Wednesday, February 8, 2012

The Key to Addressing Climate Change – Indigenous Knowledge

Nat Geo: The Key to Addressing Climate Change – Indigenous Knowledge

 

Indigenous peoples are the ones affected by the climate change the most, although they have contributed little to its causes. This is largely a result of their historic dependence on local biological diversity, ecosystem services and cultural landscapes as a source of their sustenance, wellbeing, and resilience.

 

SD House committee rejects child sexual abuse bill

 

A House committee on Monday rejected a bill that would have eliminated the time limit for victims of childhood sexual abuse to file civil lawsuits against perpetrators or institutions, despite emotional testimony from victims during a two hour hearing. Several cried loudly by the elevator after members of the House Judiciary Committee voted to kill the bill 9-4. A number were American Indian and said they were abused by Catholic clergy at churches or boarding schools.

Smithsonian Magazine: What the Inuit Taught Scientists About Killer Whales

 

Two researchers have employed a method called “Traditional Ecological Knowledge” to characterize the diet and behavior of killer whales in Nunavut, Canada. People who live in a region often know a lot about its environment. This is, of course, not always true. For instance, here in Minnesota, the bears are all Ursus americanus, also known as “black bears.” But their fur color varies a lot, so there are whitish ones, brownish ones and even blond ones. A lot of Minnesotans think we have two kind of bears here, black and brown, incorrectly assuming that a black bear that is brown is Ursus arctos, the brown bear. The point is, I would not trust a randomly chosen Minnesotan to be able to accurately list which members of the order Carnivora live in their own state, let alone to describe the animals’ diet or behavior.

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