The Roles of Indigenous Knowledge and Folk Narratives in Human-Wildlife Conflict Management

Abstract

This paper highlights the importance of indigenous knowledge in human-animal conflict management contexts. Land is recognized in this paper as the space where human-animal conflicts occur, so its relevance to indigenous groups will be studied. The study will briefly discuss the relationship between the Igbo and their land, drawing examples from the author’s personal experience. The study will therefore illustrate how indigenous groups from various African communities use their knowledge and folk narratives to manage conflicts arising from human-animal contact. Folk narrative traditions such as these may offer pathways as we try to develop benevolent stewardship of nature.

Keywords: Igbo tradition, indigenous knowledge, folk narratives, human-animal conflict management.

Presentations

American Folklore Society Annual Conference 2023 held at Hilton, Portland Downtown, Oregon, USA

Society for Ecological Restoration Annual Conference 2023 held at Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia (Poster/Virtual)

Western States Folklore Society Annual Conference 2024 held at Otis College of Art and Design, Los Angeles, California, USA

European Association of Social Anthropologists Biennial Conference 2024 held at the University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain (Virtual)

UCSC Biennial Graduate Student Conference in Anthropology 2024 held at the University of California, Santa Cruz, California, USA (Guest Presenter)