Overstory #118 - Native Intelligence
Native or native?
We observe the following conventions with respect to our use of the words Native and native. "Native" refers to a person or persons from a specific indigenous cultural background, and is most often prefixed to a description or place, such as in Native American or Native Australian. The uncapitalized "native" refers to refers to a person of any cultural or ethnic background who is on a first-name basis with the natural world, a person who has the knowledge, a spiritual feeling for and therefore the mindset of being a part of the land, not separate from it.
Where has Native Intelligence Gone?
There are many studies indicating that the indigenous people from many natural areas around the world are capable of identifying, harvesting and using for medicine, food and craft, hundreds of species of wild plants over all four seasons. The knowledge possessed by these people, common average citizens of their societies, includes similar information about trees and their uses, bird and animal language and its significance, weather patterns indicated by clouds, and animal behavior indicated by track and sign.
If we were to walk in the Kalahari with a native of the land, and we asked them to identify the most common plants, animals, tracks, and trees we encountered, they would do so with 100% accuracy, men, women, and most of the children alike.