigenous knowledge (IK)
refers to the unique, traditional, local knowledge existing within and developed around the
specific conditions of women and men indigenous to a particular geographic area. Since IK plays
an important role in the day-to-day life of Indigenous Communities, it has become necessary to
document, conserve and utilize this valuable knowledge system for the benefit of the entire
society. (Ik report,kerala 2002) 1

In a workshop held in Kerala on Indigenous Knowledge Strategies for Kerala (ibid)

participated by Planners , Senior Scientists, Representatives from World Bank IK Group and
delegates from Kenya, Uganda and Ethiopia summarized the importance of utilizing traditional
wisdom and knowledge in primary health care , farm and irrigation management, pest control.
Importance of Ayurveda as well as traditional and oral systems of medicines for combating
diseases. It also emphasized the need of protecting the IPR of indigenous communities , in order
to prevent the exploitation of indigenous knowledge by interested parties for generation of
personal or corporate gains the indigenous knowledge related to behaviour and movement of
animals is utilized for prediction of natural calamities like earthquakes, behaviour of insects and
squirrels and their movement towards wet areas for prediction of oncoming dry spells etc.In
addition to this the involvement of local bodies in the utilization of traditional knowledge
systems in diverse areas such as organic farming , water conservation , watershed management,
traditional industries such as bamboo and coir products, fish farming, revival of traditional food
products etc; which require immediate attention. It also envisaged the indigenous knowledge
though being utilized by communities for prediction of Natural hazards and calamities such as
flood, earthquake etc. are not widely utilized by the scientific community since they are not
incorporated in the manuals. After the discussion the idea of starting Separate departments for
indigenous knowledge in related university institutions .Moreover the workshop pointed out the
inadequate documentation of IK in the spheres and the institutionalization of traditional
knowledge was demanded eagerly. (ibid)2

The term indigenous means the tribal people itself. The tribal population of India
numbering 84.33 million constitutes 8.2 % of the total population. The Scheduled Tribes (ST) in
India are largely deprived and marginalized. The Tribal population has shown low social
development compared to the overall population. The proportion of literate population in India
has increased from 28.3% in 1961 to 64.8% in 2001 but literacy rate among the tribes which was
as low as 8.5% in 1961 rose only to 47.1% by 2001; over half the tribal population in India is
illiterate in the beginning of the new millennium. Worse still, almost two thirds of tribal women
are illiterate (D Narayana, 2010)3.The literacy rate is not the parameter to measure ones
knowledge; moreover wisdom is somewhat greater than knowledge. In the sense, rather than
these indicators we must rely on the capabilities that the indigenous people thus have and to give
realization to the facts that the role traditional knowledge can do more than the doctrines of
academic intellectuals.

Indigenous knowledge and natural disasters

Natural calamities like, drought, flood, earth quake. Ring of fire etc do harm in all
societies. As far as management of these kind of disasters is concerned indigenous knowledge
contributes in its intervention as well as the sustainability of the specific strategy for a longer
term which is done by active participation and integration of these communities itself, it reveals
the need of the intervention f indigenous knowledge in disaster risk reduction policies and
practice. Even before, the origin of technologies to warn the calamities, numerous local
communities worldwide have prepared, operated, acted, and responded to natural disasters using
indigenous methods passed on from generations. For the merging process tradition into
technology, we all have to understand, acknowledge and respect indigenous knowledge as a
valuable source of information and as a key measure to reduce the risk of disasters. (Jennifer
Baumwoll,2008) 4

The relationship between indigenous knowledge and natural disasters has developed
more interest in recent years. The new discussions around indigenous knowledge highlight its
potential to improve disaster risk reduction policies through integration into disaster education
and early warning systems. Throughout disaster risk reduction literature, four primary arguments
have been made for the value of indigenous knowledge. First, various specific indigenous
practices and strategies of a particular community can be adopted for other communities in
similar situations. Second, an incorporation of indigenous knowledge help in participating of the
affected community into the process and them to take the leading role in all disaster risk
reduction activities. Third, IK are capable to improve project implementation by providing
valuable information about the specific locality. Finally, the non-formal means in I K provides a
successful model for education on disaster risk reduction (ibid)

A long population is dependent on agriculture for their lively hood; a majority of them
consists of small scale farmers. The farmers represent distinct language and ethnic groups. Their
IK is generated from generations by trial and error methods who were engaged in the very
beginning of farming. So that in the areas of fishing, shifting cultivation, settled agriculture,
industrial labour, animal husbandry, and handicrafts there are variety of approaches which are
less expensive, environment friendly and participatory too.(Nidheesh K B ,2010)5Throughout
the states of our country, different indigenous people are carrying different method of
cultivation, those are to studied in terms of biodiversity and capable to meet the challenges in
environment.
 The methods of cultivation in north east area gives some more lessons to the concept of
biological diversity conservation. north east offers a unique opportunity for a range of
conservation in the related research field, education, and extension in bio diversity being carried
across the region by GO s and NGOs .the methods of traditional practices in the pattern
includes the components of bio-diversity conservation and biological resource management
includes; indicial herbs, hill farming, live stock management, food preservation etc. and the fact
is that the proper documentation is demanded in this regard too.(Palo.K.Mukharjee,Jyothi
Prakash thamang,2009)6

Indigenous medicines.

