#traditionalknowledge — Public Fediverse posts

#Biocultural families: Study centers #Indigenous priorities in connections to #environment

by Seth Truscott, August 11, 2026

"Washington State University horticulturist #JeffreyWall partnered with members of the #Mikmaq #FirstNations people of #Canada to create a new, #IndigenousCentered model of the connections that link humans with plants, animals and the environment.

"Wall interviewed over a dozen traditional knowledge keepers in Unama'ki, the #CapeBreton Island homeland of the Eskasoni Mi'kmaq. He asked tribal elders and allies to describe #BioculturalConnectivity — the relationship between human cultures and local #ecosystems — as they see it. The findings were published in Environmental Science & Policy.

" 'I wanted to show the connective forces that the Mi'kmaq prioritize,' Wall said. 'The goal was to be in tune with their deep #CulturalHeritage, traditions and the #indigenization of the future that they want to promote.'

"With more than 66,000 registered members, the Mi'kmaq are a resilient people native to the U.S. Northeast and Canada's Atlantic provinces who are revitalizing their language and growing their landholdings. Wall's work can guide future mapping and inform the institute's land acquisition strategy.

"The project reflects the concept of #TwoEyedSeeing — understanding the world from both #Indigenous and #Western approaches — introduced by Mi'kmaq elders Albert and Murdena Marshall.

" 'There is a growing understanding that environmental conditions can improve if we bring more Indigenous ways of knowing and being into the conversation,' said Lisa Young, executive director of the Unama'ki Institute of Natural Resources. 'Maintaining a #reciprocal relationship with the land is in itself a way to protect and preserve it.' "

Read more:
https://phys.org/news/2026-08-biocultural-families-centers-indigenous-priorities.html

#SolarPunkSunday #EnvironmentalAwareness #EnvironmentalStewardship #TraditionalKnowledge #Technology #TraditionalEcologicalKnowledge

The #Indigenous Roots of #RegenerativeAgriculture

“All flourishing is mutual.”
– Robin Wall Kimmerer, Braiding Sweetgrass

August 9, 2023

"While a new wave of enthusiasm has crested in recent years, regenerative agriculture is an ancient concept that originated with #IndigenousPeoples around the world more than a thousand years ago. In many Indigenous world views, humans and nature are not separate forces, but parts of a whole that need each other to thrive. Regenerative agriculture supports this by promoting farming methods that enrich the land—so it can continue to provide for present and future generations.

"Embracing #TraditionalKnowledge

"Due to the long and horrific history of #StolenLand and #colonization, the Global North often refers to #IndigenousPeoples’ culture and knowledge in the past tense. Yet today, Indigenous peoples are indisputably the best guardians of our world’s most precious #ecosystems. When you take into account that the few remaining Indigenous lands are home to 80 percent of the world’s #Biodiversity, while modern #IndustrialAgriculture is responsible for 80 percent of global #deforestation, it’s clear that Western society still desperately needs to learn what Indigenous people have known for millennia: that human beings must live in a reciprocal relationship with the Earth.

"Around the world, Indigenous peoples have long practiced the key elements of regenerative agriculture. Here are just a few examples:

The art of #agroforestry

Some Indigenous communities, like the #Lenca people in #Honduras, know agroforestry simply as 'traditional technique.' Agroforestry—or the concept of growing crops in a way that mimics the forest and offers shade, protection, and nutrients—is such common practice there is no special name for it.

"Our lead for sustainable forest management, Emmanuelle Bérenger, explains the importance of Indigenous growing methods: 'By using #sustainable practices taught from one generation to another, [Indigenous peoples] actively safeguard forests, preserving biodiversity and keeping a delicate balance essential for both the environment and their own sustenance.' "

Learn more:
https://www.rainforest-alliance.org/insights/the-indigenous-roots-of-regenerative-agriculture/

#SolarPunkSunday #Intercropping #FoodForests #ProtectNature #ProtectBiodiversity

The #Indigenous Roots of #RegenerativeAgriculture

“All flourishing is mutual.”
– Robin Wall Kimmerer, Braiding Sweetgrass

August 9, 2023

"While a new wave of enthusiasm has crested in recent years, regenerative agriculture is an ancient concept that originated with #IndigenousPeoples around the world more than a thousand years ago. In many Indigenous world views, humans and nature are not separate forces, but parts of a whole that need each other to thrive. Regenerative agriculture supports this by promoting farming methods that enrich the land—so it can continue to provide for present and future generations.

