Climate change, water and traditional ecological knowledge of the Tohono O’odham: A case study

Background/Question/Methods

Undergraduate science curriculum designed to be culturally-relevant to Native students is essential for developing the local experts and scientifically-literate populace needed to address scientific challenges faced by Native communities.  At Tohono O’odham Community College (TOCC), a tribal college, the science curriculum has been developed under the premise that science is part of the cultural heritage of each student, as every culture has relied upon processes for gathering and making meaning of information about the natural world (Traditional Ecological Knowledge or TEK).   TOCC’s science program includes a Global Change Biology course which incorporates a case study on water and climate change in the Southwest developed for the CAMEL site.  In this case study the students learn about the traditional knowledge of water of the Tohono O’odham including traditional perspectives on water and historical adaptations by the O’odham to the arid climate of the region.  The students are then introduced to climate change impacts in the Southwest including impacts on water resources of the region.   Students then apply and integrate both the traditional ecological knowledge and climate change science into water policy scenarios, adaptation plans and tribal resolutions addressing climate change impacts on the water resources on southwestern tribal lands. 

Results/Conclusions

This case study can serve as a model for how to effectively incorporate TEK into science curriculum by presenting traditional knowledge alongside scientific knowledge and then giving students the opportunity to apply both knowledge sets in solving current climate change issues.  This not only provides students with undergraduate science curriculum that is culturally-relevant and validates traditional ecological knowledge but also develops the local experts and scientifically-literate populace needed to address scientific challenges faced by Native communities.