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Indigenous roots of permaculture — Reading 1
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Introduction to Permaculture
Learning from living systems
Introduction
There are underlying guiding principles at work in ecological systems (ecosystems) that can be observed and integrated into one’s own understanding and being, as many indigenous and Earth-connected peoples have shown through history (and continue to demonstrate).
These principles are not found in the linear, isolated, fragmented logic that is apparent in most existing human culture and its economic systems, but in a more holistic logic that sees all things as connected and interdependent. This way of seeing does not reject the power of reason and reductionism—or breaking things down into their constituent parts to examine them closely. However, it necessitates simultaneously and primarily seeing ecosystems holistically. That is, seeing the components of an ecosystem as they relate to the whole of which they are a part and the way each element forms beneficial connections with other elements of the system. For ecosystem health and resiliency, it’s not the diversity alone that’s important, it’s the number of beneficial connections between the different living and non-living parts of the ecosystem that are most important. It’s the connections that matter!
For this program, the key principle of design that informs all others is the principle of protracted observation: the idea that when we observe something deeply, thoughtfully, and with our full attention, it changes not only our understanding of how we can interact with it in a positive, life conducive way, but also changes us at a fundamental level, shaping how we then perceive the world and interact with it—helping us understand that we are part of the environment healing itself, rather than a foreign entity imposing its will upon the land.
What is Permaculture?
"The only ethical decision is to take responsibility for our own existence and that of our children." - Bill Mollison, cofounder of Permaculture Design system
Permaculture in its simplest definition means “permanent culture”: a culture that is not only sustainable, but also regenerative (repairs existing ecosystem damage), since at this point in time, it is no longer enough just to sustain our existing systems.
The roots of permaculture design lie in indigenous land-use systems dating back untold thousands of years, some of which are still being practiced in an unbroken lineage to the modern-day (though increasingly rare, unfortunately).
Permaculture encompasses and builds on a set of ecological principle-based approaches for consciously and creatively designing regenerative systems that meet human and ecosystem needs. At the heart of the modern permaculture movement is the understanding that we must redesign and repair our life support systems (economic, social/cultural and ecological) to be life-conducive rather than life-destructive.
Although modern permaculture began as a system for integrating home scale agriculture with one’s immediate surroundings on a homestead level, it has evolved into a design system that can be used to design all aspects of human activity, from small and large scale agriculture, to architecture, learning environments, community design, and even economic and social systems.
Permaculture and this Program
The permaculture design community has brought together many useful tools and perspectives from many disciplines and traditions into a fairly unified, extremely useful package, but it can be counterproductive to consider permaculture design a static practice or specific ideology. This can and has led to dogmatic thinking even in the permaculture community.
Rather than thinking of this course as a way to be initiated into some specific way of seeing the world, or a specific type of design process, then, I invite you to think of it as a way to explore some toolboxes and lenses from different disciplines of human endeavour and perspectives, including from indigenous land-use systems, ecology and ecological restoration, biology, agroforestry, organic agriculture, keyline design, and landscape design, all with the aim of learning how to create regenerative habitats that fulfill human and non-human needs.
How to work through the course
Core Permaculture Design Course
The learning modules in this course cover the Permaculture Institute of North America’s (PINA) required course curriculum, which in turn has evolved from the original Permaculture Institute’s required curriculum.
The core modules cover basic ecological theory as applied to garden and farm design, design methodologies, needs analysis, zones and sectors, and other basic natural design approaches. We also cover pattern analysis and the observation, mimicking, and pattern adaptation from natural systems and cycles.
You can take as long as you need to work through the course. If you’re undertaking an apprenticeship with me, I recommend spending one month on site, working through these materials alongside practical activities. You can continue your studies and develop your design beyond that month as needed.
Learning goals for the course
Participants complete the course with a basic understanding of:
- Permaculture ethics and principles, including sample strategies and techniques for realizing them in design
- Reading landscapes, interpreting all elements and their relationships to each other
- Applying permaculture principles to land and community development in small- and large- scale designs
- Methods and tools for adopting these practices in all aspects of their lives
One continuing design project
This course is organized into 25 modules and ten Design Exercises to guide you through your work on a continuing design project that must be completed to earn your PDC. Maps, plant choices, budget notes, discussions, and the final presentation are part of this.
Begin the Design Exercises in Module 6 using your site observations and initial design ideas. Develop the same maps, plant records, and explanations as you study the later modules. Your early choices can change as you learn more about the site; all ten exercises contribute to the final portfolio in Module 25.
