Indigenous science is the application and intersection of Indigenous knowledge and science. In ecology, this is sometimes termed traditional ecological knowledge.^[1][2][3] Indigenous science refers to the knowledge systems and practices of Indigenous peoples, which are rooted in their cultural traditions and relationships to their indigenous context. It follows the same methods of Western science including (but not limited to): observation, prediction, interpretation, questioning.^[4] The knowledge and information that Indigenous people have was often devalued by white European and American scientists and explorers.^[5] However, there has been a growing recognition of the benefits of incorporating Indigenous perspectives and knowledge particularly in fields such as ecology and environmental management.^[6][7]

Traditional and scientific

Indigenous knowledge and experiences are often passed down orally from generation to generation.^[8][9] Indigenous knowledge has an empirical basis and has traditionally been used to predict and understand the world.^[10][11][12] Such knowledge has informed studies of human management of natural processes.^[13][14]

In ecology

Indigenous science is related to the term "traditional ecological knowledge" or "TEK" which is specific category of Indigenous science.^[15]

The study of ecology focuses on the relationships and patterns between organisms in their environment.^[16] TEK is place-based, so the information and understanding are context-dependent.^[17] One example of such work is ethnobiology which employs Indigenous knowledge and botany to identify and classify species.^[18] TEK has been used to provide perspectives on matters such as how a declining fish population affects nature, the food web, and coastal ecosystems.^[19]

Indigenous science has helped to address ecological challenges including the restoration of salmon,^[20] management of seabird harvests,^[21] outbreaks of hantavirus,^[22] and addressing wildfires.^[23]

Place based sciences

Indigenous science may offer a different perspective from what is traditionally thought of as "science".^[24] In particular, Indigenous science is tied to territory, cultural practices, and experiences/teachings in explicit ways that are often absent in normal scientific discourse.^[25]

Collaboration between Indigenous communities and research scientists has been described as a kind of "indigenizing" of the scientific method with Indigenous-led projects and community work enacted as a starting point for the collaborations.^[26]

Climatology studies have made use of traditional knowledge (Qaujimajatuqangit) among the Inuit when studying long-term changes in sea ice.^[27][28]

As well as in ecology, Indigenous knowledge has been used in biological areas including animal behaviour, evolution, physiology, life history, morphology, wildlife conservation, wildlife health, and taxonomy.^{[29][better source needed]}

Indigenous technologies

The definition of technology is "the application of scientific knowledge for practical purposes, especially in industry.".^[30] Examples of Indigenous technologies that were developed for specific use based on their location and culture include: clam gardens, fish weirs, and culturally modified trees (CMTs).^[31] Indigenous technologies are available in a wide range of subjects such as: agri- and mari-culture, fishing, forest management and resource exploitation, atmospheric, and land based management techniques.^[31] Chaco Canyon is an example of land-based Indigenous technologies which show keen insight into the scientific and mathematical underpinnings.^[32]

Technology by area

The American Southeast

Agriculture in the southeast was based on a mixed-crop, shifting cultivation system^[33] growing corn, beans, and squash together in the same mounds; an inter-cropping system known as the three sisters.^[34] In this horticultural technique, each plant offers something to the others, thus improving the crop yield. Corn is the high-caloric food supported by the beans which provide nitrogen from nitrogen-fixing bacteria that live on their roots, and squash provide ground cover (suppresses weeds and keeps soil moist).^[34] Other crops incorporated in the inter-cropping system included sunflowers or grains like barley or maygrass.^[35]

Notable scholars

• Nancy C. Maryboy
• Karlie Noon
• Lydia Jennings
• Ian Saem Majnep
• Robin Wall Kimmerer