Introduction
Anthropology is the comparative, holistic, and bio-cultural study of humanity. It systematically explores human cultural and biological diversity across space and time. The four subfields of general anthropology are linguistic, socio-cultural, biological, and archaeological anthropology. The subfields consider variation in space and time. Cultural anthropology utilizes the evolutionary view and the comparative method to human culture. In anthropology, culture refers to the entire database of values, knowledge, and traditional worldviews. One generation transfers the social perspectives to the next through concepts, words, and symbols. The present study examines the anthropological topic, “Feeding the Sea,” that focuses on the importance of traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) in reviving education and food systems.
Service learning
Service learning is a teaching method that directly engages students in service activities that satisfy the community needs. It has a significant connection to the learning objectives of the students. In addition, reflection activities integrate the teaching process. Service learning enhances partnerships with non-profit organizations, tribal communities, and government agencies by establishing reciprocal relationships. The teaching method is a reciprocal form of fieldwork because students learn about people, animals, and plants while participating in hands-on projects that make the communities more sustainable.
Traditional ecological knowledge (TEK)
TEK comprises the indigenous people’s beliefs and information about the natural world. The traditional information is relevant to anthropologists because scientific investigations have established the exhaustive nature of TEK and its value for environmental sustainability. TEK provides long-term perspectives, on ecosystem dynamics, based on ancestral knowledge and interaction with the environment. It, therefore, assists in the monitoring and analysis of long-term environmental changes. TEK is more accurate than the Western scientific knowledge of local environments.
The traditional ecological knowledge of the children in Oaxaca, Mexico, impressed the scientists. The training did not occur through formal education but hands-on work and play, with older people acting as mentors. It assisted in shaping the ecosystems encountered by the recent immigrants. The burning of prairies and mountainsides improved the ecosystem by making it favorable for the farming practices of the 19th Century immigrants. The practice of returning shellfish to the sea and salmon bones to the rivers promoted nutrient cycling within the ecosystems. Scientists have rediscovered the importance of the practice as a response mechanism to ocean acidification caused by climate change. Immigrant community, however, failed to recognize the value of TEK. They, instead, destroyed the culture of the Coast Salish tribes through colonialism and failure to honor treaties.
Relationship to anthropology, and particular linguistic and economic concepts
Linguistic anthropology involves the study of language. It examines the use of language in its attempt to understand the socio-culture. On the other hand, economic anthropologists study how humans use the material world in order to express and maintain themselves in social groups. It examines the human practice of producing commodities for either survival or exchange with others. The use of language enhances traditional environmental education. The information passes on through stories, songs, and conversations with peers and elders. The Coast Salish burning had economic value because it favored the farming activities of the 19th Century immigrants. The immigrants, however, outlawed Salish economic practices such as the potlatch. They also sent the Salish children to schools where they punished them for speaking native languages.
The students engaged in service learning improved the economic status of the local communities. They, for example, participated in the habitat restoration for salmon species and native plant harvest. They also revitalized traditional foods in the Samish Nation. The restoration of salmon habitats and the revival of traditional foods increased the food security of the local people. Traditional ecological skills provide career opportunities for anthropologists. They can apply the information in finding solutions to modern problems in health and environment. They can also use it in wildlife tracking and road ecology.
Conclusion
TEK refers to the experience gained over the millennia of direct human contact with the environment. It is relevant in the modern society because it helps revitalize education and food systems. Service learning takes education into the community and connects students to peers and elders. In addition, it places the learning of the students into a meaningful context. They gain information about the environment while engaging in projects that increase the sustainability of the communities. Studying the traditional ecological knowledge is an opportunity for anthropologist to understand the past and the present environmental conditions in a given community. Traditional skills can contribute significantly to solving modern problems such as climate change.
