From Reef and Rainforest - An Environmental Wiki of Marovo Lagoon, Solomon Islands

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Indigenous Knowledge expert Vincent Vaguni and Marovo teachers on a bush assignment expanding the knowledge base
As they say in Marovo: "Those who cannot name the good things of sea and land, cannot find them, and therefore cannot eat or otherwise benefit from them, nor will they know how to look after them well". The Marovo wiki supports the transmission of an indigenous pacific language, knowledge and worldviews from elders to youth. Developed in both the Marovo and English languages, the organization of content is facilitated by networking and an online community of practice which is based upon the extensive knowledge of the bio-physical environment possessed by the people of Marovo Lagoon. It’s more than 1,200 terms and definitions in the Marovo language follow an entirely Marovo cultural logic.
Teachers using OLPC laptops to take photos of different plants for the wiki

Working in partnership with the Ministry of Education of the Solomon Islands this UNESCO project links with the curriculum framework of the Solomon Islands supporting teachers and community to develop local language content and to manage indigenous knowledge in the form of a dynamic, Open Educational Resource (OER).

Students at work
The project uses the PACRICs initiative and the One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) with links to the Wikieducator community as a part of its ICT platform.

This wiki is based on the book Reef and Rainforest: an Environmental Encyclopedia of Marovo Lagoon, Solomon Islands / Kiladi oro vivineidi ria tingitonga pa idere oro pa goana pa Marovo. Published by UNESCO-LINKS, Knowledges of Nature series 1, 252 pages The author, Edvard Hviding, is professor of Social Anthropology at the University of Bergen. Since 1986, he has conducted more than three years of fieldwork in Marovo Lagoon, where he continues his work today. The wiki expands this work which is based entirely upon local knowledge of the environment, compiles the names and associated stories for over 350 fishes, 450 plants, 100 shells, 80 birds, 80 distinct topographical features of coral reef, sea and coast - and more.

Marovo Lagoon is an area of coral reefs and small islands that is part of Solomon Islands, a Melanesian country in the South Pacific. Its name derives from Marovo Island, one of the first localities where European traders and navigators made regular friendly contact with local peoples in the early 19th century. The people of Marovo traditionally make their living by fishing, collecting shells and doing small-scale agriculture, although today they are also involved in logging and tourism. The current population numbers some 12,000 individuals. The people of Marovo do not conceive of Nature as something separate from themselves. Rather, they point out that their unique 'lifestyle' (kino) does not just depend on, but more directly derives from, all the 'good things of land and sea' and the continuous engagement of men, women and children with these things.

Retrieved from "http://en.marovo.org/index.php?title=About"