Indigenous
Science and
Technology in the
Philippines
Indigenous Knowledge System
Indigenous knowledge is
embedded in the daily life
experience of young children as
they grow up. They live and grow
in a society where the members of
the community prominently
practice indigenous knowledge.
Indigenous Knowledge System
The lessons they learn are
intimately interwoven with their
culture and the environment. Their
views about nature and their
reflection on their experiences in
daily life are evident in their
stories, poems, and songs.
Some examples of indigenous knowledge that
are taught and practiced by the indigenous
people:
• Predicting weather conditions and seasons using
knowledge in observing animals’ behavior and celestial
bodies
• Using herbal medicine
• Preserving foods
• Classifying plants and animals into families and groups
based on cultural properties
• Preserving and selecting good seeds for planting
Some examples of indigenous knowledge that
are taught and practiced by the indigenous
people:
• Using indigenous technology in daily lives
• Building local irrigation systems
• Classifying different types of soil for planting
based on cultural properties
• Producing wines and juices from tropical fruits
• Keeping the custom of growing plants and
vegetables in the yard
Indigenous Science
Indigenous science is part of the indigenous
knowledge system practiced by different groups of people
and early civilizations (Gribbin, 2001; Mkapa, 2004; Sibisi,
2004). It includes complex arrays of knowledge, expertise,
practices, and representations that guide human societies in
their enumerable interactions with the natural milieu:
agriculture, medicine, naming and explaining natural
phenomena, and strategies for coping with changing
environments (Pawilen, 2005).
Indigenous Science
Ogawa (1995) claimed that it is collectively lived in and
experienced by the people of a given culture.
According to Cajete (2004), indigenous science
icludes everything from metaphysics to philosophy and
various practical technologies practiced by indigenous
peoples both past and present. Jaccarino (2003) elaborated
this idea by explaining that science is a part of culture, and
how science is done largely depends on the cultural
practices of the people.
Indigenous Science
Indigenous beliefs also developed desirable values
that are relevant or consistent to scientific attitudes as
identified by Johnston (2000), namely: (1)Motivating
Attitudes (2)Cooperating Attitudes (3)Practical Attitudes
and (4)Reflective Attitudes. These cultural beliefs therefore
can be good foundation for developing positive values
toward learning and doing science and in bringing science
in a personal level.
Indigenous Science
Pawilen (2005) explained that indigenous science
knowledge has developed diverse structures and contents
through the interplay between the society and the
environment. According to Kuhn (1962), developmental
stages of most sciences are characterized by continual
competition between a number of distinct views of nature,
each partially derived from, and all roughly compatible
with the dictates of scientific observation and method.
Indigenous Science
Sibisi (2004) also pointed out that indigenous
science provides the basics of astronomy, pharmacology,
food technology, or metallurgy, which were derived from
traditional knowledge and practices.
Pawilen (2006) developed a simple framework for
understanding indigenous science. Accordingly, indigenous
science is composed of traditional knowledge that uses
science to process skills and guide by community values
and culture.
INDIGENOUS SCIENCE
USES GUIDED BY COMPOSED OF
Community Culture and
Science Process Skills Traditional Knowledge
Values
The Concept of Indigenous Science
1. Indigenous Science uses
science process skills such
as observing, comparing,
classifying, measuring,
problem solving, inferring,
communicating, and
predicting.
The Concept of Indigenous Science
2. Indigenous Science is guided by culture and
community values such as the following:
• The Land is a Source of life. It is a precious gift
from the creator.
• The Earth is revered as the “Mother Earth”. It is
the origin of their identity as people.
• All living and nonliving things are interconnected
and interdependent with each other.
The Concept of Indigenous Science
2. Indigenous Science is guided by culture and
community values such as the following:
• Human beings are stewards or trustee of the land
and other natural resources. They have a
responsibility to preserve it.
• Nature is a friend to human beings – it needs
respect and proper care.
The Concept of Indigenous Science
3. Indigenous Science is
composed of traditional
knowledge practiced and
valued by people and
communities such as ethno-
biology, ethno-medicine,
indigenous farming
methods, and folk
astronomy.
Indigenous Science
Indigenous science is important in the development
of science and technology in the Philippines. Like the
ancient civilizations, indigenous science gave birth to the
development of science and technology as a field and as a
discipline. Indigenous science helped the people in
understanding the natural environment and in coping with
everyday life. UNESCO’s Declaration on Science and the
Use of Scientific Knowledge (1999) recognized indigenous
science as historical and valuable contribution to Science
and Technology.
