IndigenousTraditional Knowledge in Sri Lanka

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Indigenous/Traditional Knowledge in Sri Lanka

• Hemanthi Ranasinghe

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Indigenous Knowledge is.

• Local knowledge unique to every culture society
• Embedded in community practices, institutions,
  relationships and rituals
• The basis for local decision making in
• Agriculture, health, natural resource management
  and other activities
• The greatest asset of the poor, helping them to
  shape and control their own development
• Crucial to an inclusive knowledge economy

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IK in development helps to increase

• Efficiency
• IK is cost effective
• IK uses appropriate technology
• Effectiveness
• IK improves chances of adoption
• IK is integral to local communities
• Sustainability
• IK facilitates mutual adaptation and learning
• IK empowers local communities

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Examples of the use of IK in Sri Lanka
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Agriculture Food Processing

• IK in agriculture includes
• Information
• Practices and technologies
• Beliefs
• Tools
• Materials
• Experimentation
• Biological resources
• Human resources
• Education

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Organic Agriculture

• Organic farming is a system of managing
  agricultural holdings that uses a variety of more
  environmentally friendly crop farming practices
  and involves major restrictions on the use of
  fertilisers and pesticides.

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Cost effective paddy cultivation

• Nawa kekulama practiced by farmers in North
  Central Province.
• Zero tillage in ground preparation
• Bunds not weeded.
• Paddy seeds dry sown and then covered with 3 inch
  mat of dry paddy straws to keep the weed growth
  low.
• With the first irrigation, the paddy seeds
  germinate above the paddy straw

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Pest control in paddy

• Use of pest repellent plant material.
• Practiced mostly in Anuradhapura and Uva
  Provinces
• Crude paste prepared by crushing Neem and
  Mahapatta leaves, wrapping it in a piece of cloth
  and placing the pack near the canal water entry
  point.

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Pest control in vegetable cultivation

• In Lunuwatte, Rahupola in Uva-Paranagama and
  Moneragala areas in Badulla District, rotational
  cropping is practiced.
• Paddy cultivation is followed by vegetable crop
  such as beans which is susceptible to inset pest
  infestation.
• Application of organic treatments to repel insect
  pests.
• Dust the plants with kitchen ash at dawn when
  plants are wet with dew.
• Spray the plants with a suspension of cattle dung
  in water.
• Use of crushed leaves and bark of plants Neem and
  Sunflower. The mixture of crushed plant material
  is shaken with water in a large bottle and kept
  aside in the field for several days for
  maturation. The matured water suspension is then
  sprayed over the bean plants.

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Weed control in paddy

• Spreading a thick mat of dry straw placed in the
  paddy field after dry sowing to reduces weeds
• About 3 weeks after sowing the standing water
  level is maintained at about half the height of
  the paddy plant.
• A log or banana trunk about 5 length is fixed
  with wooden spikes 2 in circumference and set 4
  apart. A short pole is fixed at each end of trunk
  to function as an axle.
• The trunk is rolled over the paddy plant smoothly
  in one direction. Common weeds like Kudumatta and
  Tunessa are removed and soil is loosened. This
  destroys many paddy pests on leaves.

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• Control of weeds through a consistent and phased
  control of water.
• After 10-14 days of sowing the paddy field is
  kept covered with water for a continuous period
  of 3 days.
• On the 4th day the water is drained out and the
  field is allowed to dry out for 2 days.
• After that, water is again allowed into the field
  and left standing for 3 days.
• When this process is carried out several times,
  growth of weeds is substantially controlled.

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Integrated crop-livestock farming

• Use of buffalo as a multipurpose animal
• For ploughing and threshing
• Weed control by grazing
• Tether a pair of buffalo for 10 nights for
  fertilise trees
• Dung urine (enriched with nitrogen phosphate)
  mixed with kitchen ash when coconut husks are
  used (enriched with potassium).
• Proportion of this being pair of buffalo heads
  tethered for 10 nights to a tree is adequate for
  2 years.

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Biodynamic Agriculture

• Integrates precise observation of natural
  phenomena, clear thinking and knowledge of the
  spirit. This is applied to agricultural
  production as a nature farming method.

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Ritualistic traditions in participatory natural
resource mgt.
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Muttimangallaya

• Practiced in the dry zone especially
  Anuradhapura and Kurunegala Districts.
• Is a participatory management system founded on
  collective conscience, enshrining community based
  commitments, rights, obligations and decision
  making
• Cost effective regulatory process for ecosystem
  protection, irrigation, water management and
  organised crop production.

