Beyond Conservation:
Working Respectfully with Indigenous People and Their Knowledge Systems
On this page:
Introduction
People from Western cultures have long assumed that their own knowledge systems and ways of doing things are either superior to others or simply the only way. In Canada, colonists and settlers have taken away Indigenous Peoples’ lands and territories; banned and criminalized their languages, laws, and customs; and compromised their livelihoods. There are also countless examples of outside researchers harvesting information from Indigenous individuals and communities, at times without consent, and then using it against them or applying it in ways that were neither confirmed nor sanctioned by the original Knowledge Keepers. (See Before You Get Started: Have empathy, be mindful, and be aware of the ongoing effects of colonization for some resources about the history of colonialism in research.)
This exploitation is part of the impetus behind the creation of research ethics boards and policies that now provide rigorous oversight to ensure that research is not exploitative (e.g. Chapter 9 of the Tri-Council Policy Statement). However, research ethics boards still largely function within a Western values framework. Work is ongoing to encourage these ethics boards to be more inclusive of multiple ways of knowing, and Indigenous ethics boards in particular are also being established. Further, Indigenous people are also developing their own research policies and protocols to be used by external interests wishing to conduct research with Indigenous people, nations, or organizations.
It is also important to recognize that Indigenous Elders and Knowledge Keepers often share their knowledge in less formal ways than through official research processes. They may relate stories or wisdom during meetings or other informal communication, and partners need to recognize and acknowledge when this happens. Knowledge is not any less valuable because it was shared in a particular setting, and it is disrespectful to ask someone to repeat the same information, just in a different setting.
Decolonizing collaboration, research, and conservation and stewardship is an ongoing effort that will continue for generations to come. It requires a certain readiness on the part of non-Indigenous people that is rooted in humility, curiosity, a willingness to learn and change, and a clearly expressed intention to embrace other ways of knowing. The other practical sections of this toolkit provide guidance to prepare you for the work of weaving multiple ways of knowing, and of working respectfully with Indigenous Peoples and their Knowledge Systems. This section outlines a very small portion of what is required to decolonize our work to protect and preserve the natural world.
NB: This section is relevant to anyone seeking to collaborate with Indigenous Peoples, not just researchers.
We recognize that every nation, place, and culture has its own knowledge system and ways of knowing, including protocols, laws, or frameworks for sharing and engaging with others. As such, this toolkit is not comprehensive and only offers high-level guidance. As with other sections of the toolkit, we invite you to engage in a conversation with your partners to ensure a place-based understanding of the topics presented below.
Indigenous Knowledge Systems
A knowledge system is a societal system that a particular type of knowledge both supports and is embedded in. You are likely aware that Western knowledge is generated within political, economic, and educational systems and is used in a way that allows these Western systems to thrive. Similarly, Indigenous Knowledges are part of broader political, legal, economic, and cultural systems that enable the continued generation and renewal of Indigenous Peoples to ensure their well-being. Knowledge, whether from an Indigenous or Western system, should not be considered separately from its knowledge system. This is especially important for Indigenous Knowledges, as there is a tendency to extract knowledge from Indigenous communities to consider it solely within a Western framework. This diminishes and disrespects Indigenous Knowledges, and ignores the important connection between the knowledge and the community and place it comes from.
Tools and resources
Tips for working with Indigenous people and their Knowledge Systems
Fundamentally, working with Indigenous Knowledge Systems is rooted in respectful relationships with the people who hold the knowledge. See Building Relationships for Collaboration for more tips.
Photo by Amanda Sheedy
Frameworks for working with multiple knowledge systems
There are many frameworks for understanding the relationship between Indigenous and Western knowledge systems. While three well-known frameworks for working with Indigenous Knowledge Systems are shared below, the nation or organization you are working with may have a preferred approach and should be the one to decide which is right for them. If not done conscientiously, working across knowledge systems can include inherent risks, including weakening Indigenous Knowledge by taking it out of context, denying cultural differences in an attempt to find commonality, and integrating or assimilating Indigenous Knowledge so that it is no longer visible. The bottom line: careful consideration is required to prevent repeating the mistakes of the past.
Tools and Resources
Gathering Indigenous Knowledge
Once you have established a good relationship with an Indigenous government, organization, or community, they may be open to sharing their Indigenous Knowledge. Each community will have a written or oral protocol about the right way to share their knowledge. Ask your partners first. Most, if not all protocols will require 1) the permission of leadership to work with Knowledge Keepers and 2) that interpretations of their knowledge be verified before being shared outside the community.
Ask your partners first. Discuss with your partners 1) how they would like IK to be a part of the project; 2) if an IK protocol exists and/or how the project will be overseen by a governing body or ethics board; 3) what methods will be used to gather, store, and share IK; and 4) how decisions will be made and by whom. Record all of this in your data sharing agreement and/or relationship agreement.
NB: A specific nation’s or organization’s IK protocols and processes should take precedence over any guidance provided here.
Tools and Resources
Tips for gathering Indigenous Knowledge
N.B. A government, organization, or community’s IK protocol should take precedence over any of the advice provided below.
Tips for relaying (outward sharing of) Indigenous Knowledge
Agreements and protocols for working with Indigenous Knowledge Systems
Reconciliation and decolonization require us to relinquish our old ways of doing things in order to establish new ways that are rooted in mutual respect and equity. Abiding by existing protocols is a simple place to start, and if needed, try to support a community as they record their protocols. Any project dealing with IKS should establish a “data agreement” between the partners at the outset of a project, to include decisions and set out the processes for how Indigenous Knowledge will be gathered, analyzed, stored, shared, etc. This can be embedded in or referred to in a broader relationship agreement (see Building Relationships: Develop a partnership or relationship agreement).
