Implementing Indigenous and Western Knowledge Systems (Part 2):  “You Have to Take a Backseat” and Abandon the Arrogance of Expertise

Castleden, Heather; Martin, Debbie; Cunsolo, Ashlee; Harper, Sherilee L.; Hart, Catherine; Stefanelli, Robert; Day, Lindsay; Lauridsen, Kaitlin

doi:10.18584/iipj.2017.8.4.8

Cited by 20 publications

(40 citation statements)

References 26 publications

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“…If a monitoring system is community-led and communitybased, there is a need to consider whether co-authorship is appropriate, recognizing that some community members may request not to be authors for a variety of reasons. Nevertheless, steps need to be taken to avoid risks including tokenistic inclusion, implied support for findings, and misappropriation of knowledge [104,106]. Multiple evidence-based (MEB) approaches offer a way forward for Indigenous and non-Indigenous collaborators to work together in developing CBM systems that respects and reflects different contributions [107].…”

Section: Externally Driven Monitoringmentioning

confidence: 99%

Community-based monitoring of Indigenous food security in a changing climate: global trends and future directions

Lam

Dodd

Skinner

et al. 2019

Environ. Res. Lett.

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Climate change is expected to exacerbate existing food security challenges, especially in Indigenous communities worldwide. Community-based monitoring (CBM) is considered a promising strategy to improve monitoring of, and local adaptation to climatic and environmental change. Yet, it is unclear how this approach can be applied in food security or Indigenous contexts. The objectives of this paper are to: (1) review and synthesize the published literature on CBM of Indigenous food security; and, (2) identify gaps and trends in these monitoring efforts in the context of climate change. Using a systematic search and screening process, we identified 86 published articles. To be included, articles had to be published in a journal, describe a CBM system, describe any aspect of food security, and explicitly mention an Indigenous community. Relevant articles were thematically analyzed to characterize elements of CBM in the context of climate change. Results show that the number of articles published over time was steady and increased more than two-fold within the last five years. The reviewed articles reported on monitoring mainly in North America (37%) and South America (28%). In general, monitoring was either collaborative (51%) or externally-driven (37%), and focused primarily on tracking wildlife (29%), followed by natural resources (16%), environmental change (15%), fisheries (13%), climate change (9%), or some combination of these topics (18%). This review provides an evidence-base on the uses, characteristics, and opportunities of CBM, to guide future food security monitoring efforts in the context of climate change.

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Section: Externally Driven Monitoringmentioning

confidence: 99%

Community-based monitoring of Indigenous food security in a changing climate: global trends and future directions

Lam

Dodd

Skinner

et al. 2019

Environ. Res. Lett.

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“…One tangible way the IISD-ELA (and others) may want to think about working within Western scientific and Indigenous knowledge realms is Etuaptmumk (or Two-Eyed Seeing)-a Mi'kmaw principle arising from the teachings of Elder Albert Marshall of Eskasoni First Nation (Canada), which may help prevent us from 'forcing' IK into Western paradigms of water science (Castleden et al 2017b. In summary of the idea, Marshall describes that we must learn to:…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Are the natural sciences ready for truth, healing, and reconciliation with Indigenous peoples in Canada? Exploring ‘settler readiness’ at a world-class freshwater research station

et al. 2020

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The Experimental Lakes Area in Northwestern Ontario, Canada, is a globally prominent freshwater research facility, conducting impactful whole-of-lake experiments on so-called 'pristine' lakes and watersheds. These lakes are located in traditional Anishinaabe (Indigenous) territory and the home of 28 Treaty #3 Nations, something rarely acknowledged until now. Indeed, Indigenous peoples in the area have historically been excluded from the research facility's governance and research. Shortly after it changed hands in 2014-from the federal government to the not-for-profit International Institute of Sustainable Development (IISD)-the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) of Canada released its Calls to Action to all Canadians. The newly named International Institute of Sustainable Development-Experimental Lakes Area (IISD-ELA) began to respond with a number of initiatives aimed to develop relationships with local Indigenous peoples and communities. In this paper, from the perspectives of IISD-ELA staff members, we share findings from an exploratory study into the relationships beginning to develop between IISD-ELA and Treaty #3 Nations. We used semi-structured interviews (n = 10) to identify how staff perceived their initial efforts and contextualize those with the current literature on meaningfully engagement in reconciliation. Our analysis highlights perceived barriers, including time, resources, and funding constraints, as well as an acknowledged lack of cultural awareness and sensitivity training. Participants also recognized the need to engage Indigenous knowledge holders and embrace their ways of knowing at the research station. While the study is small in scale, as an international leader in freshwater science, transparency in the IISD-ELA's journey in reconciliation has the potential to inform, influence, and 'unsettle' settler-colonial scientists, field stations, and institutions across the country and beyond.

