I would say that indigenous knowledge isn't merely qualitative in nature. Some indigenous knowledge is highly standardized and yields results that could be characterized as quantitative. The idea that indigenous knowledge is merely qualitative is a preconceived notion. There are standards and ways of doing things. Science is also highly standardized and codified, but we mustn't lose sight of the fact that science isn't just environmental science, natural science or physical science. It also embraces the social sciences and humanities.
As we address the matter of indigenous knowledge, we exceed the boundaries that we've established in our scientific systems. People in the social sciences don't often work with others in the natural sciences. We at the Dialog network have worked with many disciplines in an attempt to see how they correspond with each other, because indigenous knowledge systems can't be understood as so many separate disciplines. They must be viewed as a way of understanding the world.
By working in an interdisciplinary, even transdisciplinary, manner, we can acquire the necessary perception and lessons to address and define indigenous knowledge systems, which aren't siloed.