Herman Kitka Traditional Ecological Knowledge

Herman Kitka
Tradition Ecological Knowledge, 2001
University of Alaska -- Southeast
Anthropology 393, Spring 1996

Tlingit traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) is the product of generations of learning and experience with the lands, waters, fish, plants, wildlife, and other natural resources of Southeast Alaska. As Sitka elder Herman Kitka Sr. shows, Tlingits were trained from an early age to be aware of and respect the community of living beings that surrounds them. This meant learning not only how to hunt, fish, gather and process key subsistence foods and other necessities, but also how to understand the behavior and roles of other species in the ecosystem, and how to successfully interact with them in sustainable ways. This knowledge was not gained in a classroom but largely passed down by elders through oral histories, songs, crafts, and practical training. With maturity, one's TEK continues to grow in unique ways through reflection and experience on the land. We were very honored and fortunate to have Herman Kitka join our class in 1996 and share with us some of the knowledge and wisdom he has gained from his Tlingit education and a lifetime of living off the land in a century of profound change. We hope that you, too, will benefit from the teachings we have excerpted and indexed in these audio and video modules, and that you will respect its sources and the richness and relevance of Tlingit ways of knowing. GunalchÈesh.

--Tom Thornton