Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Intergenerational Sharing of Indigenous Environmental Knowledge in the Torres Strait

  • Reference work entry
  • First Online:
Geographies of Global Issues: Change and Threat

Part of the book series: Geographies of Children and Young People ((GCYP,volume 8))

Abstract

Torres Strait Islander communities are faced with ever increasing challenges related to changing weather variability and climate change impacts. These island communities have long managed their natural resources and effectively coped with and adapted to changing local climatic and environmental conditions. In particular, understanding local seasonal patterns and indicators, species behavior, crop planting times, and other environmental conditions has been a long held practice for Torres Strait Islanders. While climate change presents new sets of pressures and threats to maintaining sustainable livelihoods, this intimate local environmental knowledge should not be underestimated in its role in climate change science, policy, and action. This chapter describes a research project undertaken with community Elders, local primary school teachers, and young people on Erub Island, a volcanic “high” island in the Torres Strait but with significant infrastructure, housing settlements, and cultural sites located on the coastal fringe. This project worked with Elders to document their vast and diverse local knowledge, including details of the nesting and migratory patterns of birds, movement of the Tagai star constellation, and onset of wind patterns indicating certain planting or fishing cycles. This knowledge was synthesized into a local seasonal calendar. Working with the local school, both teachers and students, this calendar was then developed into a large school mural which involved the active participation of the entire school populace. Through this intergenerational process of knowledge sharing (from Elders’ past and present knowledge), it is hoped that young people (who observe present and future changes) can monitor local environmental conditions and “read” landscape signals as a way of understanding and preparing for short- and longer-term shifts in the climate.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 329.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Hardcover Book
USD 329.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  • Apple, M. W., Aasen, P., Cho, M. K., Gandin, L. A., Oliver, A., Sung, W. K., Tarares, H., & Wong, T.-H. (2003). The state and politics of knowledge. New York: Routledge.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2011). 2011 Census community profiles – Erub Island. Retrieved February 2, 2015, from http://www.censusdata.abs.gov.au/census_services/getproduct/census/2011/communityprofile/SSC30576

  • Australian Government (2009) Climate change risks to Australia's Coasts. Canberra: Department of Climate Change.

    Google Scholar 

  • Australian Government. (2010). Indigenous weather knowledge – Indigenous seasonal descriptions. Bureau of Meteorology. Retrieved February 2, 2015 from http://www.bom.gov.au/iwk/climate_culture/Indig_seasons.shtml

  • Beckett, J. (1987) Torres Strait Islanders: Custom and Colonialism. Cambridge University Press, New York, USA.

    Google Scholar 

  • Berkes, F. (2008). Sacred ecology (2nd ed.). New York: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Berkes, F., Colding, J., & Folke, C. (2000). Rediscovery of traditional ecological knowledge as adaptive management. Ecological Applications, 10(5), 1251–1262.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brodnig, G. (2000). Bridging the gap: The role of spatial information technologies in the integration of traditional environmental knowledge and western science. The Electronic Journal on Information Systems in Developing Countries, 1(1), 1–15.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cajete, G. (2000). Native science: Natural laws of interdependence. Santa Fe: Clear Light.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cannon, T. (2008). Reducing people’s vulnerability to natural hazards, UNU-WIDER research paper No. 2008/34.. Bonn: United Nations University.

    Google Scholar 

  • CONICS. (2010). Torres Strait sustainable land use plan. Cairns: CONICS.

    Google Scholar 

  • Denton, F. (2002). Climate change vulnerability, impacts and adaptation: Why does gender matter? Gender and Development, 10(2), 10–20.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dunn, K. M. (2005). Interviewing. In I. Hay (Ed.), Qualitative research methods in human geography (2nd ed., pp. 79–105). Sydney: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Edwards, R. (2000). Songs from Darnley Island. Kuranda: The Rams Skull Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ewing, R. (2010). The arts and Australian education: Realising potential. Camberwell: ACER Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Finucane, M. L. (2009). Why science alone won’t solve the climate crisis: Managing climate risks in the pacific. AsiaPacific Issues, 89, 1–8.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fischman, G. E., & McLaren, P. (2005). Rethinking critical pedagogy and the Gramscian and Freirean legacies: From organic to committed intellectuals or critical pedagogy, commitment, and praxis. Cultural Studies, 5(4), 425–447.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ford, J. D., & Furgal, C. (2009). Foreword to the special issue: Climate change impacts, adaptation and vulnerability in the arctic. Polar Research, 28(1), 1–9.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Grenier, L. (1998). Working with indigenous knowledge: A guide for researchers. Ottawa: International Development Research Centre.