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• Carried out in 2 stages
• Vow making get the blessings of the Gods for
  commencing the planting season, save the natural
  resources eg. tank, people, livestock etc.
• Fulfilling the vow after harvesting
• Significance
• Collective decision making
• Desire for the protection of both biological and
  physical resources
• Ensuring harmony among the villagers

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Food processing and storage

• Technologies include drying, dehydration,
  fermentation, smoking, salt treatment and
  submerging in cold water
• Sun drying grains such as paddy or rice thinly
  spread over large mats with a sprinkling of
  crushed or whole leaves of rampe or Karapincha or
  citrus to repel insects and prevent fungus
  formation.
• Grains stored in bissa which is a large basket
  shaped storage bins made of cane.

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• Wrapping or packaging material specific to
  particular food product intended to reduce
  spoilage. Properties of material such as
  absorption of moisture, permeability to oxygen
  and light also being considered.
• Shelf life increased by burying under soil (lime,
  cassava etc) or dry sand plus dried saw dust.
• Fish smoking/sundrying smoking fish with
  specific types of firewood eg. cinnamon gives a
  special flavor to the product.
• Ripening of matured fruits delayed when the whole
  fruit is submerged in cold water ie jak
• Processing of components of the fruit eg. jak
• Bulbs, seeds and pericarp. Processing can be done
  after boiling and including different stages such
  as slicing, blanching, draining, sun drying and
  storing in smoke racks. Jak seeds also processed
  and stored in sand.

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Home Gardens

• Multi tiered cropping with a variety of trees,
  food crops, herbs and some animal life in small
  land holdings in the Central Province and few
  other localities in North Western and North
  Central areas.
• It is a natural, self-contained heterogeneous mix
  of plant forms providing the landowner with food,
  vegetables, fruits, timber, fuel, herbs and
  medicines whilst contribution to conservation of
  biodiversity.
• Land holdings small (average about one hectare in
  extent). Accommodate as much as 400 different
  species high biodiversity.
• About 1.33 million homegardens in the country
  spreading on 367,800 ha of land.
• Provides about 70 of the timber requirement of
  the country and important sites for conservation
  of germplasm.

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Inland Fishery

• Used in early Anuradhapura period and some
  continued thereby to present times too.
• The techniques used are hook, net and long basket
  (kumina)
• The long basket (fish trap) is placed in flowing
  water in small streams. Fish entered into these
  is trapped and then collected by hand.
• During times of drought, people had introduced
  various toxic inedible fruits into water holes to
  make them insensible which facilitated the catch.

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Holistic approach to health care
Universe
World
Body
Mind
Soul
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Medicine and Animal Health

• Most comprehensive storehouse of indigenous
  knowledge.
• Encompass medicinal, psychological, cultural,
  religious and philosophical phenomena with a
  holistic approach towards a long and healthy life
• .
• Deshiya chikithsa
• Immersion therapy in medicinal troughs made of
  metal, wood or stone for fever, rheumatism etc.
• Snake bits and fractures therapy is based on
  the identification of nature and virulence of
  toxic substance/time of incident

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Traditional midwife in childbirth

• The labour room is swept, sprinkled with tumeric
  to disinfect.
• Application of oil prepared from margosa,
  gingelly and castor oil from loins towards the
  eppigastria to give more flexibility and
  elasticity to muscles for easier contraction.
• Application of snuff to induce sneezing to help
  push
• Postures and positions adopted according to the
  frame of the pregnant mothers body.
• Placenta is severed with a sharp knife that has
  been previously treated with tumeric water and
  held over the incense several times.
• Wound dressed with a medication made from ash of
  fund of a calf mixed with pepper and a herb
  (vasambu).
• Castor oil is given to drink after the ejection
  of the placenta which is then burnt outside the
  entrace of the house. A stone is placed on top of
  the placenta and a rope to which mango and
  margosa leaves are tied is wrapped around it. -
  to prevent evil sprits in entering the house.
  people who see this do not enter the house so
  that mother and the infant are free from
  communicable diseases and infections. This is
  retained for 30 days during which period midwife
  assisted by older women would attend to the baby
  and the lactating mother.
• After a month of after care (diet management,
  primary health care, purification and ritualistic
  or spiritual events) to mark the entry of the
  mother and newborn to the community fold.

