This past summer, one of my friends worked for a UBC lab that did research on the effects of regenerative controlled burning (also known as prescribed burns), and at one point they did a presentation on their research to the local Indigenous groups. One of the women in the audience asked why they were spending immense time, money and energy on this research when the Indigenous people in the area had already been doing controlled burns since time immemorial and knew the positive effects it had.
This story demonstrates how colonial frameworks both disrespect traditional Indigenous knowledge and can delay action that may save ecosystems, and are the reason why we are experiencing such intense wildfires in the first place. I envision a world where controlled burns can be used for ecosystem regeneration, and fire can be seen as having the potential to be a positive tool rather than just a destructive and deadly entity. This needs to happen now, not in 50 years. In a broader sense, this means that Indigenous expertise needs be accepted and trusted on its own without needing validation from Western science.
Any of the world's indigenous peoples has a special culture and knowledge that has been built up over time and through experience.
In addition to the indigenous people, the 'ordinary people' nowadays have the same culture and knowledge, which has been tested in the same way and this test is approved by the 'wider'.
I think indigenous culture is amazing and valid, and I hope we can combine modern culture with indigenous culture and not belittle it and overestimate our own culture, which I hope will also lead to more efficient results.
Hopefully our generation and those younger will incorporate more indigenous knowledge into environmental research and regard their information more as science than fiction.
Wonderful post, Sophia! I was not aware that controlled burns were being done since time immemorial by the Indigenous peoples. Your friend's experience definitely shows how colonial frameworks disrespect Indigenous knowledge and created barriers in maintaining our ecosystems and preventing further damage.
Great point Sophia! I have learned in one of my classes that indigenous communities has been managing the landscape and its biodiversity for 12000+ years! And they are responsible for maintaining >80% of the Earth's biodiversity. Involving indigenous knowledge and indigenous peoples in resource and landscape management is essential in fixing our problem with environmental degradation. Scientists and us as future scientists should jump out of our western/ colonial "scientific way of thinking" and embrace traditional knowledge!
Hi Sophia Collins, I agree! The indigenous expertise is very valuable and something that should be used as an asset so that we can mobilize together against these super fires! It would also help in the continuation of building the bridge between the Western world and indigenous communities via this mutual respect and understanding. Thank you for sharing this important perspective!
Great post Sophia!! It's very unfortunate the Indigenous knowledge is not only undervalued, but ignored in much of the environmental management practices employed in Western nations. It's even more unfortunate that Western science's ignorance can exacerbate environmental problems as seen in the case where fires that are continuously extinguished can lead to even larger fires down the road. We should respect the ecological knowledge of the people who have lived on this land for millennia rather than throwing money to research what is already known.
I agree! Indigenous people are extremely wise and have a lot of knowledge