"Embracing #TraditionalKnowledge

"Due to the long and horrific history of #StolenLand and #colonization, the Global North often refers to #IndigenousPeoples’ culture and knowledge in the past tense. Yet today, Indigenous peoples are indisputably the best guardians of our world’s most precious #ecosystems. When you take into account that the few remaining Indigenous lands are home to 80 percent of the world’s #Biodiversity, while modern #IndustrialAgriculture is responsible for 80 percent of global #deforestation, it’s clear that Western society still desperately needs to learn what Indigenous people have known for millennia: that human beings must live in a reciprocal relationship with the Earth.

"Around the world, Indigenous peoples have long practiced the key elements of regenerative agriculture. Here are just a few examples:

The art of #agroforestry

Some Indigenous communities, like the #Lenca people in #Honduras, know agroforestry simply as 'traditional technique.' Agroforestry—or the concept of growing crops in a way that mimics the forest and offers shade, protection, and nutrients—is such common practice there is no special name for it.

"Our lead for sustainable forest management, Emmanuelle Bérenger, explains the importance of Indigenous growing methods: 'By using #sustainable practices taught from one generation to another, [Indigenous peoples] actively safeguard forests, preserving biodiversity and keeping a delicate balance essential for both the environment and their own sustenance.' "

Learn more:
https://www.rainforest-alliance.org/insights/the-indigenous-roots-of-regenerative-agriculture/

#SolarPunkSunday #Intercropping #FoodForests #ProtectNature #ProtectBiodiversity

The #Indigenous Roots of #RegenerativeAgriculture

“All flourishing is mutual.”
– Robin Wall Kimmerer, Braiding Sweetgrass

August 9, 2023

"While a new wave of enthusiasm has crested in recent years, regenerative agriculture is an ancient concept that originated with #IndigenousPeoples around the world more than a thousand years ago. In many Indigenous world views, humans and nature are not separate forces, but parts of a whole that need each other to thrive. Regenerative agriculture supports this by promoting farming methods that enrich the land—so it can continue to provide for present and future generations.

"Embracing #TraditionalKnowledge

"Due to the long and horrific history of #StolenLand and #colonization, the Global North often refers to #IndigenousPeoples’ culture and knowledge in the past tense. Yet today, Indigenous peoples are indisputably the best guardians of our world’s most precious #ecosystems. When you take into account that the few remaining Indigenous lands are home to 80 percent of the world’s #Biodiversity, while modern #IndustrialAgriculture is responsible for 80 percent of global #deforestation, it’s clear that Western society still desperately needs to learn what Indigenous people have known for millennia: that human beings must live in a reciprocal relationship with the Earth.

"Around the world, Indigenous peoples have long practiced the key elements of regenerative agriculture. Here are just a few examples:

The art of #agroforestry

Some Indigenous communities, like the #Lenca people in #Honduras, know agroforestry simply as 'traditional technique.' Agroforestry—or the concept of growing crops in a way that mimics the forest and offers shade, protection, and nutrients—is such common practice there is no special name for it.

"Our lead for sustainable forest management, Emmanuelle Bérenger, explains the importance of Indigenous growing methods: 'By using #sustainable practices taught from one generation to another, [Indigenous peoples] actively safeguard forests, preserving biodiversity and keeping a delicate balance essential for both the environment and their own sustenance.' "

Learn more:
https://www.rainforest-alliance.org/insights/the-indigenous-roots-of-regenerative-agriculture/

#SolarPunkSunday #Intercropping #FoodForests #ProtectNature #ProtectBiodiversity

The #Indigenous Roots of #RegenerativeAgriculture

“All flourishing is mutual.”
– Robin Wall Kimmerer, Braiding Sweetgrass

August 9, 2023

"While a new wave of enthusiasm has crested in recent years, regenerative agriculture is an ancient concept that originated with #IndigenousPeoples around the world more than a thousand years ago. In many Indigenous world views, humans and nature are not separate forces, but parts of a whole that need each other to thrive. Regenerative agriculture supports this by promoting farming methods that enrich the land—so it can continue to provide for present and future generations.

