Traditional Ecological Knowledge

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Written by Friends of the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore

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Events | Evergreen Content | Features | History | Our Work | Resource Symposium Day 1 | Science

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April 1, 2021

Traditional Ecological Knowledge is all around us. In some circuits it’s a trending buzzword. What is TEK? How does it relate to scientific knowledge? Traditional knowledge is embedded within the very fabric of our existence as Anishinaabeg.

Come learn a little about Ojibwe history in the upper Great Lakes and how these knowledge systems have been both maintained and revitalized to help many tribal nations with environmental relationships and environmental decision-making.

Recording of this presentation is not available.

Presenter biography

Dylan Jennings, Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission

Dylan Bizhikiins Jennings is a member of the marten clan. He graduated from the University of Wisconsin Madison with degrees in Anthropology, Archaeology, Environmental Studies, and American Indian Studies.

Jennings is set to complete his Masters degree from the University of Wisconsin Madison Nelson Institute in spring 2021.

Jennings is a Bad River Tribal Member and a former Tribal Council Member for the Bad River Band of Lake Superior Ojibwe, where he served two consecutive terms as an elected official. He served as an appointed representative for the EPA region 5 Tribal Operations Committee (RTOC). Currently Dylan resides in Odanah, and works as the Director of Public Information for the Great Lakes Indian Fish & Wildlife Commission.

The job requires him to be fluent and up to date with tribal news and issues. He also serves as a writer, photographer and editor for the Mazina’igan newspaper. Bizhikiins presents at many public engagements and schools throughout the Midwest on topics ranging from: traditional subsistence, sovereignty, tribal environmental perspective, cultural immersion, Ojibwemowin, Tribal Historic Preservation, food sovereignty, Ojibwe curriculum, and cultural identity. Bizhkiins is also an adjunct instructor at Northland College in the American Indian Studies Department where he teaches Introduction to Ojibwe language and culture. He also serves as an appointed member of the Wisconsin Governor’s Task Force on Climate Change.

Bizhikiins has been a recent recipient of the National Center for American Indian Enterprise Development “40 under 40” award and a recipient of the UW Madison Nelson Institute Rising Star Alumni award.

To sample more sessions choose below

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A Retrospective – Research and Resource Management at Apostle Islands NL

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A singing wilderness: Songbirds of the Apostle Islands

Monitoring bird populations helps us keep an ear out for troubling changes in the island soundtrack.

A Vulnerability Assessment for Terrestrial Ecosystems

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Amphibians of the Apostle Islands

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Emerging Water Resource Issues in the Apostle Islands

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Fifty Years of Cultural Resource Research at Apostle Islands NL

This presentation will look at the Lakeshore’s half century of efforts to study, understand, and steward these ...

Gaylord Nelson: mover, shaker, deal-maker

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Longitudinal Trends and Ecology of the Small Mammal Community

Long-term changes in small mammal populations across the archipelago likely reflect reduction of human extractive ...

New Insights Into the Dynamics of Apostle Islands Carnivore Communities

To determine how human activity and footprint affect the spatiotemporal activity of wildlife on the Apostle ...

Past, Present and Future of Fire in the Apostle Islands

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Past, present and future of fisheries management in the Apostle Islands

New challenges are emerging and will direct fisheries management for the future.

Past, present, and future of piping plovers in the Apostle Islands

Partnerships with tribal, state, and federal officials have been key to monitoring piping plovers in the islands.

Resiliency and vulnerability of Apostle Islands coastal wetlands

We investigated wetland hydrology, geomorphology, vegetation, macro-invertebrates, and fish to identify ...

Through the eyes of 4th graders

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