About the IPCA Knowledge Basket
The IPCA Knowledge Basket is a digital space created to honour, celebrate, and catalyze Indigenous-led conservation pathways in Canada, including Indigenous Protected and Conserved Areas (IPCAs). The IPCA Knowledge Basket holds stories, videos, songs, government reports and policies, academic articles, resources, and artwork.
The IPCA Knowledge Basket is available to anyone who wishes to support Indigenous Protected and Conserved Areas (IPCAs) and Indigenous-led conservation. It is primarily for Indigenous governments, communities, and organizations. However, non-Indigenous partners and the general public are also encouraged to learn with open hearts and open minds, in the spirit of peace and friendship.
Basket weaving is a significant cultural practice for many Indigenous Peoples.
The IPCA Knowledge Basket represents the strength and beauty we can create by weaving multiple knowledge systems together to support Indigenous-led conservation. The website provides pathways for visitors to harvest, collect, and contribute resources to grow our collective knowledge. It is a space for reciprocal sharing and collaborative learning in the spirit of ‘we rise together’.
From 2017-2018, Indigenous Circle of Experts (ICE) members led a national effort to consider how Indigenous Protected and Conserved Areas IPCAs) could be created and supported in Canada. The idea for the IPCA Knowledge Basket came from the this process. It is meant to be a website for sharing information with Indigenous governments, as well as their partners, to help fulfill their IPCA visions.
The IPCA Knowledge Basket was created through the collective vision and efforts of many, including the IISAAK OLAM Foundation and members of the Conservation through Reconciliation Partnership (CRP). The web design was created by Design de Plume, a women-led and Indigenously-owned web design firm based in Sudbury, Ontario. The website project team included Monica Shore, Allison Bishop, Stephanie Siddon, Soudeh Jamshidian, Jena-Lee Ashley, and Kristy Tomkinson. The CRP Leadership Circle, which includes Marilyn Baptiste, Eli Enns, Faisal Moola, Steven Nitah, Robin Roth, and Lisa Young, provided the strategic oversight for the project.
We are grateful for the leadership of Elders Albert Marshall, Larry McDermott, Marilyn Capreol, and Paulette Fox. Thank you for sharing your wisdom and guiding our Two-Eyed Seeing process.
We are also grateful for Beverly Jeddore (Eskasoni First Nation) who contributed songs from the eastern gate and Gordon Planes (T’Souke Nation) who contributed a song from the Western gate. These songs help greet IPCA Knowledge Basket users and help send website users on their journey in a good way.
Many thanks to all of the Indigenous language speakers who contributed the initial greeting and thank you messages to the website: Dolorés André (Innu), Nikki Auten (Kanien’kéha/Mohawk), Lucassie Arragutainaq (Inuktitut), Susie Lulua (Tsilhqot’in), Joe Martin (Nuu-chah-nulth), Dorothy Stewart (Cree), Anne Taylor (Anishinaabemowin), Stephanie Thorassie (Dene). We hope that IPCA Knowledge Basket users will contribute welcome and thank you messages in other languages to help reflect the diversity of Indigenous languages spoken on what is now known as Canada.
Learn more about the origin story for the IPCA Knowledge Basket.
The IPCA Knowledge Basket is maintained and cared for by the IPCA Innovation Program at MakeWay.
Strategic direction for the IPCA Knowledge Basket is provided by the Conservation through Reconciliation Partnership, including its two host organizations, the IISAAK OLAM Foundation and the Indigenous Leadership Initiative.
Once you have created an IPCA Knowledge Basket account there are several different ways to start your learning journey:
- Are you interested in audio-visual stories about Indigenous-led conservation? Consider starting with the Stories page.
- Do you have a specific topic in mind? Check out the Resources page with how-to guides to help with your search experience.
In the spirit of ‘we rise together’, you are encouraged to share resources to grow our collective knowledge. Access the contributions form on the Engage page for more information.
Creating an Account
The IPCA Knowledge Basket is more than just a website. It is a digital space that was created through the collective efforts and vision of many.
Creating an account provides users with the ability to harvest, collect and assemble their own “digital knowledge baskets” where resources can be saved and revisited.
We ask all who create an account to reflect upon and agree to a set of commitments and responsibilities as they use the website.
These guidelines were created with guidance from Elders drawing on their cultural traditions as an important part of the ‘Two-Eyed Seeing approach’ for the website. Elder Albert Marshall, who helped popularize the Mi’kmaw concept of ‘Two-Eyed Seeing’, was a key contributor to this work.
The information collected when you create an account is not shared with or sold to any external third-parties. We only use the information collected to better understand who is visiting the IPCA Knowledge Basket and how we can improve the website.
If you’re having trouble creating an account, please contact info@ipcaknowledgebasket.ca.