- Module 3: observe your site. Start a site map and field notes.
- Module 6: develop the design. Begin the ten Design Exercises and build on the same project through the later modules.
- Module 25: present your design. Bring your maps, decisions, and Design Exercise work together in the final portfolio.
Assignments and certification
I will review all of your course assignments, including the ten Design Exercises and your final design project. Once you have completed the course and I have reviewed your work, I will award your Permaculture Design Course certificate.
Send each assignment using the instructions in its module. Keep the work developed within your design in your portfolio, and include any assignments you have not already sent when you submit your final project. The four optional quick checks are for your own practice; their results do not need to be submitted.
Readings and media
Read and watch the resources where they appear in each lesson. The callouts contain the assigned pages, chapters, and guidance for that point in the course. The “Readings & resources” section repeats those resources as an index; its “In lesson” links return to the instructions.
Some modules include optional resources if you’d like to explore a topic further. Read a shared selection when it is first assigned. When a later module uses it again, apply it to that module's question and consult the relevant part as needed. Material that was optional earlier is not assumed to have been read.
The main readings for the program are excerpts from The Resilient Farm and Homestead by Ben Falk, Edible Forest Gardens, volumes 1 and 2 by Dave Jacke and Eric Toensmeier, Permaculture: A Designer’s Manual by Bill Mollison, and Restoration Agriculture by Mark Shepard. The assigned pages and chapters are listed in each lesson.
If it’s in your budget, I particularly recommend owning Edible Forest Gardens, volumes 1 and 2 and The Resilient Farm and Homestead. Restoration Agriculture is especially worth considering if you are interested in larger-scale farming.
See the full course bookshelf. For borrowing, digital access, edition differences, or help with a reading or video, see Getting the books · access & editions.
Questions and sharing your work
You can email me any time to ask questions or discuss your readings, activities, or design.
For assignment submissions, email the files listed in the activity to the address under “Get In Touch” on the Living Landscapes Design contact page. Do not use the contact form. Include the Permaculture Design Course, module number, and activity in your subject or message. Save written notes as a document or PDF; use clear photos or scans for paper work, and attach spreadsheets or presentation files where the activity calls for them. Related work can be combined in one file.
Read, watch & explore
The readings begin with the history and values behind permaculture, so that the design methods you encounter later have a context. You’ll read perspectives on Indigenous land use and Traditional Ecological Knowledge, then consider forest change, settlement, and resource use through the book readings and videos.
As you work through these perspectives, keep the relationship between people and place in mind. The research activity will take that discussion to a place you know, where you’ll learn about the Indigenous Peoples connected with the land and their ways of living with it.
Topics
- The state of the world
- Philosophy, history, and impact of current cultural values
What you’ll learn
Learning goals
- Understand how Traditional Ecological Knowledge is invaluable for connecting with and contributing to the healing of nature
- Understand how current cultural values drive the destruction of society and nature
- Move the discussion toward positivism by understanding what can be done now
Getting the books · access & editions
Use your own copy, buy the book, or borrow it through a library when possible. If you are local to me, contact me about borrowing a copy. You can also contact me for information about digital or other access to assigned readings.
EFG 1 and EFG 2 mean Edible Forest Gardens, Volumes 1 and 2. RFH means The Resilient Farm and Homestead.
Read the pages, chapters, or sections listed with each book assignment. If the page numbers differ in your copy, contact me and we can find the right passage.
For articles, excerpts, videos, and other resources, use the links in the lesson. If a video player does not load, try its source link. If you cannot access a reading or media resource, or it has no link, contact me with the module number and resource title.
Ask about books, readings or media access ↗Indigenous roots of permaculture
Read these four perspectives on the Indigenous roots of permaculture, then continue with the readings on Traditional Ecological Knowledge and the effects of settlement and resource use.
Read
Indigenous roots of permaculture — Reading 2
permaculturenews.org
Open resourceRead
Indigenous roots of permaculture — Reading 3
kcet.org
Open resourceRead
Indigenous roots of permaculture — Reading 4
motherearthnews.com
Open resourceTraditional Ecological Knowledge
Read
Native knowledge for native ecosystems. Journal of Forestry (4-9).pdf
Course reading · PDF excerpt
On Page 5 of this document, it notes that Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) “differs from scientific ecological knowledge in important ways. Each has its strengths and weaknesses, which suggests that there may be value in partnership between them.”