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“…Such analysis may require additional information and data collection. For example, recognizing the limitations of available information in published studies, particularly with regard to process, [63] built upon a systematic realist review by conducting semi-structured qualitative interviews with the first authors and community participants of exemplar cases identified via the review.…”

Section: Evidence Gaps and Insightsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Bridging Indigenous and science-based knowledge in coastal and marine research, monitoring, and management in Canada

Alexander¹,

Provencher²,

Henri³

et al. 2019

Environ Evid

110

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Background: Drawing upon multiple types of knowledge (e.g., Indigenous knowledge, local knowledge, sciencebased knowledge) strengthens the evidence-base for policy advice, decision making, and environmental management. While the benefits of incorporating multiple types of knowledge in environmental research and management are many, doing so has remained a challenge. This systematic map examined the extent, range, and nature of the published literature (i.e., commercially published and grey) that seeks to respectively bridge Indigenous and sciencebased knowledge in coastal and marine research and management in Canada. Methods: This systematic map applied standardized search terms across four databases focused on commercially published literature, carefully selected specialist websites, and two web-based search engines. In addition, reference sections of relevant review articles were cross-checked to identify articles that may not have been found using the search strategy. Search results were screened in two sequential stages; (1) at title and abstract; and (2) at full text following a published protocol. All case studies included were coded using a standard questionnaire. A narrative synthesis approach was used to identify trends in the evidence, knowledge gaps, and knowledge clusters. Results: A total of 62 articles that spanned 71 Canadian case studies were included in the systematic map. Studies across the coastal and marine regions of Inuit Nunangat accounted for the majority of the studies. Whether the focus is on management and decision making or research and monitoring, the predominant ecological scale was at the species level, accounting for over two-thirds of the included studies. There were 24 distinct coastal and marine species of central focus across the studies. Nunavut had the greatest taxonomic coverage as studies conducted to date cover 13 different genera. The predominant methodology employed for combining and/or including Indigenous knowledge was case study design, which accounted for over half of the studies. Other methodologies employed for combining and/or including different ways of knowing included: (i) community-based participatory research; (ii) mixed methods; (iii) ethnography; and (iv) simulation modelling. There are a suite of methods utilized for documenting and translating Indigenous knowledge and an equally diverse tool box of methods used in the collection of scientific data. Over half of the case studies involved Indigenous knowledge systems of the Inuit, while another significant proportion involved Indigenous knowledge systems of First Nations, reflecting 21 unique nations. We found that demographics of knowledge holders were generally not reported in the articles reviewed. Conclusions: The results of this systematic map provide key insights to inform and improve future research. First, a variety of methodologies and methods are used in these types of studies. Therefore, there is a need to consider in more detail how Indigenous and science-based knowledge systems can be respectiv...

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Implementing Indigenous and Western Knowledge Systems (Part 2): “You Have to Take a Backseat” and Abandon the Arrogance of Expertise

Cited by 20 publications

References 26 publications

Community-based monitoring of Indigenous food security in a changing climate: global trends and future directions

Community-based monitoring of Indigenous food security in a changing climate: global trends and future directions

Are the natural sciences ready for truth, healing, and reconciliation with Indigenous peoples in Canada? Exploring ‘settler readiness’ at a world-class freshwater research station

Bridging Indigenous and science-based knowledge in coastal and marine research, monitoring, and management in Canada

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