Coming Full Circle: Indigenous Knowledge, Environment, and Our Future

“En contexte autochtone, l’intendance possède un sens plus large et repose souvent sur une éthique relationnelle qui consiste à entretenir des relations harmonieuses et durables avec l’ensemble des êtres vivants (McGregor 2004).”

“Attempting to “capture” IK in its entirety is not only impossible but risks fracturing its agency and ancestral lineage (McGregor, 2004).”

“…from Indigenous peoples, but as allies our role is to ensure Indigenous rightsh-older voices and knowledge systems are embraced, rather than to fully explore those perspectives here (see McGregor 2004; Berkes 2009; M’s ɨ t No’kmaq et al. 2021; Reed et al. 2022 for entry points to such literature).”

“While native peoples differ considerably, they share deep environmental relationships and knowledge, largely sustainable practices, common metaphysical concepts and profound respect for nature (V Deloria, 1992; McGregor, 2004).”

“In Akplabanya, the community shift from traditional herbal medicine to modern healthcare reflects broader patterns of cultural loss linked to environmental degradation and generational shifts (Berkes et al., 2000; McGregor, 2004).”

“Responsibility is a core value Indigenous Peoples carry that describes our responsibility to all Creation and the life it gives us (Hansen & Antsanen, 2018; McGregor, 2004).”

“In contrast, respecting Indigenous people as knowers means valuing them as TEK experts: “[E]xperts are people who have lived a traditional life, not the [academic, non-Indigenous] people who collect traditional knowledge information” (McGregor 2004, 398; quoting Roberts 1996, 115).”

“Though, there are pragmatic reasons as to ‘why’ such a collaborative research has to be carried out McGregor, D. (2004)., it is still not very clear as to ‘how’ it may be done within the generally established systems of collaborative research (Hafernik, J. J., Messerschmitt, D. S., & Vandrick, S.…”

“13 As Indigenous scholar Deborah McGregor (2004) has noted, such projects of reform are typical of attempts at artificially isolating certain “ natural ” aspects of Indigenous knowledge for inclusion in categories of science.”

“However, the scientific imposition of defining Indigenous Knowledge is common and also applied across all Indigenous Peoples as if it were some uniform concept (McGregor 2004).”

“The primary ethical consideration of this study was the protection of information shared by the participants and ensuring that confidentiality was maintained and exploitation avoided (McGregor, 2004; Tsleil-Waututh Nation, 2016b).”

“It is the muskrat, “…the most humble of the water creatures…” (McGregor, 2004, p. 387) who is able to bring up a paw full of mud, making it possible for the world to come into being upon the great Turtle’s back in the Anishinaabe Re-Creation Story.”