[MUSIC] Welcome in this talk, we will deepen in the richness and specificity of the knowledge system of indigenous peoples and local communities. First, when we want to explore what are the knowledge, we might consider three different categories. First the theoretical knowledge which relates to the for instance, ability to recognize different species of animals. Or to understand the behavior of some animals or to understand the dynamic of the whole ecosystem. Then there is the practices related to the ability to perform, the know how to do things like for instance anything with bow and arrows or orientated in the deep sea or planting some specific trees. And then there is the beliefs which relates to the way one may interpret the world, the culture, my interpreter surrounding their world cosmology. Indigenous peoples and local community have developed a really expert and deep knowledge related to their environment, thanks to long term interaction with it. And because most of their subsistence activity are based on their interaction with natural resources. Here, before showing it to you, I want to to present some example of the complexity of such corpus of knowledge. So first Australian, the original Australians are really careful observer of the sky. Their celestial knowledge as an important role in their social organization, in the ceremonial culture and in the culture in general. For instance, one of the knowledge might be seen in this artifact on the left, which is a message tick or called the black fellows later. Which is a message sent by an expeditor, who want to meet someone and it would draw on a stick of wood himself the expeditor then would be the receiver of the message. Then the place of the location where the meeting would take place and the moment of the time sorry, considering the faces of the moon, for instance. So on the left is when the message is sent and on the right is when the meeting will take place. Another example of their celestial knowledge related to practices might be found in archaeological record in all right. Which are here, stone arrangement were found to be built in line with the positions of the sun. For instance, the equinoxes and solstices and this space within this stone arrangement, we're taking place really important ceremonial and social events. Note going to South America the Andean agriculture is maybe one of the best example of the adaptation and the knowledge of the farmer for more than 5000 years. Through this long term interaction with their environment, they have been able to develop tools, techniques and crops adapted to this environment and to manage it. Now this has led to different specific constitution or practices and knowledge such as for instance the terraces, the ridges field, the irrigation system. But also the fact that crops and livestock has spread a different altitude. This for all these reasons the FAO has considered the Andean agriculture as a globally important agricultural heritage system. And now this ancient heritage is still used by local communities is still visible in the landscape and the culture of the people living there. Indigenous peoples and local community also developed tools, practices and knowledge for hunting and fishing. Here in Brazil in this small scale society of fisher, they have developed also an interaction with a group of dolphin. And the dolphin would help the fishermen to fish a specific fish, the millet between other, driving the group of fish close to the beach where the fishermen are. And then doing some specific behavior cues that would allow the fishermen to understand that they have to cast their net at this moment. So this interaction, all of the fishermen to have more and bigger fishes, but also for the dolphin to eat the disoriented fishes. This experience of collaboration between dolphin and fishermen is an example of this long term interaction between dolphin and human in a deep understanding of human population towards their environment. Then in Africa, I want to talk about knowledge and practices related to gathering. Because indigenous people and local community also gather wild plants and while the divorce for their living there developed knowledge practices and tools,. For gathering wild honey local communities have developed an expert knowledge, for instance, for climbing tree and getting to the canopy where is the honey or through different artifact. As here we will see a basket full of honey. But also most interestingly they also developed a collaboration with a wild species of birds. The indicator called the African honey bird. Different complex interaction are settled between them between the honey gatherer or honey enter and the bird. And among them there is for instance when honey hunter make a specific call, it's more likely that the bird would come to their head. And it's more likely that it will lead them to a nest full of honey, then the interrogator honey and leave such a mess that the bird is able to eat also. So this is another example of the long term interaction and the deep understanding of human population towards their environment. And in this case also a case of mutualism between human population and wild species of animal. This whole corpus of knowledge and practices related to the environment which in such level of expertise has been transmitted generation through generation. But mainly without written support it gone through oral transmission through the interaction with the environment, through the daily performance of subsistence activity. And the engagement since early childhood in daily activities. This knowledge then is not static and it's likely to adapt to the different changes one generation my encounter through different processes, innovation. But also in case of immigration when social group has to migrate to new ecosystem does the world corpus of knowledge and practices has to be reviewed a bit to be adapted to this new ecosystem. But also and as a phenomena is hybridization when for instance, different social group cultural group meet together and one group would take some knowledge of the other and integrated it in its world corpus of knowledge. So in conclusion, we see that indigenous people and local community revealing high expertive of ecological knowledge which are essential for the subsistence and their living. And thanks to also a dynamic process of transmission which allow adaptation and innovation over the generations. [MUSIC]
