In her article, Pamela Fernandez appeals to the moral duty of researchers to give credit to indigenous communities for their contribution to 'modern' science (Fernandez, 1994:12). By appealing to a moral duty, Ms Fernandez seriously weakens the argumentation of the rest of her article and seemingly places herself among the scientists who perceive indigenous knowledge as the result of a process of passive accumulation.
What is at stake is more than the mere recognition of indigenous peoples' contributions to modern science. What is at stake is the continuation of an indigenous innovation system on which a large part of the world's population depends for its nutrition and health care, and which has contributed and continues to provide important contributions to agriculture, the pharmaceutical industry and biotechnology.
A recently published report commissioned by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) from the Rural Advancement Foundation International (RAFI) argues that 'contrary to widespread belief, indigenous knowledge is not the passive, accidental accumulation of information about how the natural environment works. Rather, it is an organized dynamic system of investigation and discovery that has yielded--and continues to yield--information that could be critical to the survival of the planet.' (RAFI, 1994: iv)
If it is accepted that there exists a dynamic innovation system rather than a static pool of indigenous knowledge, and that the continuation of this system is important because of the contribution it may make to development and a more sustainable world, then it is about time that the world starts to discuss with indigenous peoples how they can be helped to preserve and strengthen their innovation system. A possible marriage between the two systems can only be meaningful if it is a partnership on equal footing. Imperative for such a partnership is that indigenous communities be given the opportunity to develop their own strategies and to participate in national and international discussions on these issues.
Within this partnership it is important to be aware that indigenous peoples can only protect their knowledge if they value it themselves. As Ms Fernandez (1994:9) states, 'They [farmers] are dependent on external solutions designed to solve their local problems and have lost confidence in their ability to help themselves. They see modern, 'hi-tech', or institutionally promoted techniques as superior to their own.'
As Ms Fernandez writes, it is also required that 'Credit be given where credit is due.' Not on moral grounds though. Credit should be given because it is in the interest of all of us that indigenous innovation systems survive. If the world is serious about support for indigenous knowledge, then indigenous peoples should be accepted as equal partners. The result may not always be what environmentalists or academicians like to see. But if we are left to depend on the moral principles of researchers, or even the best intentions of environmentalists, the chances that indigenous innovation systems will survive the coming United Nations Decade for the World's Indigenous People should be rated as very low indeed.
Marcel Viergever
United Nations Development Programme
Bureau for Programme and Policy Support
One United Nations Plaza
New York, NY 10017
USA
Tel: +1-212-906 5347.
Fax: +1-212-906 5313.
E-mail: marcelv@undp.org
Remarks
The views expressed here are solely those of the
author and should not be attributed to the
United Nations Development Programme.
References
Fernandez, P.G. (1994) 'Indigenous seed practices for
sustainable development', Indigenous
Knowledge and Development Monitor 2(2):12-16.
Rural Advancement Foundation International (1994) Conserving Indigenous Knowledge: integrating two systems of innovation. New York: UNDP.
Researchers and development workers cannot all be put in the same basket. Some indigenous knowledge and indigenous practices are in immediate danger of being lost because the people who possess them are under threat of extinction. Indigenous knowledge has been neglected for far too long, and more and more of it is lost each day that we choose to do nothing about it. Take, for example, the case of the local medicine man in many village communities of the South. Here I need only to quote the following: 'In a conservation context, we stand at the edge of a precipice. We are scrambling to find ways to save the rain forest, yet thousands of years of accumulated human wisdom--the knowledge of how to use the forest without destroying it, to benefit humankind--is going to vanish over that precipice within the next generation.' (from Tales of a shaman's apprentice, by M.J. Plotkin.)
Botanical species are disappearing every day throughout the world, but the knowledge of how they can best be used for medicinal and other beneficial purposes is disappearing at an even faster rate. Each time an aged medicine man (or woman) dies, a whole medicinal encylopedia is lost. This is because the younger generation, invariably exposed to alopathic medicines, shuns the slow-but-sure, home-made remedies for illnesses. Similarly, the use of indigenous seeds and varieties is also declining at a frightening rate as improved hybrids which the market finds acceptable take over.
One of the indigenous peoples who have been traditionally practicing forest conservation and farming practices is the Vishnoi people of semi-arid and arid regions of Rajasthan (India). Legend has it that in 1730 A.D. a Vishnoi woman steadfastly clung to a tree in protest against its being chopped down by soldiers on the orders of the Maharajah of the State. Refusing to let go of the tree, the woman was felled by the soldiers' axe blows. Subsequently, 362 other men, women and children were massacred that day while defending the khezri trees of their community. The Vishnois are one of the few communities in rural India that display zeal for protecting the natural wealth and knowledge around them.
Hence it is my personal conviction that researchers, if not development workers, should immediately join in the efforts to conserve indigenous knowledge and practices. As I see it, the loss that results from inaction is far greater that the disempowerment of the local people which Dr Fernandez fears. Generally, communities that harbour rare indigenous knowledge, practices and germplasm are themselves under threat because of the inroads of modern life, inflationary trends, and migration to urban areas. To slow this erosion, if not halt it completely, we need the active and immediate participation of the researcher.
Ardeshir B. Damania
Genetic Resources Conservation Program
University of California
Davis
CA 95616-8602
USA
Fax: +1-916-757 8755.
Tel: +1-916-757 8884.
E-mail: grcp@ucdavis.edu