I personally don't think "weaknesses" is the right word here. There are simply differences. All ongoing progress in human knowledge is directly built on indigenous lands and knowledge. However, there certainly can and should be a partnership between TEK and modern ecological knowledge and “resource management” to reverse and repair the damage that has been done through colonialism and corporate capitalism.
Open resourceRead
Traditional ecological knowledge in perspective (1-9).pdf
Course reading · PDF excerpt
Read this perspective on Traditional Ecological Knowledge alongside the Journal of Forestry excerpt. Consider how a partnership between Indigenous and modern ecological knowledge could help repair ecological damage.
Open resourceForest change, settlement, and resource use
The discussion of knowledge and land use continues here through forest history and settlement choices. Read the two books together, paying attention to the relationships between everyday needs, resource use, and changes to a place.
Book reading
Edible Forest Gardens, Volume 1
Dave Jacke and Eric Toensmeier
Pages 1 to 68: Introduction to permaculture
Pages 11 to 24: Forest change, settlement, and resource use — start here within the assigned reading.
Book access & editionsBook reading
The Resilient Farm and Homestead
Ben Falk
A second perspective on household and settlement choices.
Pages 21 to 24: household and settlement choices
Pages 30 to 37: household and settlement choices
Book access & editionsWatch
Challenges of the World - Oregon State University
YouTube
As you watch, connect the challenges discussed with the book readings on settlement and resource use. Consider the kinds of design decisions those challenges call for.
If the player does not load, use the source link.
Permaculture as a design system
With that history and the present challenges in mind, turn to permaculture as a way of approaching design decisions.
Watch
Design System Intro Video
YouTube
Use this introduction to connect the course’s discussion of ecological relationships with the process of making a design.
If the player does not load, use the source link.
Exercise & discussion
Review Native Land map to see the people that traditionally inhabited any land you have a connection with before colonization (there may be more than one people), or the current land you’re on. Treat the map as a starting point, not an official boundary source, and consult the relevant Indigenous Nation’s own public resources. Spend 1-2 hours researching:
- their way of life back then
- how they moved on the land
- if they undertook seasonal migration and where to
- how long they settled in a specific area (long term over decades or longer, or for a few years before moving to another location)
- how they got their food and what they ate primarily
- how they interacted with the land in general
Please take notes and share and discuss with me.
What to prepare
- Research notes covering the six questions above, with the Indigenous Nation and source links identified for each account.
Save written notes as a document or PDF. For paper maps or handwritten notes, use a clear photo or scan. You can combine related work in one file.
Resources for your research
Explore
Native Land map
native-land.ca
For the research activity, consult the relevant Indigenous Nation’s own public resources as well as the map. Indigenous Peoples and their knowledge are present-day, not only historical. Native Land Digital describes its maps as starting points, not official territorial boundaries. Keep the source and Nation attached to each account; do not treat different knowledge traditions as interchangeable.
Open resourceRead
Native Land Digital’s territory guidance
native-land.ca
Read this guidance alongside the Native Land map.
Open resourceShare & discuss
Attach your research notes, including the source links.
Email the address listed under “Get In Touch” on my contact page. Do not use the contact form. Include the Permaculture Design Course, Module 1, and “Indigenous land-use research” in your subject or message.
Find my email address ↗Readings & resources
- Indigenous roots of permaculture — Reading 1ReadIn lesson ↑
- Indigenous roots of permaculture — Reading 2ReadIn lesson ↑
- Indigenous roots of permaculture — Reading 3ReadIn lesson ↑
- Indigenous roots of permaculture — Reading 4ReadIn lesson ↑
- Native knowledge for native ecosystems. Journal of Forestry (4-9).pdfReadIn lesson ↑
- Traditional ecological knowledge in perspective (1-9).pdfReadIn lesson ↑
- Edible Forest Gardens, Volume 1Pages 1 to 68: Introduction to permaculturePages 11 to 24: Forest change, settlement, and resource use — start here within the assigned reading.In lesson ↑
- The Resilient Farm and HomesteadPages 21 to 24: household and settlement choicesPages 30 to 37: household and settlement choicesIn lesson ↑
- Challenges of the World - Oregon State UniversityWatchIn lesson ↑
- Design System Intro VideoWatchIn lesson ↑
- Native Land mapExploreIn lesson ↑
- Native Land Digital’s territory guidanceReadIn lesson ↑