Indigenous Traditional Knowledge Database

Partnering with Tribes to improve the digital continuity of Indigenous Traditional Knowledge

Project partners:

   2021 – present

Image courtesy of Monteregina and used under the CC BY-NC-SA 2.0 Licence. No changes were made.

Ecotrust is working with several Tribes to install an Indigenous Traditional Knowledge (ITK) Database, intended to be adopted and used by numerous tribes looking for a way to digitally steward, preserve, and pass on traditional knowledge. The database is derived from an older database that was co-developed by Ecotrust and the Tolowa Dee-Ni’ Nation.

We are working with Tolowa Dee-Ni’ Nation, Resighini Rancheria, Kashia Band of Pomo Indians, Amah Mutsun Tribal Band, and Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians to update and improve their databases of ITK. The existing databases that each Tribe used had a number of problems, including vulnerabilities, aging servers, and lack of updated features.

Not only does this installation aim to reduce vulnerabilities and provide new and improved features, we are also tailoring each database installation to meet the needs of each of our partner Tribes. The intended outcomes of this work include helping preserve and restore traditional stewardship practices, set measurable benchmarks within the Tribes to better illustrate climate impacts; reinforce Tribal ownership and agency over these data; and support contemporary tribal efforts to transmit and steward traditional knowledge.

The website for the Indigenous Traditional Knowledge Database: itkdb.org

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Carson Viles, Tribal Network Strategist and one of Ecotrust’s team members on this project. Photo by Miakah Nix

Jon Bonkoski, Knowledge Systems Program Director and one of Ecotrust’s team members on this project. Photo by Sean Gutierrez

Resources

ITK_logos_weave_4_22

Website

This is the Traditional Ethnographic Knowledge Database, operated by Ecotrust. 

Website

Returning stewardship and management of ocean and coastal territories to California Tribes

Carson_Viles

Blog post

Tribal Network Strategist Carson Viles discusses a growing body of work at Ecotrust around Indigenous stewardship and co-management.

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