TRADITIONAL ECOLOGICAL KNOWLEDGE AND WAYS OF KNOWING

THE LIVING BREATH OF OUR ANCESTORS CARRY MULTIGENERATIONAL PERSPECTIVES AND CYCLICAL AWARENESS OF THE HABITATS OF OUR CULTURES, IN SYMBIOSIS WITH THE BIODIVERSITY OF OUR TERRITORIES

TEK AND TRADITIONAL VALUES RELATIVE TO RESOURCE MANAGEMENT, ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AND RESTORATION

• ROOTS OF INDIGENOUS WAYS OF KNOWING STEM FROM GENERATIONS OF LIFE LONG RELATIONSHIPS OF INTERDEPENDENCE WITH A TRADITIONAL SPACE THROUGH TIME
• TRADITIONAL AND OR ELECTED TRIBAL LEADERS AND SALIENT DEPARTMENTAL STAFF ARE INCREASINGLY INTEGRATING TEK INTO INTERGOVERNMENTAL PROCESSES.

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TRADITIONALLY INFORMED REPRESENTATIVES AND TECHNICAL STAFF HAVE BEEN INSTITUTIONALIZING TEK WITH RESPECT TO PROGRAM MANAGEMENT AND DEVELOPMENT FOR TRIBAL DECISION MAKING, PLANNING AND INTERFACE WITH PUBLIC POLICY.

THIS EMERGING AWARENESS AND INFLUENCE OF TEK IN THE FAMILY OF GOVERNMENTS CONFRONTS MORE PEOPLE WITH NOTIONS OF “STANDING “ AND “PROTOCOL” TO INFORM DECISION MAKERS AND THEIR TECHNICAL STAFF

THE PARADOX OF ORGANIC SYSTEMS AND WESTERN SYSTEMS

INTERNALLY, TRIBES AND INTERTRIBAL ORGANIZATIONS ARE INCREASINGLY CONFRONTED WITH QUESTIONS OF PROTOCOL REGARDING RESPECT AND PROTECTION OF TEK AND THE SACRED, WHILE REALIZING THAT WITHHOLDING OR PROTECTING SUCH INDIGENOUS KNOWLEDGE PRESERVES DATA GAPS FOR LESSER INFORMED DECISIONS IN WESTERN PROCESSES

• COLONIAL SYSTEMS OF SINGLE SPECIES MANAGEMENT OR ,RESOURCE EXPLOITATION REQUIRE A MORE NARROW BANDWIDTH OF DATA FOR THE RECORD OF GOVERNMENT DECISIONS UNTIL OTHER GOVERNMENTAL ENTITIES ARE COMPELLED TO CLEAN UP, RECOVER, RESTORE, OR OTHERWISE MITIGATE EXPLOITIVE POLICY

SOME CURRENT DISCUSSIONS ON TEK PROTOCOLS

SAFEGUARDING

HOW TO WE PROTECT SACRED KNOWLEDGE PLACES AND CEREMONIAL PERSPECTIVE , FAMILY /TRIBAL INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY?

INTERNAL GOVERNMENTAL POLICY AND TRADITIONAL PROTOCOLS AS SOVEREIGN

INTERTRIBAL

THERE ARE SOME REGIONAL INTERTRIBAL ASSOCIATIONS AND ORGANIZATIONS SUCH AS THE WEST COAST TRIBAL CAUCUS ON MARINE SPATIAL PLANNING , REGARDING INTERTRIBAL PROTOCOLS FOR TRIBAL ENGAGEMENT WITH THE WEST COAST REGIONAL PLANNING BODY AND THE WEST COAST DATA PORTAL

PUBLIC POLICY

WHILE INTERNAL INTERTRIBAL PROTOCOLS ARE BEING DISCUSSED, A CONCURRENT CONVERSATION IS DEVELOPING AROUND TRIBAL AND INTERTRIBAL STANDARDS OF “WATERED DOWN” OR PROCESSED” DATA STEMMING FROM TEK TO INFORM NONTRIBAL STAKEHOLDERS AND THEIR GOVERNMENTS

STATISTICAL INFLUENCES ON ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY AND FISCAL DECISIONS

SINCE THE BEGINNING OF TRIBAL SELF GOVERNANCE, COMPACTING OR SELF ADMINISTRATION OF FEDERAL PROGRAMS, TRIBAL GOVERNMENTS HAVE BEEN INTEGRATING MORE CULTURAL VALUES WITH VARIOUS FUNCTIONS OF GOVERNMENT AND ASSERTION OF THE VALUE OF TEK CONCERNING PROGRAM FUNDING AND TRIBAL CONSULTATION

TEK HAS MANY FORMS AND MANY MEANINGS, FROM SEASONAL PRACTICES OF FAMILY TRADITIONS TO TRIBAL AND INTERTRIBAL PROGRAMS AND POLICY DEVELOPMENT AROUND “FOOD SOVEREIGNTY”, DATA SOVEREIGNTY” CLIMATE CHANGE PREPAREDNESS. THE GROWING TEK INTERFACE WITH OTHER GOVERNMENTS PRESENTS THE NEED FOR RECONCILLIATION OF TEK AND WESTERN SCIENCE

SOME LESSONS LEARNED WITH EMERGING TEK ENGAGEMENT

• DECOLONIZING WESTERN SCIENCE, OR TRANSLATING TEK INTO TERMS THAT CAN BE UNDERSTOOD BY WESTERN DATA PROCESSING REQUIRES FURTHER TRIBAL CAPACITY DEVELOPMENT IE EDUCATION, AND INSTITUTIONALIZING “TRIBAL ORIENTATION” FOR WESTERN TRAINED TECHNICAL STAFF WHO WORK FOR TRIBAL ENVIRONMENTAL AND NATURAL RESOURCE PROGRAMS

• IMPROVING FEDERAL INTERDEPARTMENTAL CONSISTENCY REGARDING TRUST RESPONSIBILITY AND CONSULTATION PRACTICES CAN BE ENHANCED WITH GREATER UNDERSTANDING OF TEK AMONG NONTRIBAL PARTNERS INCLUDING FURTHER INTEGRATION OF TEK IN COMMON PRACTICE.

TEK TRIBAL POLICY AND A NEED TO CONSIDER IRB

THE FUTURE OF TEK AS A COMMON PRACTICE IS ENTERING A SPACE IN INDIGENOUS ACADEMIA IN BOTH SCIENCE AND POLICY THAT ADVANCES DIVERSIFICATION OF TRIBAL GOVERNANCE AND REVEALS MORE INTEREST TOWARDS DECOLONIZING THE “INSTITUTIONAL REVIEW BOARD” PRACTICE OF COMMON CORE STANDARDS IN WESTERN SCIENCE.