Indigenous Knowledge and Navigating the Rising Tides of Climate Change and Other Existential Threats

Abstract

Indigenous people whose way of life remains closely connected to their traditional lands are experiencing additional existential threats to culture and language, now exacerbated by climate change. Yet, Traditional Ecological Knowledge is being recognized as a potential contributor in addressing this crisis. Five case vignettes presented in this paper illustrate the depth of resistance, resilience, and adaptation demonstrated by Indigenous people in the face of previous threats to culture and language. ural Alaska, the Federated States of Micronesia, and the Marshall Islands, the setting of the vignettes.. Though their locations, history, and customs vary, they share an underlying similarity in the urgency expressed for their Traditional Ecological Knowledge and to use it in adaptive ways that lead to sustainability. An outlier case is included, as it illustrates a different strategy that results in novel and accessible steps to combat climate change.