# Presentation: 020405

## Traditional Ecological Knowledge as a Tool for Science Education and Public Outreach

- Fairley J. Barnesa, Carrie E. Talusa, Laura K. Marsha, Marja Springera, Jeffrey Bergerb, and Tina Sommera
- aLos Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM    bYaza Design, Chicago, IL

**For more information see http://www.arm.gov/docs/education.html.  Or contact: ARM Education Program, Mail Stop J495, **
**Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico 87545,  505-667-6782,  Fax 505-665-3866**

**Traditional Ecological Knowledge as a Tool for Science Education and Public Outreach**

- LA-UR-03-1877

**Background**
- The ARM Education Program utilizes local indigenous culture and Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) in developing educational enrichment and public outreach in communities where the ARM sites are based.  ** **

**ARM Climate Change Museum Exhibit:**
-   Initiated in 2001 from discussions with Iñupiaq Heritage Center (IHC) museum in central Barrow, AK
-   Designed to serve the needs of local students, community members, and visitors
-   Presents general information on climate change
-   Includes introduction to ARM and climate science
-   Presents both traditional Iñupiaq culture and western science
-   Interactive touch-screen kiosk will be installed in Fall 2003

**Why Use Traditional Ecological Knowledge?**
- Including TEK shows cultural sensitivity to communities where ARM sites are located.
- Schools that develop teaching methods and curricula that incorporate indigenous knowledge and ways of knowing into the formal education system show an _increase in student achievement scores_, _a decrease in drop-out rates_, and _an increase in university attendance _(AKRSI 2002).
- TEK is an effective way to teach place-based science.
- Including TEK increases respect for local community elders who share their knowledge with the students.
- The NSA community has made clear requests to include TEK in all ARM public outreach  efforts.

**What Is Traditional Ecological Knowledge?**
- A cumulative body of knowledge and beliefs, handed down through generations by cultural transmission, about the relationship of living beings (including humans) with one another and with their environment... TEK is an attribute of societies with historical continuity in resource use practices; by and large, these are non-industrial or less technologically advanced societies, many of them indigenous or tribal (Berkes 1993).

**Developing the ARM Climate Change Museum Exhibit:**
- The ARM Education Program, along with Yaza Design, has been working closely with the IHC and Ilisagvik College, Barrow, AK on developing an educational climate change exhibit.  The key to a successful design is regular review and testing of the design stages with members of the Barrow community, the eventual users of the exhibit.
-   Educational Goals - were drawn up, reviewed by ARM, IHC and others in the Barrow community, and finalized.
-   Initial Design Prototype - This prototype provided a starting point for discussion and was critiqued by ARM and        IHC. The ensuing discussion produced a final conceptual design.
-   First Draft - The First Draft used material from other sources as placeholders for final material. It was extensively reviewed by ARM and members of the Barrow community.
-   Community and Scientist interviews - were done on video to serve as the foundation for media in the final version.
-   Second Draft - a reworking of the First Draft using video from the Community and Scientist interviews as the sole source of material. The Second Draft was reviewed by ARM and by the Barrow community.
-   Third Draft [in progress] - A revision of the Second Draft taking into account the results of user testing in Barrow. This is the final draft version and will be subject to review by ARM and the Barrow community members.
-   Final Version - to be installed at IHC by October 2003.

**Current ARM Efforts:**
-  Currently we are incorporating wisdom and knowledge of Iñupiat Elders from villages on the North Slope of Alaska (NSA) into:
- classroom lessons,
- an educational interactive museum exhibit for the Iñupiat Heritage Center,
- the North Slope Borough School District Science Standards.
- Teacher workshops
- NSA teacher in-service trainings (October 2002, 30 teachers) showed strong interest in integrating western scientific knowledge with TEK themes in the classroom.
- TWP workshops (May 2002,) in Manus, Port Moresby and Nauru (total 90 teachers): initial interest in TEK was high; we’ll expand TEK projects in future teacher workshops.

- Interviewing elder Sadie Neakok in her home.

- Getting ready to interview ARM Employee Jimmy Ivanoff.

- Jeff Berger speaking to elder Kenneth Toovak about the kiosk.

- Marth Hopson and grandson Michael walking across the tundra while being videotaped for kiosk opening scene.

- Young man skinning a tuttu or caribou. Photo courtesy of Iñupiaq History Language and Culture Commission, Barrow, AK.

- Jeff Berger and John Nusunginya interviewing biologist Robert Suydam.

- John Nusunginya getting camera ready to interview student James Aiken.

- Examples of interactive touch screen

- Bertha Leavitt during her interview.

- George Leavitt during his interview.

- Iñupiat bowhead whale hunter in traditional skin umiak. Photo taken by John Nusunginya.

- REFERENCES
- Berkes, Fikret. 1993. Traditional Ecological Knowledge in Perspective. In Inglis, J.T. (ed). Traditional Ecological Knowledge: Concepts and Cases. Ottawa: International Program on Traditional Ecological Knowledge and International Development Research Centre.
- Alaska Rural Systemic Initiative. 2002. AKRSI Phase I Final Report. 25p.