Towards a Cherokee ornithorium - realising the value of historical and contemporary bird knowledge

The recognition and application of traditional knowledge of birds is increasingly appreciated as a valuable tool for contemporary societies to re-engage with the knowledge of past generations and to provide opportunities to inform modern land and species management for the benefit of species, landscapes and societies.

Across the world, local language and cultural groups are recognising the value of ethnoornithology and ethnobiological methodologies, including as tools for inter-generational transfer of knowledge and engaging mainstream land managers with indigenous cultures and societies.

In this presentation i will discuss Cherokee bird knowledge and examine available research material, including historical sources and more recent research. I wll discuss tools and techniques used to collect and collate historical and contemporary bird knowledge, future prospects and opportunities for early and mid-career ethnobiologists looking to work in this area and the application of ethnoornithology at local and regional scales. I will present the results of my own research to date and make some tentative recommendations for future research.