The Bdote Project: Merging Confluences of Ecological Knowledge to Connect Rivers, Cultures and Science

Abstract

This curriculum, titled "The Bdote Project," will use the metaphor of a confluence to merge multiple veins of environmental knowledge by using rivers as a connection to each other and the Earth, while facilitating the formation of meaningful relationships to the environment to occur. By using river confluences as a literal vessel, and figurative metaphor of connection, the purpose of this curriculum utilizes rivers and integrating Indigenous traditional knowledge targeted toward young adults ranging in age from 17-25-year-olds in both informal and formal education settings. This field project titled, “The Bdote Project: Merging confluences of ecological knowledge to connect rivers, cultures and science,” aims to bridge the gap between modern, Western science and Indigenous rooted, traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) while cultivating meaningful relationships to the environment, while having a more holistic understanding of others’ cultural beliefs. By integrating both kinds of knowledge, while exposing different audiences to multiple ways of knowing based on environmental issues, specifically relating to river systems, this project will be an additional usable program in the field of Environmental Education (EE).