Rohana Ulluwishewa
Mike Warren
Akke Tick
Research on indigenous knowledge is widespread in Sri
Lanka. People from different disciplines are recording
indigenous knowledge and trying to incorporate it into
development activities. This became evident at the national
symposium on 'Indigenous knowledge and sustainable
development' held in March 1994 in Colombo. In this article a
short overview of the presentations is given. In addition some
conclusions are drawn and future activities of SLARCIK are
presented.
As part of its ongoing activities the Sri Lanka Resource Centre for Indigenous Knowledge and Development (SLARCIK) organised a national symposium on 'Indigenous knowledge and sustainable development'. It was held on 19-20 March 1994 in Colombo (Sri Lanka). Participants (100) represented the academic community, indigenous peoples (Veddha), NGOs and research institutes. The symposium was sponsored by the Swedish Agency for Research Cooperation with Developing Countries (SAREC) and the International Development Research Centre (IDRC, New Delhi, India).
This symposium was the first opportunity for people from all over the country with an interest in indigenous knowledge to exchange ideas and discuss with each other. Twenty-two papers were prepared. The papers were related to 4 important facets: farming systems, healthcare, natural resources management and indigenous technologies.
Objectives
The general objective of the symposium was the creation of a
national network of individuals and institutions with an
interest in indigenous knowledge in Sri Lanka. More
specifically the objectives were:
Honourable Dr. W. Wickramasinghe, Minister of Environment and Parliamentary Affairs, gave an overview of many activities that have been set up in relation to IK research. He quoted many publications. It is important to note that the Minister had informed himself very well on the subject of indigenous knowledge and found indigenous knowledge a prerequisite for development. He was very interested in the subject of IK and has shown an interest in supporting research on indigenous knowledge.
In his keynote address, Dr. D.M. Warren gave an historical overview of the various activities that have brought indigenous knowledge on the agenda of scientists and development workers. At first indigenous knowledge was seen as backwards, simple, savage and static and now it is more and more recognized that indigenous knowledge is dynamic and can be the basis for sustainable development.
Plenary session
Some general addresses were given as introduction to the
technical sessions. Professor L. Jayatilake stressed that
indigenous knowledge is part of technology. He explained that
indigenous knowledge is dynamic by stating that technological
solutions will always go wrong in the end. He also raised
questions on the added value of indigenous knowledge.
The indigenous technologies for the use of natural resources, in particular the use of mineral resources, were highlighted by Dr. S. Senevirathna. Mrs. P. Fernando emphasized the difference between professional scientists and knowledgeable lay persons or people and pointed out the potential value of the latter group for sustainable development.
Farming Systems
Five presentations focussed on farming systems. Dr. S.
Vidanapathirana discussed the significance of IK in modern
agriculture and which adaptations are necessary to suit the
present day demands. Information on the sustained use of IK
are sometimes yet to be found. Dr. W.U.K. Rajapakse presented
his research on the agricultural, nutritional and economic
importance of traditional food plants in Sri Lanka which tries
to contribute to the household food security of the rural
poor. It was concluded that the promotion of traditional food
varieties, which require minimum inputs under favourable soil
and weather conditions, can supply a stable yield as an
alternative policy scenario to improve the food security of
the rural household.
Philosophy and religion can sometimes influence the indigenous way of thinking and culture. Mr. D.T. Weerakkody and Mr. K. Randeni discussed the concept of Mahabhutha and its impact on farming practices. Dr. E.S. Mahendrarajah explained that at the 'Gnanammah integrated research farm' the production base of the integrated approach includes soil, soul and surrounding.
Finally, Mrs. dr. H. Ranasinghe stressed the importance of a holistic approach to solve land use problems and to increase the human ecological carrying capacity. It is also notable to mention that many scientific organizations are placing the old way of agroforestry on a scientific footing.
Healthcare
In Sri Lanka there is an enormous amount of information on
traditional human and animal healthcare which was partly
reflected in the six presentations as the vast storehouse of
indigenous systems of medicine is yet to be explored. Dr. P.
Serasinghe stated that the indigenous physicians of Sri Lanka
have explored medicinal properties of plants, extracts of
animals and minerals through careful observation as well as
trial and error. He also explained that any system of medicine
will decline, deteriorate and decay if it does not grow and
improve with a view to keeping pace with the prevailing times
and conditions.
One of the main indigenous systems of medicine is based on Ayurveda. Dr. M.H.A. Tissera spoke extensively on this subject. Dr. R.H.S. Premkumar and Rev. V. Mahinda highlighted respectively the role of the traditional midwife and the role of Buddhist monks in the traditional healthcare system in Sri Lanka. Some interesting ethnoveterinary practices were presented by Dr. T. Jayatileka and Dr. W. Piyadasa.