"Embracing #TraditionalKnowledge

"Due to the long and horrific history of #StolenLand and #colonization, the Global North often refers to #IndigenousPeoples’ culture and knowledge in the past tense. Yet today, Indigenous peoples are indisputably the best guardians of our world’s most precious #ecosystems. When you take into account that the few remaining Indigenous lands are home to 80 percent of the world’s #Biodiversity, while modern #IndustrialAgriculture is responsible for 80 percent of global #deforestation, it’s clear that Western society still desperately needs to learn what Indigenous people have known for millennia: that human beings must live in a reciprocal relationship with the Earth.

"Around the world, Indigenous peoples have long practiced the key elements of regenerative agriculture. Here are just a few examples:

The art of #agroforestry

Some Indigenous communities, like the #Lenca people in #Honduras, know agroforestry simply as 'traditional technique.' Agroforestry—or the concept of growing crops in a way that mimics the forest and offers shade, protection, and nutrients—is such common practice there is no special name for it.

"Our lead for sustainable forest management, Emmanuelle Bérenger, explains the importance of Indigenous growing methods: 'By using #sustainable practices taught from one generation to another, [Indigenous peoples] actively safeguard forests, preserving biodiversity and keeping a delicate balance essential for both the environment and their own sustenance.' "

Learn more:
https://www.rainforest-alliance.org/insights/the-indigenous-roots-of-regenerative-agriculture/

#SolarPunkSunday #Intercropping #FoodForests #ProtectNature #ProtectBiodiversity

The #Indigenous Roots of #RegenerativeAgriculture

“All flourishing is mutual.”
– Robin Wall Kimmerer, Braiding Sweetgrass

August 9, 2023

"While a new wave of enthusiasm has crested in recent years, regenerative agriculture is an ancient concept that originated with #IndigenousPeoples around the world more than a thousand years ago. In many Indigenous world views, humans and nature are not separate forces, but parts of a whole that need each other to thrive. Regenerative agriculture supports this by promoting farming methods that enrich the land—so it can continue to provide for present and future generations.

"Embracing #TraditionalKnowledge

"Due to the long and horrific history of #StolenLand and #colonization, the Global North often refers to #IndigenousPeoples’ culture and knowledge in the past tense. Yet today, Indigenous peoples are indisputably the best guardians of our world’s most precious #ecosystems. When you take into account that the few remaining Indigenous lands are home to 80 percent of the world’s #Biodiversity, while modern #IndustrialAgriculture is responsible for 80 percent of global #deforestation, it’s clear that Western society still desperately needs to learn what Indigenous people have known for millennia: that human beings must live in a reciprocal relationship with the Earth.

"Around the world, Indigenous peoples have long practiced the key elements of regenerative agriculture. Here are just a few examples:

The art of #agroforestry

Some Indigenous communities, like the #Lenca people in #Honduras, know agroforestry simply as 'traditional technique.' Agroforestry—or the concept of growing crops in a way that mimics the forest and offers shade, protection, and nutrients—is such common practice there is no special name for it.

"Our lead for sustainable forest management, Emmanuelle Bérenger, explains the importance of Indigenous growing methods: 'By using #sustainable practices taught from one generation to another, [Indigenous peoples] actively safeguard forests, preserving biodiversity and keeping a delicate balance essential for both the environment and their own sustenance.' "

Learn more:
https://www.rainforest-alliance.org/insights/the-indigenous-roots-of-regenerative-agriculture/

#SolarPunkSunday #Intercropping #FoodForests #ProtectNature #ProtectBiodiversity

Traditional knowledge continues to influence many aspects of modern life, including healthcare, medicinal plants, education, research, and community development.

Preserving and understanding this knowledge can help future generations learn from practices that have been passed down over time.

Read more: https://patanjali-life.blogspot.com/2026/06/how-traditional-knowledge-continues-to-benefit-modern-society.html

#TraditionalKnowledge #Ayurveda #Education #Research #SustainableDevelopment #CommunityDevelopment

Why are quality standards and research important in Ayurveda?

Traditional knowledge, documentation, and research all contribute to preserving and advancing Ayurvedic knowledge for future generations.

Read more: https://patanjali-life.blogspot.com/2026/06/why-quality-and-research-are-important-in-ayurveda.html

#Ayurveda #TraditionalKnowledge #Research #QualityStandards #HolisticWellness

Why do medicinal plants remain important in today's world?

🌿 Traditional healthcare support
🌿 Natural product development
🌿 Scientific research
🌿 Biodiversity conservation
🌿 Sustainable rural livelihoods

This infographic highlights five reasons medicinal plants continue to be relevant today.

Learn more: https://acharyabalkrishna.com/pages/about-acharya-ji

#MedicinalPlants #Ayurveda #HerbalResearch #TraditionalKnowledge #Biodiversity

Ayurveda and yoga are increasingly being discussed together as part of holistic wellness, balanced living, and long-term well-being.

This article explores how Ayurveda, yoga, education, and social welfare can contribute toward holistic development in modern life: https://patanjali-life.blogspot.com/2026/05/ayurveda-yoga-and-holistic-development.html

#Ayurveda #Yoga #HolisticLiving #Wellness #TraditionalKnowledge

Lessons from the #Incas: How llamas, terraces and trees could help the #Andes survive #ClimateChange

by Alex Chepstow-Lusty, August 26, 2025

Excerpt: "The evidence shows that from around the year 1100, during a period of global warming known as the Medieval Climatic Anomaly, Andean communities moved higher up into the mountains. They built terraces, irrigated slopes, and planted trees such as alder to make the soil more fertile and provide wood.

"Llamas and their cousins, alpacas, were vital as they were hardy, light-footed, and supplied wool, fuel and fertilizer. Their communal dung heaps even show up in the lake sediments, revealed by spikes in fossils of certain dung-eating mites that thrived when llama caravans were pastured nearby.

"Together, these practices stabilized soils, reduced erosion, and allowed large populations to thrive in the Andes."

[...]

"When the Spanish arrived in the 1530s, this balance was upended. New livestock—cattle, sheep and goats—trampled vegetation and eroded soils. Their free-ranging herds left waste across the landscape, unlike llamas and their easily-collectible dung.

"At the same time, the Spaniards cut down forests for timber and charcoal, in contrast to the Inca who had imposed harsh penalties to protect their woodland resources. The 17th century Spanish pastor and chronicler, Bernabé Cobo, remarked that a Spanish household used as much fuel in one day as a native household would in an entire month.

"The lake sediments record the ecological damage of the era: excess nutrients from dung, more erosion, and a collapse of the Inca's sustainable land management."

Read more:
https://phys.org/news/2025-08-lessons-incas-llamas-terraces-trees.html

#SolarPunkSunday #TerraceGardening #TraditionalKnowledge #TraditionalEcologicalKnowledge #ClimateAdaptive #LessonsFromThePast #SustainableLandManagement #MedievalClimaticAnomaly #MoreTrees #Colonialism #IndigenousHistory

Alrighty then. This article is a good segue into today's #SolarPunkSunday session! Tune in for posts about #Sustainability, #SolarPunk, #RightToRepair, and related topics!

#Wabanaki Sustenance and Self-Determination, by Jillian Kerr, November 7, 2024

"Before #colonization, the Wabanaki region was rich in food; Wabanaki Tribes had excellent knowledge of their environment and knew where to find each resource, when it was abundant, and in what quantities. They utilized natural resources and foods respectfully, creating little or no waste. This sustainable approach to food and natural resources made the Wabanaki among the healthiest people in the world. However, the arrival of Europeans disrupted this harmony, forcing the Wabanaki out of their homelands. Europeans imposed a different understanding of nature and harvesting, which led to unhealthy and unsustainable practices. The Wabanaki continue to strive for the restoration of their traditional foodways as a way to practice food sovereignty.