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Disease diagnosis in cattle

• Identification of cattle groups (Gothra)
• Disease identification by visual observations and
  investigations such as behavior, pulse, pulse
  rate, respiration, dryness of the muzzle,
  rumination, defecation, urination, movement and
  posture of ears, changes and reddening of the
  eye, movements of the eye ball, tearing, nasal
  discharge, gestation, lactates etc.
• Diseases diagnosed in relation to the site of
  origin ie head (nervous conditions), ear,
  intestines, blood vascular and respiratory.
• Skin opening where the skin is opened at the tip
  of the tail to examine the color of blood
• Treatment involves incorporation of biophysical
  and spiritual aspects of medication.
• Prevention from diseases by performing rituals
  (Kem, yantra, Mantra)

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Biophysical treatments

• Ingredients used
• Rhizomes, roots, bark of trees
• Flowers and seeds
• Cannabis or ganja
• Hill mud
• Whey, ghee, eggs, eggshells, bone meal, bat and
  human excreta, urine
• Ingredients combined with ginger essence, betel
  juice, thippili juice, lemon juice, salt water,
  coconut milk, king coconut water, young coconut
  water or cold or hot water.
• These are combined into a fine consistency by
  crushing and rolling a medicinal stone or
  powdered using a pestle and mortar and
  administered in specified quantities.
• Administration of medicine done
• through nasal for inhalation of medicinal fumes
  or
• infiltration of ear cavities by blowing through a
  small bamboo tube,
• oral where treatment is done as a drench,
• tongue for powders and pastes,
• topical for oils and pastes, branding and
• skin burns on particular nerve points called
  nila,
• bleeding by stabbing with a pointed bamboo or
  blade (sterilized), rectal where medicines are
  administered to the colon via rectum, hand
  manipulation where medications combined with
  kem to treat difficult births.

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Weather forecasting

• Observations of the sky and the movements of the
  clouds
• Movement of clouds in one direction is a sign of
  rainy weather while the opposite direction is
  meant dry weather.
• A red sky at sunrise and sunset considered a
  warning for rainless days ahead.
• Cold nights with mist and dew considered signs of
  impending dry weather while hot and warm feelings
  during the day signaled rainy evenings.
• By animal behavior
• A sharp and peculiar sound made by frogs and
  toads a sign for the arrival of rainy weather
  conditions
• Bees to remain indoors if rain is expected.
• Buffaloes and cats to appear restless and making
  unusual noises indicating an impending harsh
  weather situation such as cyclone.
• Onset of the full moon day to break the weather
  pattern

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Irrigation systems
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• Most important components in the village were
  the tank, paddy field, home garden and chena
• Irrigation depend on micro catchments required
  careful watershed mgt.
• Ancient kings too contributed to the water
  resource development
• This hydraulic civilisation in the dry zone
  disappeared in 12th century with foreign
  invasions

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Legislative and institutional arrangements
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Local legislative environment

• The paper on Access to information prepared by
  the Law Commission
• The Ayurveda Act
• The draft law on access to genetic resources of
  the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources
• The draft legal framework on access to
  traditional knowledge relating to the use of
  medicinal plants Ministry of Indigenous
  Medicine
• The Code of Intellectual Property Law

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Institutions related to IK

• National Steering Committee on IK in NASTEC
• Biodiversity Division of the Ministry of
  Environment and Natural Resources
• Drafting legislation on access to genetic
  resources
• Workshops on IK
• Sri Lanka Resource Centre for Indigenous
  Knowledge (SLARCIK)
• Research on IK
• Collection and Documentation of IK
• Dissemination of IK
• Incorporation of IK aspects into
  school/university curricula
• Ministry of Indigenous Medicine and the Project
  on Conservation and Sustainable Utilisation of
  Medicinal Plants
• Gathering of IK information on medicinal plants
• Drafting legislation
• Department of Intellectual Property Rights
• Work on IPR aspects

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Some drawbacks of using IK

• Mostly confined to rural communities
• Scattered and not well documented does not
  reach the development personnel
• Modern society does not place much faith in it
• Modern education and technology claims it to be
  unscientific

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Challenges to harness the potential of IK

• Raising awareness identity record
  disseminate exchange IK
• Validation and Valuation study test-compare
  challenge fund protect
• Mainstreaming pilot adapt integrate into
  comprehensive development framework
• Technology transfer adoption of IK in other
  locations requires validation eg. testing herbal
  medicines for efficacy and safety
• Building Local Capacity train facilitate IK
  exchange

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Areas which needs improvement

• Policy and legal frameworks for incorporating
  traditional knowledge practices in place
• Collection and compilation of traditional/indigeno
  us knowledge scattered in the country.
• Information, communication and educational
  strategy to be operational
• Research in traditional knowledge programmes that
  can be implemented
• Capacity building of stakeholders using existing
  traditional knowledge
• Institutional mechanism for incorporating/mainstre
  aming traditional knowledge

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