    Google Scholar 

  • Haynes, K., & Tanner, T. M. (2013). Empowering young people and strengthening resilience: Youth-centred participatory video as a tool for climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction. Children’s Geographies. doi:10.1080/14733285.2013.848599.

    Google Scholar 

  • Indigenous Peoples’ Global Summit on Climate Change. (2009). The anchorage declaration. Retrieved February 2, 2015 from http://unfccc.int/resource/docs/2009/smsn/ngo/168.pdf

  • IPCC. (2013). Summary for policymakers. In T. F. Stocker, D. Qin, G.-K. Plattner, M. Tignor, S. K. Allen, J. Boschung, A. Nauels, Y. Xia, V. Bex, & P. M. Midgley (Eds.), Climate change 2013: The physical science basis. Contribution of working group I to the fifth assessment report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (pp. 3–29). Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Johannes, R. E., & MacFarlane, J. W. (1991). Traditional fishing in the Torres Strait islands. Hobart: CSIRO Division of Fisheries.

    Google Scholar 

  • Johnson, M. (1992). Research on traditional environmental knowledge: Its development and its role. In M. Johnson (Ed.), Lore: Capturing traditional environmental knowledge (pp. 1–21). Ottawa: Dene Cultural Institute and the International Development Research Centre.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jones, A., Barnett, B., Williams, A. J., Grayson, J., Busilacchi, S., Duckworth, A., Evans-Illidge, E., Begg, G. A., & Murchie, C. D. (2008). Effective communication tools to engage Torres Strait islanders in scientific research. Continental Shelf Research, 28(16), 2350–2356.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kostogriz, A. (2011). Interrogating the ethics of literacy intervention in indigenous schools. English Teaching: Practice and Critique, 10(2), 24–38.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kovach, M. (2005). Emerging from the margins: Indigenous methodologies. In S. Strega & L. Brown (Eds.), Research as resistance – Critical, indigenous and anti-oppressive approaches (pp. 19–36). Toronto: Canadian Scholars Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Louis, R. (2007). Can you hear us now? Voices from the margin: Using indigenous methodologies in geographic research. Geographic Research, 45(2), 130–139.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McNamara, K. E., & McNamara, J. P. (2011). Using participatory action research to share knowledge of the local environment and climate change: Case study of Erub Island, Torres Strait. The Australian Journal of Indigenous Education, 40, 30–39.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McNamara, K. E., & Westoby, R. (2011). Local knowledge and climate change adaptation on Erub Island, Torres Strait. Local Environment: The International Journal of Justice and Sustainability, 16(9), 887–901.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McNamara, K. E., & Westoby, R. (2014). Gendered ironies of globalisation: Observations from Fiji and Kiribati. The Journal of Pacific Studies, 34(2), 53–62.

    Google Scholar 

  • McNamara, K. E., Smithers, S. G., Westoby, R., & Parnell, K. (2011). Limits to climate change adaptation for low-lying communities in the Torres Strait (Final Project Report for the National Climate Change Adaptation Research Facility). Gold Coast: National Climate Change Adaptation Research Facility.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mercer, J., Kelman, I., Lloyd, K., & Suchet-Pearon, S. (2008). Reflections on use of participatory research for disaster risk reduction. Area, 40(2), 172–183.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mitchell, T., Haynes, K., Hall, N., Choong, W., & Oven, K. (2008). The role of children and youth in communicating disaster risk. Children, Youth and Environments, 18(1), 254–279.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nichols, T., Berkes, F., Jolly, D., Snow, N. B., & The Community of Sachs Harbour. (2004). Climate change and sea ice: Local observations from the Canadian western arctic. ARCTIC, 57(1), 68–79.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nyong, A., Adesina, F., & Elasha, B. O. (2007). The value of indigenous knowledge in climate change mitigation and adaptation strategies in the African Sahel. Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies for Global Change, 12(5), 787–797.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Parry, M. L., Canziani, O. F., Palutikof, J. P., van der Linden, P. J., & Hanson, C. E. (Eds.). (2007). Contribution of working group II to the fourth assessment report of the intergovernmental panel on climate change. Cambridge, UK/New York: Cambridge University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Peek, L. (2008). Children and disasters: Understanding vulnerability, developing capacities, and promoting resilience. Children, Youth and Environments, 18(1), 1–29.