Natural resources management
When discussing natural resources management one can
distinguish many subjects. This was reflected in the seven
presentations. Mrs. M. Prickett-Fernando spoke on the ancient
irrigation systems in relation to sustainable development.
Over 20,000 ancient reservoirs and thousands of diversion
structures occur in Sri Lanka. Some have been described, but
many others have not. All systems can be seen as an amalgam of
many technologies. It is important to study the systems
extensively before renovating or replacing them.
Traditional rituals and customs can be an important component of activities and life styles. Dr. H.M.D.R. Herath described the Mutti-mangallaya and explained its influence on the maintenance of natural resources. Dr. G.P. Alwis spoke on how the ancestors harnessed the environment in a sustainable way. Mrs. dr. J. de Silva presented the strategies adopted by the Veddha community in maintaining the balance of nature.
Dr. Palihawadana has done extensive research on forestry practices. He used IK to understand the functions of several types of forestry activities in Sri Lanka and to create a system which will meet the modern demand. Mr. G. Hitinayake-- replacing Mr. Tilakasiri--drew upon examples from his study in Kandyan Home Gardens, while emphasizing the potential value of the Knowledge Based Approach to research on natural resources management as an alternative to other conventional approaches.
Mr. S. Shanti--replacing Mr. N.E. Prakash--made a presentation on indigenous methods of pest control. Based on the findings of his survey, he presented valuable information on various methods of biological, mechanical and cultural pest control techniques used by traditional farmers.
Indigenous technologies
Three of the five presentations in this section were related
to food. Dr. Jayakody gave examples of traditional methods of
food preservation. Dr. P. Abeywardene gave details on the
processing of jak and breadfruit. Dr. V. Hiddelage said that
traditional food packaging materials and methods continue to
play an important role in Sri Lanka.
Mr. M. Somatilake emphasized some of the superior qualities of
indigenous painting technologies while
Prof. W.I. Siriweera highlighted indigenous fishing techniques
used by farmers for inland fishery and pointed out their
contribution to sustainability of fishery resources.
Conclusion
The symposium has given a great impetus to all people in Sri
Lanka who are working with the concept of indigenous
knowledge. The papers reflect the wide distribution of
academic backgrounds and it was concluded that research on
indigenous knowledge in various disciplines is wide spread
over the country. However, there is an enormous amount of
indigenous knowledge still to be recorded.
The relation between indigenous knowledge and sustainable development was not always clear in the papers. Much work is still to be done to put the rather theoretical descriptions in practice for sustainable development. It was also noted that there is still much to be done to integrate the indigenous knowledge systems with the international knowledge systems.
One topic raised was the distance between the participants in the seminar and the people from whom the indigenous knowledge is recorded. It was concluded that ways have to be found to bring the knowledge back to the people themselves.
The symposium has given SLARCIK the opportunity to identify a large number of organisations and individuals who are involved and have interests in the promotion of indigenous knowledge systems in Sri Lanka. Actions are now being taken to get them involved in the future activities of SLARCIK and as members of the national advisory board, executive committee, sectoral committees and the national network.
The sectoral committees of SLARCIK will be given instructions to prepare their own action plan and research proposals which will eventually be used to prepare a core proposal for funding. SLARCIK also has plans to compile a national IK Research Directory.
The proceedings of the symposium are being prepared by SLARCIK.
Prof. R. Ulluwishewa
Sri Lanka Resource Centre for Indigenous Knowledge
(SLARCIK)
University of Sri Jayewardenapura
Geography Unit
Nugegoda, Sri Lanka
Tel: +94-1-851685
Fax: +94-1-437879
Dr. D.M. Warren
Center for Indigenous Knowledge for Agriculture and
Rural Development (CIKARD)
318 Curtiss Hall
Iowa State University
Ames, Iowa 50011
USA
Tel: +1-515-2940938
Fax: +1-515-2946058
E-mail: dmwarren@iastate.edu
Ms. drs. Akke W. Tick
Centre for International Research and Advisory
Networks
Nuffic-CIRAN
P.O. Box 29777, 2502 LT The Hague
The Netherlands
Tel: +31-70-4260321
Fax: +31-70-4260329
E-mail: editor-
ikdm@nuffic.nl
Acknowledgements
SLARCIK wishes to express her gratitude to SAREC and IDRC for
their financial support of the symposium and to the
Intermediate Technology Development Group (ITDG) for kindly
providing logistical support for organizing the symposium.