Preservation of Indigenous Knowledge through Culture: Understanding Sustainability of Traditional Approach

Abstract

Biological as well as cultural diversity are inherently linked and form an important part of the education process for sustainable development. Traditional knowledge (TK), a central dimension of bio-cultural diversity, is also receiving increased attention in this context. However there are several socio-political and methodological challenges of integrating TK in Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) programs. Appropriate learning methods need to be designed with sensitivity to epistemological and contextual dimensions of traditional knowledge. For education programs to be effective they need to be addressed at various levels of social integration such as communities, civil society groups, non-governmental organizations, formal and informal learning institutions, local administrative structures, and national, international, multilateral policy forums. Academicians and the public increasingly concur that a single system of knowledge cannot solve the mounting problems of humanity. In this perspective, a fresh look at bio-cultural diversity related traditional knowledge and their relevance in the Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) process is vital. They mutually and constantly evolve in response to a changing natural and social-economic environment while at the same time affecting this environment. Traditional knowledge is very much deeply rooted in the socio-cultural methods of symbiotic relations between man and environment. It is latent in the socio-cultural symbols which is more often than not has been given a religious framework for the survival of the knowledge. These methods become value-loaded and rigid over the period of time. Thus, loosing the scientific value of traditional knowledge and becoming more and more religiously rigid. While looking back in a temporal perspective, these hidden symbols of traditional knowledge need to be decoded from the religious cultural contexts. Religious cover protects the longevity of the knowledge but also simultaneously changes the scientific nature to a more religious one which is forgotten over a long period of time passed by. Currently, there is an effort and tendency to take help of TKS/IKS to negate the challenges posed by globalization towards the environment and especially towards nature. The aim is to create local sustainability on scientifically proven IKS for a global humanitarian level to mitigate the problems posed by modern scientific development.