    Google Scholar 

  • Queensland Government. (2009). Torres Strait Islander seasonal calendar. Retrieved February 2, 2015, from https://www.qcaa.qld.edu.au/downloads/approach/indigenous_read011_0801_2.pdf, https://www.qcaa.qld.edu.au/downloads/approach/indigenous_read011_0801_3.pdf

  • Riedlinger, D., & Berkes, F. (2001). Contributions of traditional knowledge to understanding climate change in the Canadian arctic. Polar Record, 37(203), 315–328.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Salick, J., & Byg, A. (2007). Indigenous peoples and climate change. Oxford, UK: Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research.

    Google Scholar 

  • Salick, J., & Ross, N. (2009). Traditional peoples and climate change. Global Environmental Change, 19(2), 137–139.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sharp, N. (1993). The flower of Meriam identities: Linking circles of life amongst the Meriam. In Stars of Tagai: The Torres Strait islanders (pp. 49–77). Canberra: Aboriginal Studies Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Smith, L. T. (2012). Decolonizing methodologies: Research and indigenous peoples (2nd ed.). London: Zed Books.

    Google Scholar 

  • Smith, T. A. (2013). The dominant/marginal lives of young Tanzanians: Spaces of knowing at the intersection of children’s geographies and development geographies. Geoforum, 48, 10–23.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sprague, J. (2005) Feminist methodologies for critical researchers: bridging differences. Altamira Press, Oxford, UK.

    Google Scholar 

  • Srinivasan, A. (2004). Local knowledge for facilitating adaptation to climate change in Asia and the Pacific: Policy implications: IGES-CP working paper. Tokyo: Institute for Global Environmental Strategies.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tanner, T. M., Garcia, M., Lazcano, J., Molina, F., Molina, G., Rodríguez, G., Tribunalo, B., & Seballos, F. (2009). Children’s participation in community-based disaster risk reduction and adaptation to climate change. Participatory Learning and Action, 60, 54–64.

    Google Scholar 

  • Turner, N. J., & Clifton, H. (2009). “It’s so different today”: Climate change and indigenous lifeways in British Columbia, Canada. Global Environmental Change, 19(2), 180–190.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Walker, M., Whittle, R., Medd, W., Burningham, K., Moran-Ellis, J., & Tapsell, S. (2012). ‘It came up to here’: Learning from children’s flood narratives. Children’s Geographies, 10(2), 135–150.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Warburton, J., & Chambers, B. (2007). Older indigenous Australians: Their integral role in culture and community. Australasian Journal on Ageing, 26(1), 3–7.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Weatherhead, E., Gearheard, S., & Barry, R. G. (2010). Changes in weather persistence: Insight from inuit knowledge. Global Environmental Change, 20(3), 523–528.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Geography, Planning and Environmental Management, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia

    Karen Elizabeth McNamara & Ross Westoby

Authors
  1. Karen Elizabeth McNamara
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Ross Westoby
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Karen Elizabeth McNamara .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. InstituteofEnvironment,Health&Societies, Brunel University , Uxbridge, United Kingdom

    Nicola Ansell

  2. SchoolofGeography&SustainableCommunities, University of Wollongong SchoolofGeography&SustainableCommunities, Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia

    Natascha Klocker

  3. Department of Geography, National University of Singapore Department of Geography, Singapore, Singapore

    Tracey Skelton

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2016 Springer Science+Business Media Singapore

About this entry

Cite this entry

McNamara, K.E., Westoby, R. (2016). Intergenerational Sharing of Indigenous Environmental Knowledge in the Torres Strait. In: Ansell, N., Klocker, N., Skelton, T. (eds) Geographies of Global Issues: Change and Threat. Geographies of Children and Young People, vol 8. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-4585-54-5_6

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation