SOME TYPES OF INDIGENOUS KNOWLEDGE

Note: In this section we have been discussing indigenous knowledge and this is what is summarised below. There are, of course, many types of indigenous skills which are important to pass on as well.

Please add to this list.

1. Types of trees and timber and the uses of each.

2. Soil classifications.

3. Types of edible fruit, leaves and plants.

4. Medicinal plants, leaves, fruit, bark, roots etc.

5. Custom medicine: traditional ways of curing diseases, treating wounds, or healing broken bones. In PNG and elsewhere doctors are now collecting and using types of custom medicine, which is sometimes better than ‘western’ medicine.

6. Types of plants and leaves useful for weaving or for bark cloth.

7. The weather: indications through clouds, wind direction or other signs of what the weather is going to be.

8. The seasons: characteristic weather associated with each season, usually caused by changes in wind direction.

9. Cropping seasons: when to plant each crop and how long it will take to mature.

10. The sea: knowledge of currents, tides and waves and how this helps in fishing and navigation.

11. Navigation: knowledge of the stars, the position of the sun, the direction of waves, currents, winds and other knowledge helping in navigation.

12. Fish: different types of fish, where they live, how they move, the seasons they appear, their usefulness etc.

13. Birds and animals: the names of birds and animals, their habits and where they are found, their usefulness.