Indigenous ways of creating environmental awareness: A case study from Berekum traditional area, Ghana

Abstract

The people of Berekum Traditional Area, Brong Ahafo region, Ghana, use their religio-cultural practices to instill and impart traditional ecological knowledge to their youth. Qualitative methodology research identified the main means by which indigenous ecological knowledge is transmitted to students: proverbs, myths, folktales, and rituals. There is evidence that indigenous methods of imparting ecological knowledge and thereby dealing with environmental problems are facing some challenges that appear to have interfered with their effectiveness. These challenges may be attributed to a change in the people's worldview resulting from cultural contact and modernity. The findings indicate that indigenous ecological knowledge is a potential resource that can complement scientific means of dealing with the region's environmental problems