"To develop food sovereignty and economic stability, the Mi’kmaq Nation in Aroostook County constructed an indoor fish hatchery on the site of Micmac Farms in Caribou, Maine. This farm, which previously only grew and sold fresh or preserved fruits and vegetables, now receives Nesowadnehunk Brook Trout eggs from the Maine State Hatchery in Enfield, Maine. The grown fish are then sold back to Maine’s Soil and Water Conservation District for public consumption throughout the state. In addition, they generously donate food to the local food bank and provide discounts for Tribal members, demonstrating a sustainable model for food sovereignty for the Mi’kmaq Nation.

"The Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians launched a food sovereignty initiative to increase access to nutritious food, improve food sovereignty, and strengthen connections to Wabanaki culture by sharing traditional food production, storage, and preparation approaches. The lessons learned add to current knowledge about developing, implementing, and evaluating a model rooted in the principles of food sovereignty. Opportunities to learn and share knowledge about traditional storage and recipes are provided to community members, and existing partnerships have been leveraged to develop a sustainable model. Additional community gardens were also created to increase food production capacity, increasing food sovereignty for the Maliseet.

"One way the Passamaquoddy Tribe fights for food sovereignty is by restoring the watershed of the Skutik River, which was renamed the St. Croix River by colonists. The Skutik River is at the heart of the ancestral home of the Passamaquoddy Tribe.. This crucial watershed is the natural spawning ground and ancient homeland for many species of sea-run fish, including Atlantic salmon and sea-run alewife (river herring), a vital food source. Historically, the number of fish swimming up the Skutik River was massive and sustained the Passamaquoddy for thousands of years. Yet now, the alewife population is too small to feed or sustain the Tribe.

"The large amount of pollution produced by colonization upset the productivity and natural balance of the Skutik River and the life cycles of the native fishery, straining the river’s ecosystem. For many years, Maine law blocked sea-run alewives from accessing their natural and ancient spawning ground in the Skutik watershed, which diminished this important traditional sustenance food source and disturbed the cultural practices of Passamaquoddy Tribal members. The Passamaquoddy established the Skutik Watershed Strategic Sea-run Fish and River Restoration Plan to mitigate the damage and find a better way forward. They developed a collaborative of Skutik stewards, also known as the Skutik River Keepers, who work with various agencies to give the river the best chance at restoring the watershed, thereby giving the Passamaquoddy more access to traditional foods and strengthening their food sovereignty.

"The Penobscot Nation fights for food sovereignty in various ways, including rebuilding outlets on Tribal trust lands. The Penobscot ancestral homeland is located within the drainage area of the Penobscot River and its many tributaries, lakes, and ponds. The area was the fishing place for spearing and netting fish, like salmon and alewives. It was a primary nourishing source of food, medicine, connection, joy, and spirituality for the Penobscot during spring and early summer. The mills and mill dams built by colonizers upset the river's natural ecosystem, cutting off fish from places required to complete their life cycle. As a result, the river no longer contained the fish that had historically fed the Penobscot Tribe. The Penobscot successfully rebuilt outlets on Tribal trust lands in Mattamiscontis Stream, and they have completed many stream connectivity projects. This resulted in growing populations of alewives and blueback herring in the newly restored system, making more fish available as a food source for the Tribe.

"The land is a cornerstone of Native life. Before colonization, Wabanaki Tribes had developed an environmentally friendly and communal food system to protect the land and environment, using natural resources without harming the environment that provided bountiful food sources. However, centuries of colonization have separated the Wabanaki and other Native communities from their homelands and traditional foods. Natives were physically, culturally, and spiritually tied to their homelands, and forced relocation into unknown lands made it impossible to access traditional foods and harvest adequate nutrition from the land for survival. The lack of knowledge of unknown lands led to a dependence on government-issued rations and commodities. These rations and commodities consisted of dairy, processed wheat, sugars, etc., all foreign to the Native diet. The government's aim in providing these rations and commodities to Natives was not to provide nutrition but to prevent starvation.

