Coming Full Circle: Indigenous Knowledge, Environment, and Our Future

Abstract

Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) as a construct of broader society is a relatively recent phenomenon, and the field that supports the acquisition of environmental knowledge from Aboriginal people has rapidly grown over the last two decades.' In part, TEK has emerged from the growing recognition that Indigenous people all over the world developed sustainable environmental knowledge and practices that can be used to address problems that face global society.2 David Suzuki, scientist and environmentalist, writes, My experience with Aboriginal people convinced me... of the power and relevance of their knowledge and worldview in a time of imminent global ecocatastrophe.3 The international community has also recognized the important role Indigenous people and their knowledge can play in global society. In 1987 the Report of the World Commission on Environment and Development (or the Brundtland Report) recognized the important role of Indigenous people in sustainable development. Five years later, at the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development, the Convention on Biodiversity (CBD) was signed, one of two legally binding agreements. The CBD reiterated the important role of Indigenous people and their knowledge for achieving sustainable environmental and resource management.4 Canada has responded to the challenges brought forth by the Convention on Biodiversity and the Brundtland Report and is incorporating TEK into various environmental decision-making processes. The field of TEK is well on its way to becoming firmly entrenched in the discourse on environmental management and decision making in Canada, particularly in the north where it is part of public policy.5 The practice and application of TEK research in Canada, and the specific research methods