摘要：We aim to explore how indigenous peoples observe and ascribe meaning to change. The case study involves twoQuechua-speaking farmer communities from mountainous areas near Cochabamba, Bolivia. Taking climate change as a startingpoint, we found that, first, farmers often associate their observations of climate change with other social and environmentalchanges, such as value change in the community, population growth, out-migration, urbanization, and land degradation. Second,some of the people interpret change as part of a cycle, which includes a belief in the return of some characteristics of ancient ormythological times. Third, environmental change is also perceived as the expression of "extra-human intentionalities," a reactionof natural or spiritual entities that people consider living beings. On the basis of these interpretations of change and their adaptivestrategies, we discuss the importance of indigenous knowledge as a component of adaptive capacity. Even in the context ofliving with modern science and mass media, indigenous patterns of interpreting phenomena tend to be persistent. Our resultssupport the view that indigenous knowledge must be acknowledged as process, emphasizing ways of observing, discussing, andinterpreting new information. In this case, indigenous knowledge can help address complex relationships between phenomena,and help design adaptation strategies based on experimentation and knowledge coproduction
