The Significance of Traditional Knowledge

The seminar held March 2-3, 2008 attracted 80 participants. Entitled 'The Significance of Traditional Knowledge for the understanding of ecological linkages and management of biological and cultural diversity in a changing climate. Attended by over 80 participants including 25 students from the Reindeer Herding and Nature course.

Photo: Philip Burgess
Dr. Carsten Smith, Dr. Fikret Berkes, Rector Steinar PedersenKeynote speakers were ecologist Dr. Fikret Berkes, (University of Manitoba, Canada) who has written extensively on traditional knowledge and comanagement and Dr. Carsten Smith, former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Norway(1991-2002) and a professor of law at the University of Oslo.

The seminar was opened by the Rector of the SUC  and other speakers included EALAT project leaders Professors Ole Henrik
Magga and Svein Mathiesen. Day Two saw a second presentation by Dr. Berkes which was followed by reindeer herder and Assn of World Reindeer Herders General Secretary JOhan Mathis Turi. Day Two also featured presentations by SUC Phd students Mikkal Nils Sara, Inger Marie Gaup Eira and Mathis Persen Bongo. Final presentations were made by Terje Pedersen and Arvid Holte.

The two days offered an excellent opportunity for EALAT researchers to learn from Berkes North American experience and hear more about the challenges and opportunities offered up by traditional knowledge and some background to its uneasy relationship with the academy, politicians and most particularly renewable resource management regimes. As Berkes pointed out, it is difficult to think of a top down expert driven renewable resource management system that has actually been a success and that Traditional Knowledge has consistently been the element been missing from those approaches. As a result, the North American experience has shown that attitudes to Traditional Knowledge systems have shifted dramatically over the last decade.

The presentations were as wide ranging as the field of traditional knowledge itself encompassing knowledge, ethics, science, politics, ecology, story telling, yoik, human-animal relationships and technology.

The entire seminar was recorded and is available for online viewing