Tools and Resources
References
Appleton, H., Fernandez, M. E., Hill, C. L. M., & Quiroz, C. (2011). Gender and Indigenous Knowledge. In S. Harding (Ed.), The Postcolonial Science and Technology Studies Reader. Duke University Press.https://read.dukeupress.edu/books/book/1533/chapter-abstract/172759/Gender-and-Indigenous-Knowledge
Barnaby Consulting Ltd. and Thorpe Consulting Ltd. (2020). A Review of Traditional Knowledge Frameworks for Bilateral Water Agreement Decision Making. https://www.enr.gov.nt.ca/sites/enr/files/resources/review_of_tk_frameworks_for_bwma_decision_making_barnaby_consulting_march_2020.pdf
Chapin, F. S., Cochran, P., Huntington, O. H., Knapp, C. N., Brinkman, T. J., & Gadamus, L. R. (2013). Traditional Knowledge and Wisdom: A Guide for Understanding and Shaping Alaskan Social-Ecological Change. In R. Rozzi, S. T. A. Pickett, C. Palmer, J. J. Armesto, & J. B. Callicott (Eds.), Linking Ecology and Ethics for a Changing World (pp. 49–62). Springer Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-7470-4_4
Fornssler, B., McKenzie, H. A., Dell, C. A., Laliberte, L., & Hopkins, C. (2014). “‘I Got to Know Them in a New Way’”: Rela(y/t)ing Rhizomes and Community-Based Knowledge (Brokers’) Transformation of Western and Indigenous Knowledge. Cultural Studies <=> Critical Methodologies, 14(2). https://www.researchgate.net/publication/280740199_I_Got_to_Know_Them_in_a_New_Way_Relayting_Rhizomes_and_Community-Based_Knowledge_Brokers’_Transformation_of_Western_and_Indigenous_Knowledge/link/573cbab008ae298602e58f34/download
Herman, R. D. K. (2018). Approaching Research in Indigenous Settings: Nine Guidelines. In K. Gentelet, S. Basile, & N. Gros-Louis McHugh (Eds.), Toolbox of Research Principles in an Aboriginal Context.https://www.researchgate.net/publication/328913289_Approaching_Research_in_Indigenous_Settings_Nine_Guidelines
Huntington, H. P. (2000). Using Traditional Ecological Knowledge in Science: Methods and Applications. Ecological Applications, 10(5).https://doi.org/10.1890/1051-0761(2000)010[1270:UTEKIS]2.0.CO;2
Indigenous Corporate Training Inc. (2019). Why Is It Important To Protect & Revitalize Indigenous Languages? https://www.ictinc.ca/blog/why-is-it-important-to-protect-revitalize-indigenous-languages
Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami. (2018). National Inuit Strategy on Research.https://www.itk.ca/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/ITK-National-Inuit-Strategy-on-Research.pdf
Johnson, N., Behe, C., Danielsen, F., Kruümmel, E.-M., Nickels, S., & Pulsifer, P. L. (2016). Community-Based Monitoring and Indigenous Knowledge in a Changing Arctic: A Review for the Sustaining Arctic Observing Networks. Final Report to Sustaining Arctic Observing Networks. https://www.inuitcircumpolar.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/cbm_report_final.pdf
Liboiron, M. (2021). Pollution Is Colonialism. Duke University Press. https://www.dukeupress.edu/pollution-is-colonialism
McGregor, D. (2021). Indigenous Knowledge Systems in Environmental Governance in Canada. KULA: Knowledge Creation, Dissemination, and Preservation Studies, 5(1). https://doi.org/10.18357/kula.148
Reed, M. G., Robson, J. P., Lindgren, A., Friedrichsen, P., Brock, T., Davidson-Hunt, I., Lichtenstein, G., Shackleton, S., Vasseur, L., & Worthen, H. (2020). Foundational Principles for Intercultural and International Research with Indigenous and Rural Peoples: Connecting Principles to Knowledge Mobilization. University of Saskatchewan. https://research-groups.usask.ca/unesco-biocultural/publications1.php
Tondu, J. M. E., Balasubramaniam, A. M., Chavarie, L., Gantner, N., Knopp, J. A., Provencher, J. F., Wong, P. B. Y., & D., S. (2014). Working with Northern Communities to Build Collaborative Research Partnerships: Perspectives from Early Career Researchers. ARCTIC, 67(3). https://doi.org/10.14430/arctic4416
Tuck, E., & McKenzie, M. (2015). Place in Research: Theory, Methodology, and Methods (1st ed.). Routledge. https://www.routledge.com/Place-in-Research-Theory-Methodology-and-Methods/Tuck-McKenzie/p/book/9781138639683
Whyte, K. P., Reo, N. J., McGregor, D., Smith, M. A. (Peggy), Jenkins, J. F., & Rubio, K. A. (2017). Seven Indigenous principles for successful cooperation in Great Lakes conservation initiatives. In E. Freedman & M. Neuzil (Eds.), Biodiversity, Conservation and Environmental Management in the Great Lakes Basin (1st ed.). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315268774
Wong, C., Ballegooyen, K., Ignace, L., Johnson, M. J. (Gùdia), & Swanson, H. (2020). Towards reconciliation: 10 Calls to Action to natural scientists working in Canada. FACETS, 5(1), 769–783.https://doi.org/10.1139/facets-2020-0005