Abstract
Indigenous people often exclusively depend on the natural resources available within the ecosystems where they live, and commonly manage their resources sustainably. They have developed, and continue to develop indigenous knowledge systems which encompass sustainable management of natural resources. This study compares indigenous knowledge of natural resource management developed by two different communities in two different environments—Maori in the temperate environment in New Zealand and Dusun in the tropical environment in Brunei Darussalam, and comparatively evaluates the role of indigenous knowledge in sustainable resource management in three categories of knowledge such as spatial and seasonal distribution of natural resources, sustainable harvesting, and habitat management. The comparison reveals that despite the differences in environment and the great geographical distance between the two communities, there are remarkable similarities between the two knowledge systems in concepts, principles, strategies and technologies used in natural resource management.
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Notes
According to Raymond Dasmann, ecosystem people are members of indigenous cultures who live within a single ecosystem. Since they are dependent upon local ecosystems for their survival, violation of its rules will inevitably result in the scaling-own or disappearance of the culture (quoted in Klee 1980, pp. 1–2).
Aotearoa literally means Land of the Long White Cloud.
Fruit groves or orchards are a very common sight in most Dusun villages. ‘Orang Dusun’ means ‘people of orchard’, a term probably derived from the nature of the village environment and the fondness of the people for fruit trees. The Dusun grow various types of fruit in their gardens and other areas of their land. It is rare to see Dusun land without fruit trees.
Capitalist economics implies production for market and profit, private ownership of land and wage labour etc; and is contrasted with community economies involving exchange and sharing (e.g., Gudeman 2001).
Karaka kernels are fatally poisonous, but the flesh was prepared and eaten.
Available at http://www.landcareresearch.co.nz/research/biodiversity/.
Dusun’s fruit groves are the abandoned shifting cultivations where they plant fruit trees together with rice. Once the site is abandoned after growing rice 1–2 years, fruit trees continue to grow and eventually become fruit groves.
Indigenous people gain knowledge through practice while farming, hunting and gathering, and therefore they can easily use their ‘practical’ knowledge to solve problems they encounter in their daily life. On the other hand, we gain knowledge from books and experiments undertaken in artificial environments in laboratories and experimental farms.
People of the land or local people.
Legitimacy to act in an authoritative and responsible capacity.
Papatuanuku was conceived by Māori as the Primordial Mother who married Rangi (Sky Father) and became the female parent who birthed the departmental gods and human kind. These gods were of a lower order delegated to take charge over the elements—winds, natural resources, cultivated crops, etc.
The sprits are in the immaterial world, while mankind is in material world. Human beings and sprits may stay in a common area, share the same natural resources, rivers and wild animals, but cannot see or meet each other in material form, and communication is only possible through a spiritual intermediary.
Mauri is often defined as the essential essence of all being, a life principle, the internal element, the sustaining life force of everything, the source of life and sometimes referred to as mauri ora. “Te Ao Turoa” (sustainability) conveys the philosophy of using resources at a rate that ensures a society’s survival. This philosophy is partly based on physical analysis, but encompasses the view that nature has its own force (mauri) which should be sustained both physically, culturally, and spiritually to ensure a societies survival. If the force becomes damaged or transgressed in the environment by factors such as pollution, contamination, or degradation, people are ultimately affected and a society’s survival becomes increasingly threatened (Harmsworth 1995, p. 24).
Taonga refers to all things prized or treasured, both tangible and intangible.
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Acknowledgements
The first author wishes to thank the Institute of Natural Resources, College of Sciences at Massey University for offering a position of Visiting Scientist in June/July 2004 and the Postgraduate Studies and Research Committee of the University of Brunei Darussalam for granting research leave to conduct this study. He also wishes to express his gratitude to all the Dusun informants who were so patient and cooperative. Dr. Trevor King, who kindly made editorial comments deserves a special note of thank.
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Ulluwishewa, R., Roskruge, N., Harmsworth, G. et al. Indigenous knowledge for natural resource management: a comparative study of Māori in New Zealand and Dusun in Brunei Darussalam. GeoJournal 73, 271–284 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10708-008-9198-9
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10708-008-9198-9