ABSTRACT
Over the space it is the indigenous knowledge that distinguishes one community from the other. Thus, how communities perceive space through and within their indigenous knowledge is a matter of concern. The point about grappling with space as a key concept in our study is an effort to identify how this concept might be better integrated into the existing social, literary and cultural outlay of indigenous knowledge and with what effects to our study area. According to scholars, it is part of the general cultural web, and like any cultural entity space is formed and changed, accepted or rejected. There are many indigenous practices in the study area, but this chapter is restricted to the practices which are related to natural resource management only. The article revisits the traditional practices followed in the Garhwal and Kumaon region of the state of Uttarakhand in the Himalayas and documents the resource base and processes practiced over the years; it further conceptualizes the possibility of their being regarded as suitable technology for the management of natural resources in particular climatic and living conditions. Sometimes, owing to the integration of traditional societies with the mainstream society and market economy, indigenous knowledge and traditional practices for resource extraction, utilization and management are on the verge of extinction. Through this study, an attempt has been made to revisit them, to scrutinize their relevance in present times, and to comprehend whether the intrusion of modern science-based knowledge in the livelihood of the indigenous people has changed their perception of space or not. We also examine whether through community participation and the co-operation of the local community it would be easy to document indigenous practices and also to understand the processes followed in blending contemporary resource management practices using geospatial tools with the traditional practices in a particular ecology to benefit the subsequent livelihood of the local community.