Ethno medicine is the mother of all systems of medicine. Over the years, through experiment
and observations of humankind, acquired knowledge on promotional, preventive and curative
perspectives of animate and in animate objects. These knowledge systems, as civilization
advanced, became the foundation stones of different streams of classical medicine such as
Traditional Chinese Meduicine ,Ayiurveda, siddha ,Unani, Amchi, Traditional Tibatene
medicine.etc. with the advancement of science and technology and consequent social changes,
there have been enormous changes in the practices of health and medicine. the wisdom of
traditional communities in the maintenance and practice of health and medicine is highly sort
after, since these knowledge systems are constant update and improvement. It is the
responsibility of nations to preserve these in valuable knowledge systems from exploitation by
technologically advanced interest groups ( P.Pushpangadhan,2010)7

Indigenous knowledge and handicrafts

Indigenous knowledge are the means of economic sustainability too. Handicrafts industry is an
example for their thats why civil society organization and the development practitioners
emphasized in the facilitating various small scale enterprises. Moreover ,it’s an agent for local
empowerment too. Many Projects are successful in terms of income generation. In India craft
sector is the second largest industry after agriculture, sustaining the lively hood of many people
contributing to the national economy. Safeguarding traditional craft skills, how to face
challenges arise from, the contemporary socio-economic context. Today handmade handicrafts
are increasingly valued in the international market firm aesthetic uniqueness, which standardized
machinery practices that cannot offer and the people are pleasured to pursue the abandoned
beauties of the ancestral know-how.(Mija Young,2008)8.In the contemporary politics of
economy , the trajectories of poverty and unemployment in social sector can be addressed by the
concept of self sufficiency in the sense that, industrialization of handicrafts in rural areas by
combining the traditional and technological crux in a scientific way. In addition to this it will
help to facilitate the bridge between rural and urban connectivity and mobility.

Indegenous knowledge and Millenium development goal.

In the era of globalization the concepts derived for the universal development is must be given
importance to the indigenous knowledge. In terms of poverty reduction the people are exercising
local knowledge to increase agricultural productivity. Adapting indigenous language to achieve
universal primary education, empowering of women to put an end to the local practice of female
genital mutilation such kind of activities in terms of gender sensitization. Traditional healthcare
practices and medicines to reduce child mortality, improve maternal health and to combat with
opportunities diseases due to HIV/AIDS. Traditional methods to manage control of forest
exploitation, and water shed management, educating the younger generation to exercise the
practices in this regard will help to ensure the sustainability of our environment. The global
partnership can be welcomed to the interchange of knowledge and to merge modern technologies
accordingly.

Intellectual property right concerns on indigenous knowledge

Traditional knowledge and resources were seen as the common heritage of mankind.
There were no international and national laws regulating access to genetic resources As a result,
there was an increase in the commercial use of the knowledge and biological resources of
indigenous peoples. Intellectual property rights can provide an effective means of protecting
indigenous knowledge systems and plant varieties. The critical importance of documenting IK in
writing, which can then used to challenge a patent claim on knowledge that is already in the
public domain. Second, it highlights the usefulness of other forms of intellectual property rights
than patents such as geographical indications. These may be of more use to indigenous
communities seeking to regulate access over their resources, as they can be applied to knowledge
that evolves over time and with the input of the local community at large. (IK notes 2004)3

The present legal regime in the field of traditional knowledge in adequate and
incomplete. As many of their traditional knowledge like medicinal plants ,handicrafts folk dance,
their music ceremonies and culture are not documented, there is scope for pirating these by
others including multinational companies. Therefore the government should take immediate
measures to to document all types of traditional knowledge possessed by the indigenous
people.If this is not done ,then big companies, at the cost of the tribals, would conquer the
intellectual properties of tribal population.(Dr.Srinivasavalu N.S,2007)9

Conclusion

Loss of disappearance of indigenous knowledge, particularly from ethnic minority groups

or tribe3s,is rapidly occurring due to encroachment of state and market forces and the disease of
elders that carrying the knowledge. Once lost orally based knowledge cannot be retrieved. Hence
it aims at the two aspects for the preservation of this knowledge. One is the approach of an
institutionalized mechanism for documenting traditional knowledge and adoption indigenous
knowledge into the formal as well as non formal education system.
Endnotes
1
Worksho repert,”indigenous knowledge strategies for kerala, Tropical Botanic Garden and Researc Institute
,Kerala,October 7 to 9, 2002.

2
ibid

3
Indegenous knowledge; Local Pathwaysto Global Development “IK Notes,”Knowledge and Learning Group Africa
Region The World Bank(2004)

Referencces.
1.Subhash Sharma, “development for what and whom and at what cost ? Some sociological
reflections on development of tribes in india “, Social change ,February 2010, pp 195-212.
2.R.C Sreevasthava,R.K Singh and T K Mukharjee ,”challenging task to sustain plant diversity”, Indian
Journal of traditional knowledfe,July,2010,pp510-515.

3.D. Narayana, Educational Deprivation of Scheduled Tribes in Kerala, Centre for development
Studies,Kerala, 2008. -Pacifi c Region
4.Jennifer Baumwoll ,Indigenous Knowledge for Disaster Risk Reduction -Good Practices and Lessons
Learned from Experiences in the Asia-Pacific Region,2008
5.Nidheesh KB,agricultuaral knowledge and participation of tribal communities,Indian Jornal of
traditional knowledfe,July,2010,pp531-35.

6..Palo.K.Mukharjee,Jyothi Prakash thamang, editorial,Indian Jornal of traditional

knowledfe,Jannuary 2009.

7. P.Pushpangadhan, editorial,Indian Jornal of traditional knowlede,Jannuary 2010.

8..Minja Young,editorial,Indian Jornal of traditional knowledfe,July,2008

9.Dr.Srinivasavalu N.S,”Intellectual property Rights,Regal publications,New delhi,2007,pp272-273.

Web sources
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