Traditional Ecological Knowledge in the Northern Rockies
Course Listing:
Native American Studies xxx (currently listed as 395): Traditional Ecological Knowledge
in the Northern Rockies (3 semester credits). This course is one unit of the four unit (12
credit) summer semester program: “Wild Rockies Summer Semester.” This unit is
developed during sixty contact hours, out of a total of 240 contact hours for the summer
semester program.
Course Description:
This course will explore the traditional ecological perspectives (i.e., ways of knowing the
natural world) of the Salish, Kootenai, Blackfeet and Tlingit native people, as well as
how these perspectives relate to Western concepts of ecology. Through field-based
activities, lectures by tribal elders and personal exploration, students will come to a
heightened understanding of the still vital cultural perspectives and practices of modern
American Indians. Students will have the opportunity to witness first-hand the efforts of
tribal people to relate timeless cultural knowledge, practices and beliefs to the challenges
they currently face as dynamic and contemporary people. Students will see that while
functioning within a Western-dominated society, many tribal people choose to maintain
non-Western traditional values and beliefs based on cultural identity, a sense of place and
a belief of interconnectedness with the world around them. The course is designed to
introduce students to these issues on multiple scales, ranging from the governmental level
(tribal environmental policy), to the community level (cultural immersion schools), and
to the personal level (individual lifestyles and perspectives).
Course Instructional Plan:
The course will take place on the Flathead and Blackfeet Reservation of Montana as well
as various Canadian Indian Reserves. Backcountry portions include an extended
backpacking section in remote, rugged areas of the Mission Mountain Tribal Wilderness
area (MMTW). An important underlying theme will be exploring the importance of
cultural context in determining individual and societal relationships with the natural
world. Students who may have a cursory knowledge of Native American traditional
perspectives and culture will be exposed to a dynamic, living culture that offers a unique
perspective on the relationship of humans within the natural world.
The body of the course will focus on an introduction to Salish, Kootenai, Blackfeet and
Tlingit traditional knowledge and practices, during which students will witness a variety
of talks given by tribal members. These talks can range from sittings with tribal elders on
ecological and spiritual perspectives, to presentations by tribal officials on the
significance of traditional values and practices as they relate to current tribal conservation
efforts. Throughout the course, students will be required to reflect on these issues and
their experiences through journal writing. Students will also experience traditional
knowledge in practice through various interactive lessons, such as hide-tanning and
ethnobotany.
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In addition, presentations by immersion school committee members will explore efforts
to strengthen and preserve the language, customs and perspectives of their people in a
rapidly changing world. Readings will explore epistemological as well as practical angles
of tribal efforts nation-wide to “integrate” their traditional knowledge into environmental
policy and other arenas of Western conception.
The final section involves a backpacking excursion where students will be given an
opportunity to disseminate what they have learned thus far through class discussions,
field exercises, student presentations, and continued journal writing. Field exercises will
provide opportunities for the comparison of “Traditional” and “Western” perspectives of
the natural world, as well as further opportunities to reflect upon previous lessons and
insights. This course concludes with a return to the front country, final student
presentations and a community dinner (featuring traditional Salish foods and more brief
presentations by tribal community members).
Course Requirements and Evaluation:
Students will complete readings and facilitate group discussions on pertinent topics
throughout the course. A variety of assessment tools will be used to test students
individually for mastery of subject matter, both in theory and application. All students
will earn letter grades for the course. All assignments must be completed by the end of
the course.
Requirements and Evaluation Include:

Participate in the talks and presentations given by tribal officials and elders
throughout the course by asking informed, thoughtful questions based on class
discussions and readings;
 Keep a personal journal during the course and participate in shared journal readings;
 Complete all assigned readings and participate in class discussions focusing on the
readings and other study topics;
 Write and give a presentation on an individual final paper that synthesizes the
concepts explored during the course with the participant’s experiences on the course.
Selected Course Readings:
Basso, Keith. 1996. “Wisdom Sits in Places: Notes on a Western Apache Landscape.” in
Senses
of Place. Feld,Steven and Keith Basso, eds. Santa Fe: School of American
Research.
Committee.
Harrod, Howard L. 2000. The Animals Came Dancing: Native American Sacred Ecology
and
Animal Kinship. University of Arizona Press.
Krahe, Diane L. 2001. “The Mission Mountains Tribal Wilderness.” in Trusteeship in
Change. Clow, Rich and Imre Sutton, eds. University Press of Colorado.
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Krech, Shepard. 2005. “Reflections on Conservation, Sustainability and
Environmentalism in
Indigenous North America.” American Anthropologist. 107(1): 78-86.
LaDuke, Winona. Date unknown. “Earthkeepers.” American Indian Magazine.
Smithsonian
Institution.
LaDuke, Winona. 1993. “Social Justice, Racism, and the Environmental Movement.”
Paper
presented at the University of Colorado, September 28.
Lambert, Lori. 2003. “From Savages to Scientists.” Tribal College Journal. 15(1): 11-12.
Nadasdy, Paul. 1999. “The Politics of TEK.” Arctic Anthropology. 36(1-2): 1-18.
O’Gara, Geoffrey. 2000. What You See in Clear Water. New York: Vintage Books.
Ortiz, Bev. 1991. “Contemporary California Basketweavers and the Environment.” in
Before the
Wilderness.
Blackburn, Thomas and Kat Anderson, eds. Menlo Park, CA: Ballena Press
Anthropological
Papers.
Pierotti, Raymond and Daniel Wildcat. 2000. “Traditional Ecological Knowledge: The
Third
Alternative.” Ecological Applications. 10(5): 1333-1340.
Stoffle, Richard W. et al. 2003. “Human Nature Co-Adaptation.” in Nature across
Cultures. Selin, Helaine, ed. Dordrecht, The Netherlands: Kluwer Academic Publishers.
Struckman, Robert. Date unknown. “Pass It On.” American Indian Magazine.
Smithsonian
Institution.
Tallbear, Kimberly. 2002. (Review) “All Our Relations: Native Struggles for Land and
Life by
Winona LaDuke.” Wicaso Sa Review. 17(1): 234-242.
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