S23.Summary: Contribution of indigenous knowledge to the advancement of ornithology: Old ways to the future

Centre for Biodiversity, National Museums of Kenya, PO Box 40658, Nairobi, Kenya, e-mail nmk@AfricaOnline.co.ke

Indigenous knowledge systems pertaining to biodiversity, environment, health, technology, agriculture and other sectors exist in every community in Africa. Some of the knowledge is either fact or belief but most it folk wisdom, which has been variously described as ‘Learned ways of knowing, doing things and looking at the world’ (McClure, G. 1989. In: Warren, D.M., Slikkerveer, L.J. & Titilola, S.O. (eds). 1989. Studies in Technology and Social Change 11. Ames; Iowa State University). Traditional knowledge has evolved through many generations of problem-solving experience by ethnic groups working with local resources and technologies to meet the challenges of their local environment.

Community level knowledge has significantly contributed to advancement in agriculture, health care, conservation of plant germplasm, forestry and other sectors of development. Its contribution to the advancement of ornithology however, has been greatly hampered by the negative attitude towards traditional knowledge by trained ornithologists as well as amateurs. Foreign ornithologists working among indigenous peoples in Africa and local biologists with ‘western style’ of training ignored or maligned knowledge of birds by local communities. Consequently, that local knowledge was neither documented nor used in identifying areas and bird species for conservation.

The role of 19th century colonial mentality and education system in marginalising indigenous knowledge has been well documented (Jackson, W. 1987. Altars of unhewn stone: Science and earth. San Francisco, North Point Press; Warren, D.M. 1989. In: Warren, D.M., Slikkerveer, L.J. & Titilola, S.O. (eds) Studies in Technology and Social Change 11. Ames; Iowa State University: 171-183; Slikkerveer, L.J. 1989. In: Warren, D.M., Slikkerveer, L.J. & Titilola, S.O. (eds) 1989. Studies in Technology and Social Change 11. Ames; Iowa State University:121-137). The European and American amateur ornithologists who played a key role in documenting African avifauna depicted local communities and their knowledge as primitive, simple and static. This attitude was clearly shown in the writings of pioneer ornithologists in Africa such as C.W. Mackworth-Praed and C.H.B. Grant in African Handbook of Birds, R.E. Moreau in The Bird Faunas of Africa and its islands, J.P. Chapin in Birds of the Belgian Congo and J.G. Williams in Birds of East Africa. These early naturalists rarely documented local knowledge of birds though in most cases worked with local people. This is clearly apparent in collector’s notes relating to museum bird collections.

The fact that so much effort and resources, particularly in training of biodiversity-related social sciences and establishment of indigenous knowledge research centres, are now being invested in understanding the basis for traditional natural resource management, indicates that the significance of indigenous knowledge is gradually being appreciated. The Global Biodiversity Strategy (World Resources Institute. 1992. Washinton DC) which derived from the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development recognised the close link and the complimentary nature of cultural diversity and biological diversity. The publication of the Value of Birds (Diamond, A.W. & Filion, F.L. (eds) 1989. ICBP Technical Publication No 6; Cambridge, UK) shed light into the significance of indigenous knowledge of birds to conservation. Since then, a number of ethno-ornithological studies have been carried out, mainly documenting indigenous knowledge and socio-cultural values of birds. For instance, attempts have been made in recent years to document the role of birds in the culture of the Boran people in Kenya (Isack, H.A. in press. In: Proceedings of Eastern Africa Regional Workshop on Management and Sustainable Use of Dryland Biodiversity, 1997, Nairobi; National Museums of Kenya) and the Ndembele people of Zimbabwe (Msimanga, A. 1996. Abstracts of the 5th International Congress of Ethnobiology, 1996, Nairobi, Kenya). Other studies of indigenous knowledge biodiversity, including birds are to be published in the proceedings of World Congress of Ethno-biology held in September 1996 in Nairobi, Kenya. Use of indigenous knowledge and local organisations in promoting conservation of key biodiversity areas, including important bird areas (IBAs), has been gradually increasing in Africa in recent years. Local knowledge of birds has been used to generate awareness about threatened bird species and habitats, and in soliciting for community support to local conservation initiatives.

The International Ornithological Congresses (IOC) which have been organised in different countries and published ample ornithological information since the beginning of this century have not devoted any significant effort to the issues of documentation, analysis and application of indigenous knowledge of birds to enhance conservation and enrich modern ornithology. This is perhaps because many modern ornithologists have considered indigenous knowledge as inadequate to make any significant contribution to modern ornithology and to conservation. This view is now countered by a rapidly growing database, generated by both biological and social scientists, that clearly reveals the complexity and sophistication of indigenous knowledge and traditional management systems of biological resources in different parts of the world. Hence, this symposium serves as a good starting point, providing new impetus to further development of ethno-ornithology within the framework of the IOC.

The papers presented in this symposium indicate how indigenous knowledge can enrich modern ornithology and contribute to conservation of birds. Cultural diversity is closely linked and compliments biological diversity. The contribution of culture to the development of ornithology in India is discussed in this symposium. The management of tropical forests in Africa has benefited from the local knowledge not only of plants but also of birds. The contribution of the local knowledge of birds protected in sacred forests or shrines in drawing local support for conservation initiatives in Cameroon is presented in this symposium. Recognising birds as socio-economic resources for communities in Africa is an important starting point of developing conservation strategies and setting priorities. Two case studies on traditional values, uses and knowledge of birds by local communities in central and northern Kenya are presented in this symposium. Indigenous knowledge, particularly in Africa, has received little attention in terms of documentation and application in conservation and development programmes. A paper presented in this symposium shows how museums and natural history societies are contributing to documentation of indigenous knowledge of birds in Africa.