Two-Eyed Seeing in Research and its Absence in Policy: Little Saskatchewan First Nation Elders' Experiences of the 2011 Flood and Forced Displacement

Abstract

Indigenous (First Nations, Inuit, and Métis/Metis) peoples in Canada experience persistent and disproportionate water-related challenges compared to non-Indigenous Canadians. These circumstances are largely attributable to enduring colonial policies and practices. Attempts for redress have been unsuccessful, and Western science and technology have been largely unsuccessful in remedying Canada's water-related challenges. A systematic review of the academic and grey literature on integrative Indigenous and Western approaches to water research and management identified 279 items of which 63 were relevant inclusions; these were then analyzed using a realist review tool. We found an emerging trend of literature in this area, much of which called for the rejection of tokenism and the development of respectful nation-to-nation relationships in water research, management, and policy. KeywordsIndigenous knowledge systems, water research, water management, water policy, integrative knowledge, systematic realist review, Canada

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

“…In Part 1 (Castleden et al, 2017), we challenged researchers and managers to desist with tokenism; here, our data allowed us to take our challenge a step further. Being required to make the nature of one's Indigeneity transparent is to ostensibly compel Indigenous Peoples to make themselves and their knowledge systems "fit" into Western management practices (Howitt & Suchet-Pearson, 2006;McCreary & Milligan, 2014).…”

“…5 Perhaps unsurprisingly, in doing this review we identified 3 By Settler, we mean any non-Indigenous person living in Canada-whether through ancestral or contemporary immigration to this country over the past 500 years-who, through intentional or unwitting actions, have dispossessed Indigenous Peoples from their lands and now inhabit their territories. 4 These findings are discussed in detail in Part 1 (Castleden et al, 2017). limitations, one of which we have attempted to overcome in this article. We recognized both that there are constraints regarding what can be conveyed in publications, as well as the reality that some exemplary work in this area may never be published.…”

“…In Part 1 (Castleden et al, 2017), we reported on our review of the academic and grey literature concerning integrative Indigenous and Western approaches to water research and management in Canada. Our methodological approach involved identifying 279 relevant documents.…”

Two‐eyed seeing: A useful gaze in Indigenous medical education research

“…Two‐eyed seeing has guided health and education research in Canada . Using this approach, Canadian Aboriginal and mainstream knowledges have been woven together to address such issues as the role of traditional healing in intergenerational trauma and cancer care for Aboriginal people, to explore experiences that support a positive identity for Aboriginal men, and to increase access to and engagement with science education that recognises the legitimacy of Indigenous knowledge .…”

“…Indigenous governance and oversight are fundamental to the two‐eyed seeing approach and effective Indigenous health curricula implementation, and strategies that enable these must be integrated into the structure of the medical education academy . Research processes that retain power imbalances are meaningless to the Indigenous community in that they do not lead to meaningful and sustainable change.…”