Indigenous Knowledge and Importance

Presented By:Kailash Soni

PGP-2, IIMA

Agenda

What is Indigenous knowledgeDifference with Scientific/Western

KnowledgeThreats to indigenous knowledgeBiases with the bottom of the pyramidWays to improve these biasesConservation of Indigenous knowledge

Indigenous knowledge

Traditional KnowledgeRelated to a community or a cultureRespect for the earthContemporary knowledge is also

sometimes a part of Indigenous knowledge

Decreasing number of traditional group/societies

Indigenous knowledge Vs Scientific knowledge

Methodological and epistemological grounds

Contextual groundsSubstantive grounds

Threats to indigenous knowledge

Prior informed consent considered not necessary

Pressures of modernization and cultural homogenization

Macro-level problems are supposed to be solved by global pool of knowledge

Continued neglect of international institutions of ethical and professional rights of local communities

Very few Institutions supportive of grass-root innovations and traditional knowledge

Biases with bottom of the pyramid

Low confidenceImproper knowledge of their rightsLower SavingsLesser planning to achieve goalsApply indigenous knowledge personally,

but very less options of taking them ahead

What can remove these biases

EducationFormation of institutional windows (like

NIF) of opportunity to carry ideas and traditional knowledge

To ignore people’s knowledge is almost to ensure failure in development (Brokensha et al. 1980)

Conservation of Indigenous knowledge

Documentation, storage in international, regional and national archives

Formation of more foundations like NIF which can carry grassroot level innovations ideas forward

To ignore people’s knowledge is almost to ensure failure in development (Brokensha et al. 1980)

Thank You