Title: Towards an Indigenous Vision for the Information Society
1Towards an Indigenous Vision for the Information
Society
- Indigenous Media Network
- Presentation
2The Information Society as a Cultural Concept
- Information is processed against an existing body
of knowledge, which defines its meaning and value - Information is as diverse as individual, social
and cultural diversity - The concept of knowledge is as diverse as the
idea of information - Communication is shaped by and depends on
culturally defined regulations
3Indigenous Knowledge
- Linked to relationship with ancestral territories
- System of knowledge and practices
- Provides philosophy defining the place of humans
in the web of life - Includes inherent ethics for interaction between
human, natural and spiritual worlds
4Traditional Knowledge and Indigenous Ethics
- Traditional knowledge includes Indigenous ethics
towards - - Utilization of resources for human use
- - Application of knowledge for human purposes
5Traditional Knowledge and Indigenous Customary
Law
- Indigenous customary law provides for
- classification of different types of knowledge
- Proper procedures for its acquisition and sharing
- Rights and responsibilities which attach to its
possession
6Summary What is Indigenous Knowledge?
- Deeply holistic
- Collective in nature
- Contains an entire worldview
- Rooted to a particular place
- Some of its aspects are sacred and secret
- Includes social and political relations
- Includes regulations for its use and
dissemination - Managing principles 1.Stewardship
2.Guardianship 3.Intergenerational responsibility
7Guardianship over Traditional Knowledge
- Elders and other traditional authorities
- Certain or all males/females
- Certain clans/families
- Specialists
- Age specific
- Gender specific
- Social and individual responsibilities
8Traditional Knowledge and Information
Communication
- Sharing and acquiring knowledge involve specific
procedures to be observed - Exchange of information, with appropriate
protocols to follow, highly depend on the given
communication situation and its actors - Information communication is bound to the ethical
and cultural obligations related to the shared
knowledge - Teachings are specific in time and place, and
adapted to the respective recipient(s)
9Oral Transmission of Indigenous Knowledge
- Allows adaptation to the context of the situation
and the maturity of the receiver(s) - Allows adaptation to readiness of recipient(s) to
use the given information responsibly - Allows fullfilling ethical obligations related to
the communicated knowledge and information
10Indigenous Knowledge in the Economy of the
Information Society
- Traditional knowledge is increasingly reduced to
- an important resource
- valuable raw material
- for the knowledge - economy
- of the Information Society
- Indigenous knowledge, cultivars and inventions
are mainly utilized by - agri-business (to improve commercial food and
fibre crops) - - pharmaceutical industry (production of new
drugs)
11Commercial Exploitation of Indigenous Knowledge
- Scientific estimates indicate that Indigenous
Peoples possess as much as 99 of existing
knowledge about usable species - Commercial exploitation of traditional knowledge
and inventions often takes place without
authorization and consent of Indigenous Peoples - Digitalizing Indigenous knowledge and
disseminating it as local content, places it in
the public domain and thus makes it vulnerable to
exploitation
12Traditional Knowledge and the Public Domain
Concept
- Public Domain
- Developed in the framework of European economic
philosophy - Includes knowledge and information that is
considered shared, disclosed or generally known - Is considered a common resource
- Viewed freely available for economic utilization
- Traditional Knowledge
- Is not recognized as a valid economic, legal,
ethical and philosophical framework - Is denied its holistic concept including related
protocols for sharing and dissemination - Is considered a res nullius and is appropriated
from Indigenous Peoples - Is denied its ethical implications and related
cultural obligations -
13The Public Domain as a Backbone of the
Information Society
- Access to a vibrant public domain is the backbone
of the envisioned global Information Society - At the same time, Indigenous Peoples need to
assert their rights and obligations towards their
traditional knowledge
14Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs) A Solution
for Indigenous Peoples?
- IPRs
- temporary protection of a creative work against
commercial use by third parties - often require disclosure of related knowledge and
thus placing it into the public domain - are an instrument to reap economic benefits from
a commercial creative work by granting the owner
temporary private property rights
- Traditional Knowledge
- protection of knowledge as such against
unauthorized use and commercial exploitation - permanent removal from the public domain, unless
authorized by Indigenous Peoples - commercial exploitation is often problematic,
since creation is considered a gift with human
owners as custodians and future generations as
strong rights-holders
15Challenges and Potentials for Indigenous Peoples
- For Indigenous Peoples, two essential questions
emerge regarding their participation in the
Information Society - Is it possible to share their knowledge and
information without violating their cultural
obligations and customary laws? - Is it possible to utilize ICTs within their
cultural contexts without risking to lose their
cultural identity?
