Original Instructions Part Three

One thing that this book has mentioned a few times is how indigenous peoples did not all of a sudden decide to be ecologists. Instead, their knowledge was the "result of centuries of observation of what works and of recognizing that we have to be in this place so we better not make a mess of things." Dennis Martinez mentions how Indians in British Columbia managed salmon eggs. This was not their attempt of being ecologists, but rather finding a way to have a sustainable food source. When we look at indigenous knowledge, we should keep the context in mind of how they developed this knowledge. That will allow us to apply this knowledge better to our context.