Essence of Traditional Knowledge
Dr.V.Vijayalakshmi
Associate Professor, SSL
Vellore Institute of Technology, Chennai
Hello Learners, in the last video we discussed on the Course Contents of Essence of Traditional
Knowledge, in this video, let us try to understand the Definition and meaning of Traditional
Knowledge.
• Traditional knowledge refers to the knowledge, innovations and practices of indigenous
and local communities around the world.
• Developed from experience gained over the centuries and adapted to the local culture and
environment.
• It tends to be collectively owned and takes the form of stories, songs, folklore, proverbs,
cultural values, beliefs, rituals, community laws, local language, and agricultural
practices, including the development of plant species and animal breeds.
• Traditional knowledge is transmitted from generation to generation orally.
• “Traditional knowledge” is an open-ended way to refer to tradition-based literary, artistic
or scientific works; performances; inventions; scientific discoveries; designs; marks,
names and symbols; undisclosed information; and all other tradition-based innovations
and creations resulting from intellectual activity.
Definition
• The definition of traditional knowledge used by the World Intellectual Property Office
(WIPO) includes indigenous knowledge relating to categories such as agricultural
knowledge, medicinal knowledge, biodiversity- related knowledge, and expressions of
folklore in the form of music, dance, song, handicraft, designs, stories and artwork.
What is Traditional Knowledge?
Medicinal, Agricultural Music & Dance,
& Ecological Knowledge Stories & Poetry
Artesanat Spiritual Expression
(Handicrafts)
Transmitted Collective
orally across responsibility &
generations ownership
Constantly evolving
How do Native people define traditional knowledge?
• It is practical common sense based on teachings and experiences passed on from
generation to generation.
• It is knowing the country. It covers knowledge of the environment - snow, ice, weather,
resources - and the relationships between things.
• It is holistic. It cannot be compartmentalized and cannot be separated from the people
who hold it. It is rooted in the spiritual health, culture and language of the people. It is a
way of life.
• Traditional knowledge is an authority system. It sets out the rules governing the use of
resources - respect, an obligation to share. It is dynamic, cumulative and stable. It is
truth.
• Traditional knowledge is a way of life -wisdom is using traditional knowledge in good
ways. It is using the heart and the head together. It comes from the spirit in order to
survive.
• It gives credibility to the people.
Comparisons between indigenous and scientific knowledge
• The interest to compare scientific and traditional knowledge comes from collecting
traditional knowledge without the contextual elements.
• For example, Native people have a far richer and more subtle understanding of the
characteristics of ice and snow than do non-indigenous people. In fact, some Native
classification is available only by virtue of its relationship to human activities and
feelings. These comparisons sometimes incorrectly lead science practitioners to trivialize
traditional understanding.
• For many indigenous people today, the communication of traditional knowledge is
hampered by competition from other cultures that capture the imagination of the young.
They are bombarded by technology that teaches them non-indigenous ways and limits the
capacity of elders to pass on traditional knowledge to the young. As the elders die, the
full richness of tradition is diminished, because some of it has not been passed on and so
is lost. It is important therefore to find ways of preserving this knowledge.
In this video, we understood the meaning and definition of Traditional knowledge and the
comparison between indigenous knowledge and scientific knowledge and in the next video, let
us understand the Comparisons between traditional and scientific knowledge with respect to its
style and with respect to its use.
Thank you Learners
