Knowledge and indigenous societies
To explore knowledge and indigenous societies, it is important to know that Indigenous societies comprise people following distinctive traditional, cultural, socio-economic, and political practices in contrast to dominant societies with whom they share space. As per the estimate given out by the UN, there are around 370 million indigenous people spread over 70 countries around the globe.
According to the definitions, they are the descendants of those who inhabited a country or a geographical region at the time when people of different cultures or ethnic origins arrived. The newer migrants then became dominant to establish their footprints through nature of work, settling in the vicinity and means of living that kept their interest.
It is need of the hour, to conserve and preserve the ideologies propagated by them because it gives an insight to the origins of many systems and practices. The essence of their traditions and practices must be contained before it goes completely extinct.
The optional theme tries to engage students on the relevance of such groups and engages them to embrace more on such cultures and promote evident learning on the same.
Knowledge Framework- Scope
Knowledge questions
In what ways does the loss of indigenous languages signify a loss of knowledge and cultural diversity?
Language is not just a medium of communication. It is also a gateway to know how a particular culture defines itself. Language envisages as the representation or an embodiment of culture or heritage represented by a particular group of people. Through the loss of a language, also implies the loss of legacy or existence of the people it represented. According to a study by linguists, it is found that apparently a language goes extinct every two weeks and most of them belong to the indigenous societies.
With the advent of new systems and developments, people started moving around the world. The process initiated engaging into dominant cultures and adapting into the system and leaving behind one’s own indigenous heritage. This might be one of the reasons there is language extinction which eventually leads to a significant loss of culture and altogether the knowledge it propagated. This whole process can be named as language switch which means people leave the heritage language and move towards a major language or a language with more acceptance around the world.
To delve into the rich tapestry of knowledge and indigenous societies, and to appreciate how indigenous perspectives enrich our global understanding of the world, embark on a journey of exploration into this optional theme. Discover the unique ways in which indigenous knowledge systems contribute to environmental stewardship, cultural practices, and holistic understandings of humanity’s place in the natural world.
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