It is a way of life. Traditional knowledge is an authority system. It sets out the rules governing the use of resources - respect, an obligation to share. It is dynamic, cumulative and stable. It is truth.
Traditional knowledge is a way of life -wisdom is using traditional knowledge in good ways.
It is using the heart and the head together. It comes from the spirit in order to survive. It gives credibility to the people. The temptation to compare scientific and traditional knowledge comes from collecting traditional knowledge without the contextual elements. For example, Native people have a far richer and more subtle understanding of the characteristics of ice and snow than do non-indigenous people.