Page 28 - IB July 2021

Resilience Resilience

TRADITIONAL KNOWLEDGE

SCIENCE IN A DIFFERENT DIALECT

By Ariela Zibiah (black bird except for its white chest) flying low warns of
strong winds, and a much thicker dark ring around the moon
The Pacific region has relied on traditional knowledge from warns of heavy rain.
time immemorial to predict bad weather. Across our ocean Discussions underline the continuing relevance of traditional
of islands, sightings of low-flying frigates, or an abundance knowledge in climate sciences. What is lost on those who
of breadfruit in a particular season can warn of impending dismiss traditional knowledge is that while the indicators re-
cyclones and even their intensity, allowing time for communi- main, it is the timelines which have shifted, disarranging the
ties to store and preserve food before disaster. seasonal delineations we are used to.
This traditional knowledge has been tested and relied upon There is concern we are not recording current shifts and
for generations. Local or traditional knowledge and systems related manifestations. This is important if we are to main-
are critical for the survival and progress of Pacific peoples. tain or update our (largely oral-based) traditional knowledge
Proponents of the utilisation of traditional knowledge in repositories.
the context of climate change and resilience argue that these
bodies of knowledge continue to dictate island communities’ Traditional knowledge and global goals
daily lives, and therefore associated languages and indigenous UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural
calendars are a lot more effective as well, as communication Organization) in a report published with LINKS (Local and
tools for preparedness. Indigenous Knowledge Systems) in 2017, defined local and
Discussions at the recent virtual Pacific Resilience Meet- indigenous knowledge as the “understandings, skills and phi-
ing (PRM) organised by the Pacific Resilience Partnership losophies developed by societies with long histories of interac-
and chaired by the Pacific Community brought to the fore tion with their natural surroundings”. For Pacific peoples,
examples of indicators that continue to forecast the weather tested scientific understanding is underpinned by our culture,
for island communities, and the importance of recording such connection to land, and observations passed down through
knowledge and ensuring they are incorporated into main- generations of our peoples.
stream learning spaces. The report acknowledges that local and indigenous knowl-
Some indicators used in Tuvalu include cracks on the ground edge systems continue to inform daily decision-making
which warn of a drought, frenzied food gathering by brown processes of indigenous communities, that it encompasses
and black ants warn of bad weather, flocks of the katafa language, systems of classification, resource use practices, so-

28 Islands Business, July 2021