Indigenous and Traditional Ecological Knowledge(TEK)

TEK: Refers to age-old knowledge of the indigenous communities related to ecology, which is not borrowed from anywhere but originally existed. 

Indigenous Epistemologies (Theory of Knowledge):

Two categories: Inductive: Specific observations to general conclusions

      Deductive: Starts with a general principle and applies it to specific cases to reach                                         conclusions.

Traditional Ecological Knowledge in Bhutan:

Local Indigenous way of healing { སྨོན་བཅོས་རིམ་འགྲོ }: It involves a profound connection to nature, the use of herbal plants and natural resources, and rituals passed down through generations that are holistic, focusing on restoring balance and harmony between spirit, body, and the environment.

Indigenous communities are often criticized by foreign thinkers, who label them as a primitive society due to their differing perspectives. While the indigenous community may view the drying of water sources through a spiritual lens, a foreign thinker might approach it with scientific reasoning. 

Indigenous communities are not merely "primitive societies"; they are deeply sophisticated cultures with their own systems of knowledge, belief, and practice. These societies contributed to environmental sustainability, agriculture, and medicine. A more respectful perspective is to view indigenous communities as diverse and deeply knowledgeable cultures. 

To conclude, for us scholars, it is important to use multiple perspectives, including TEK, to understand humans and the environment.

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