"Forced relocation and other federal policies devastated many Tribes’ food systems, disrupting their hunting, fishing, farming, and harvesting traditions. The disruption continues today as the federal government still decides what foods they will distribute to Native communities. The government also makes agreements with the producers, a system that favors large-scale vendors, leading to missed opportunities for Native farmers. Problems with food quality also still exist; many traditional foods are still unavailable, and it is not uncommon for produce to travel long distances and arrive spoiled. Despite this upheaval, the Wabanaki have shown remarkable resilience and are determined to restore their traditional food practices and reclaim their food sovereignty."

Original article (includes sources):
https://www.wabanakireach.org/wabanaki_sustenance_and_self_determination_by_jillian_kerr

#FoodSovereignty #WabanakiConfederacy #PenobscotNation #PassamaquoddyTribe #HoultonBandOfMaliseets #AroostookCountyMikmaqNation #Mikmaq #Maine #MaineTribes #NativeAmericanKnowledge #TraditionalKnowledge #WaterIsLife #Wabanaki #EnvironmentalStewards #PenobscotRiver #CaribouMaine #ForcedRelocation #LandBack #OceansAreLife #CommunityGardens #MicMacFarms #Decolonize #Colonialism #SettlerColonialism

[Short film]: #Megadroughts and #IndigenousVoices

"The Southwestern United States is experiencing a megadrought, but this isn’t the first time people have survived one in the region. By highlighting ideas and practices from #Navajo tradition, this story by Native Outdoors of Colorado Plateau re-centers our relationship to water."

Watch:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i4rNcEnPk9Q&list=PLtiOgIRVt407KkUa7gtlkGIuTD5YU6bqT&index=7

#IndigenousKnowledge
#NativeAmericanHeritageMonth #ClimateChange #Dineh #Diné #WaterIsLife #IndigenousHistory #ClimateChangeSolutions
#PublicTelevision #WGBH #FilmSeries #LegacyOfTheLand #ClimateChange #ChangingClimate #IndigenousFilmmakers #NOVA #ClimateChange #TraditionalKnowledge #TEK #SolarPunkSunday #TraditionalGardening #NativeAmericanGardening #IndigenousPeoplesDay

Trekking through tribal lands as the #PenobscotNation plans to reacquire 30,000 acres

[Many] see the land return as an opportunity to reconsider what conservation looks like. Studies have found that #Indigenous-managed lands have #biodiversity levels equal to or greater than protected lands, and conservationists have become increasingly interested in what is known as #TraditionalEcologicalKnowledge.
Story by Nate Hathaway
3/17/2024

"The Trust for Public Land [#TPL] is working with the Penobscot Nation to return 30,000 acres near #MountKatahdin to the tribe, which would solidify #Wabanaki #sovereignty over land their ancestors have stewarded for generations.

"The parcel would create a contiguous stretch of conserved land from existing Penobscot Nation holdings near the East Branch of the #PenobscotRiver all the way to #Jackman and #MooseheadLake, combining to form 1.2 million acres.

"The land — which is being called #Wasehtek, a Penobscot word that corresponds to the #EastBranch of the Penobscot River — was owned by Conservation Resources, a #timber investment management organization. In December 2022, the Trust for Public Land announced it had purchased the property for approximately $29 million.

"The land is currently accessed by a limited network of logging roads, which vary in quality. With over 53 miles of rivers and streams, and a diverse population of game species, the land offers substantial fishing and hunting opportunities.

"This move in northern #Maine fits into a nationwide effort to return ancestral lands to #Native tribes. The federal Land Buy-Back Program for #TribalNations, a decade-long initiative that concluded in December [2023], restored nearly 3 million acres to tribal ownership and paid over $1.69 billion to individuals."

Read more: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/trekking-through-tribal-lands-as-the-penobscot-nation-plans-to-reacquire-30000-acres/ar-BB1k2aqd

#LandBack #Stewardship #TraditionalKnowledge #TraditionalOwners #WabanakiConfederacy #IndigenousPeoplesDay