Traditional Ecological Knowledge and Cattails: Preliminary library research and curation of resources
Location
Golden Eagles
Start Date
2-5-2025 10:50 AM
Department
Biology
Abstract
In North American wetlands of the Midwest, two cattail species, native Typha latifolia and exotic T. angustifolia, hybridize to generate T. x glauca. Typha angustifolia and the hybrid spread invasively, negatively affecting wetlands. Meanwhile these cattail species are difficult to identify morphologically making it harder to manage wetlands efficiently. Starting from this conservation biology research-based perspective on cattails, we want to understand how Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) has informed Typha use and management practices amongst Indigenous/traditional communities. Traditional Ecological Knowledge is knowledge handed down through generations by cultural tradition and it is a growing field of interest amongst conservationists and restoration ecologists. Our overall research approach is multifold: 1. Identify what, if any, research on TEK of cattails has been published or is available in other forms; 2. Develop an understanding of best practices for engaging in TEK research with local TEK holders; and 3. Determine the best approach for making our curated resources readily available for ease of access. In this presentation, we highlight the work we have started to find, collate, and explore any written resources through the NEIU library on the role of cattails in indigenous communities. A challenge in this type of research is that many times, TEK and other Indigenous practices are not published in what are common primary research journals or books, making the finding of these resources a more complex process. This initial research resulted in over 20 pdfs of journal articles which we downloaded and stored in a shared Google Drive folder. We also reserved eight books via interlibrary loans from five institutions across I-Share Libraries. Through our collaboration with librarian Lisa Wallis we are refining our research process by better organizing our collection. In addition, we are using Zotero, a free and open-source reference management software that facilitates us sharing our collection widely and provides options to tag, search, organize, and add attachments, notes, and files. We anticipate this project will not only allow us to compile the information we are searching but also curate a collection of resources that we will be able to share widely.
Faculty Sponsor
Pamela Geddes
Traditional Ecological Knowledge and Cattails: Preliminary library research and curation of resources
Golden Eagles
In North American wetlands of the Midwest, two cattail species, native Typha latifolia and exotic T. angustifolia, hybridize to generate T. x glauca. Typha angustifolia and the hybrid spread invasively, negatively affecting wetlands. Meanwhile these cattail species are difficult to identify morphologically making it harder to manage wetlands efficiently. Starting from this conservation biology research-based perspective on cattails, we want to understand how Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) has informed Typha use and management practices amongst Indigenous/traditional communities. Traditional Ecological Knowledge is knowledge handed down through generations by cultural tradition and it is a growing field of interest amongst conservationists and restoration ecologists. Our overall research approach is multifold: 1. Identify what, if any, research on TEK of cattails has been published or is available in other forms; 2. Develop an understanding of best practices for engaging in TEK research with local TEK holders; and 3. Determine the best approach for making our curated resources readily available for ease of access. In this presentation, we highlight the work we have started to find, collate, and explore any written resources through the NEIU library on the role of cattails in indigenous communities. A challenge in this type of research is that many times, TEK and other Indigenous practices are not published in what are common primary research journals or books, making the finding of these resources a more complex process. This initial research resulted in over 20 pdfs of journal articles which we downloaded and stored in a shared Google Drive folder. We also reserved eight books via interlibrary loans from five institutions across I-Share Libraries. Through our collaboration with librarian Lisa Wallis we are refining our research process by better organizing our collection. In addition, we are using Zotero, a free and open-source reference management software that facilitates us sharing our collection widely and provides options to tag, search, organize, and add attachments, notes, and files. We anticipate this project will not only allow us to compile the information we are searching but also curate a collection of resources that we will be able to share widely.