Examples of Traditional Knowledge

The traditional knowledge is the set of practices, values ​​and knowledge that are part of the legacy of a human community determined, that is, of a human group endowed with its own identity and cultural system. This knowledge differs from others (such as scientific knowledge, for example) in that it is not the result of a formal process of education or research, but are transmitted from generation to generation as part of rituals, practices and procedures developed ancestrally.

Traditional knowledge encompasses not only cultural expressions and popular traditions belonging to a community determined, but also the accumulated experience, the practices and aptitudes that said community accumulates, values ​​and promotes among its members. individuals. When talking about traditional knowledge we may be referring to very diverse contexts each other, such as agricultural, medicinal, ecological or political techniques and procedures, among many others.

In general, this knowledge can be classified into:

Not like others types of knowledge, traditional knowledge is generally shared by the community and is not administered by a formal institution. It is a set of mostly informal knowledge, rarely organized in a body of studies, but which contains the rich historical legacy of the various human communities.

Traditional knowledge often contains secrets still hidden from contemporary science, which, not coming from the industrialized world, have been underestimated or ignored for years. On the other hand, this knowledge forms part of the unique and unrepeatable legacy of the different peoples of the world, that is, of their cultural identity.

Examples of traditional knowledge

Some examples of traditional knowledge are:

1. Inca terrace farming techniques. It is an agricultural method typical of the South American Andean civilizations, which allowed the use of steep terrain and apparently useless land. This system of terraces made it possible to make the most of runoff water to maximize irrigation, transmitting the surplus to the next level of the slope.
2. The medicinal use of the neem tree. In traditional Latin American medicine and that of certain Pacific peoples, the neem or neem tree (Azadirachta indica), native to the regions of Burma and India, is used to relieve inflammation and irritation, as well as bleeding in mucous membranes and hemorrhoids. Its traditional use was long before its industrial discovery, since today it is used in the pharmaceutical industry and in the production of soaps and ointments.
3. The construction of igloos of the Inuit peoples. The Eskimos are human communities that have lived for millennia facing the most intense cold and have learned to build suitable dwellings for combat it (igloos), whose shape and materials allow it to avoid the passage of the icy wind from the regions near the arctic and conserve internal heat for its population.
4. Ayurvedic traditional medicine. This set of traditional medical knowledge is typical of the Indian tradition, and although it is considered a pseudoscience (there is no evidence that it serves to cure any disease), a large part of the population of India and Nepal uses Ayurveda to combat their ailments This healing practice comes from ancient Vedic and Post-Vedic texts from the 7th century B.C. c. and II d. c.
5. The aboriginal languages ​​of sub-Saharan Africa. This rich and diverse set of languages ​​of the African continent has been extensively studied by linguists specialists, who recognize in it an important legacy but very mistreated by centuries of European colonialism and transculturation. Despite this, many of these languages, such as the Nilo-Saharan, Niger-Congolese or Khoisan languages, still survive and retain their richness.
6. Chinese traditional religion. Known as Shenism or Han religion, it is a type of cult indigenous to China in which they had influences Buddhism, Confucianism and Taoism, doctrines to which the traditional religion precedes. It is a polytheistic and shamanistic religion that worships deceased ancestors and various types of spiritual deities.
7. traditional chinese medicine. It is an alternative medicine that combines superstitions, theories about the body and practices such as acupuncture, meditation and massage. repairers, in a body of practices whose beneficial effects on the body have been extensively studied and debated, without reaching a definitive conclusion. Similar traditional medical systems exist in Japan, Mongolia, Korea or Tibet.

References:

• "Traditional knowledge" in Wikipedia.
• “Traditional knowledge” in the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO).
• “Science and traditional knowledge, an alliance for sustainable development” in the United Nations Environment Program (UN).
• “What is traditional knowledge? Epistemological notes for interculturality” by Liliana Valladares and León Olivé in Culture and social representations (Mexico).

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