Elizabeth Swanson Andi – Whitten Research Fund 2024-25

Creating the Conditions of Possibility for Kichwa Traditional Ecological Knowledge at the Intersection of Sustainability Science in the Ecuadorian Amazon

The province of Napo, Ecuador is home to more than 46,000 Kichwa people, where the headwaters of many Amazonian rivers are born. The Napo basin has transformed significantly since the 50s due to deforestation, mining, and development which has had a simultaneous effect where Kichwa culture, language, and way of life are at a loss. In this context, assessing the health of forests and strengthening Indigenous communities are key to the long-term health of the Amazon Rainforest. While many Kichwa practices are sustainable many are increasingly becoming unsustainable because of global impacts that are driving the Amazon Rainforest to its tipping point and drastically changing Indigenous peoples’ way of life. In the Kichwa way of life, traditional knowledge is more than observation, it is active participation, and using and activating the senses is not only a critical part of being part of nature but also for surviving in it. Kawsak sacha man –“the forest is alive” is a phrase said by Kichwa elders. Inspired by this notion that land is alive, my research aims to investigate how to create the conditions of possibility so that Kichwa traditional knowledge can survive and inform rainforest bio-cultural conservation efforts and policy.

Visit The Norm and Sibby Whitten Research Fund Home Page