16Towards an Indigenous Vision for the Information
Society
- Indigenous participation must be rights-based
- Its implementation and applications must be
culturally appropriate - It must include Indigenous philosophies and
ethics
17Adequate Rights of Indigenous Peoples
- Equal participation of Indigenous Peoples in the
Information Society requires - New standard setting activities to develop
adequate Rights of Indigenous Peoples in the
Information Society - Recognition of existing Indigenous Rights
18 Creation of Adequate Legal Instruments
- Full ownership, control and protection of
Indigenous cultural and intellectual property - Alternatives to the application of the public
domain concept to their knowledge and cultural
expressions - Alternatives to the application of current IPR
regimes to their knowledge
- Recognition of Indigenous culturally diverse
concepts and provisions of their customary laws
in defining the term intellectual and cultural
property - Recognition of Indigenous cultural obligations
towards communication and dissemination, use and
application of their knowledge - Legal protection must recognize
- 1. collective nature of knowledge
- 2. culturally diverse concepts of ownership and
ethical implications - 3. multi-generational view
-
19ICTs andIndigenous Communication
- ICTs are a cultural expression of the society
that has developed them - ICT-applications for Indigenous Peoples have to
be culturally appropriate and must adapt to
Indigenous modes of communication - Indigenous Peoples must be able to determine
ICT-utilization in their communities on their own
terms
20Recognizing Existing Indigenous Rights in the
Information Society
- Recognition of existing Indigenous Rights is
essential to - allow Indigenous Peoples to participate in the
Information Society without losing their cultural
identity - support the survival of their living cultures
without risking their museumization
21Essential Indigenous Rights
- Rights to ancestral territories
- Rights to transmission of cultural values and
customary laws - Rights to educational systems and traditional
knowledge transmission - Rights to Indigenous languages
- Rights to the integrity of Indigenous health
systems and healing practices
22ICTs cannot replace elements of the living
Indigenous culture
- ICTs cannot replace traditional elements of
Indigenous cultures, such as - interaction with ancestral territories for
generation and preservation of knowledge - inter-generational knowledge transmission
23Participation of Indigenous Peoples is vital
- Indigenous Peoples must control and determine
ICT-utilization in their communities - Involvement of Elders and other traditional
authorities in related decision-making processes
is important - To identify
- culturally appropriate content
- culturally appropriate forms of digitalization of
Indigenous cultural elements - culturally appropriate e-applications
24Indigenous Peoples are affected by the Digital
Divide
- Lack of basic infrastructure
- Availability of servers
- Lack of knowledge on operating and maintaining
ICTs
- Lack of electricity and telephone services
- Lack of equipment
- Lack of financial resources for necessary
acquisitions
25Overcoming the Digital Divide
- Indigenous Peoples have the right to bridge the
digital divide on their own terms - Avenues to take include
- 1. Design of culturally appropriate ICT
capacity-building programs by Indigenous ICT
experts - 2. Indigenous-Indigenous co-operation programs
- 3. Support for Elders-and-Youth Initiatives to
develop strategies for bridging the digital
divide
26ICTs could become a useful Complementary Tool
- If all these pre-conditions are met, ICTs could
become a usefull complementary tool for - Preservation of Indigenous cultures and languages
- Indigenous education (especially through distant
learning) - Indigenous language training
- Health assistance for remote Indigenous
communities - Environmental education and monitoring
- Support for traditional ways of life, for
instance nomadic communities
27Other Important Applications
- Other important applications include
- E-business
- Establishment of Indigenous Media
- Intercultural education and combating racism and
discrimination against Indigenous Peoples
28Indigenous Research is vital to develop
Indigenous ICT-approaches
- Promotion of Indigenous research to explore
Indigenous aspirations of Indigenous Peoples
towards the Information Society and challenges
and potentials they perceive - Support for Indigenous Studies to develop
strategies of Indigenous Peoples how to bridge
the digital divide in their regions on their own
terms and ensure affordable access solutions
- Design of culturally appropriate
capacity-building instruments on ICT-use by
Indigenous experts to allow for informed
decision-making of Indigenous Peoples on their
ICT-needs - Support for Indigenous research on the effects of
ICT-utilization on the survival of Indigenous
cultures, languages and identities
29Intercultural Communication on the Evolution and
Implementation of the Information Society
- Intercultural communication between Indigenous
and non-Indigenous actors of the Information
Society is essential to - allow for equal participation of Indigenous
Peoples - include Indigenous visions and philosophies in
the process of its evolution and implementation - develop respect for Indigenous cultural
obligations and protocols -
30Mechanisms of Intercultural Exchange
- Establishment of a high-level mechanisms that
brings together Indigenous and non-Indigenous
actors - Promotion of exchange between Indigenous and
non-Indigenous practitioners to foster mutual
understanding and develop solutions that respect
Indigenous approaches
31The Web of Life and the Global Net
-
- Q What is the Indigenous Vision of the
Information Society? - A The Global Net as the Embodiment of the
Web of Life