Research Guides: Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Knowledge Resources

What is Indigenous Knowledge?

Indigenous Knowledges

Indigenous Knowledges are Traditional Knowledges or knowledge that comes from a community. Indigenous methodologies are increasingly being used in research.

Indigenous Knowledges (IK):

Are transmitted from generation to generation
Emerge from complete knowledge systems
Are expressed in many formats. eg. oral, ceremony, artistic creations, artifacts, etc
Are not all in the past; there is continued growth, innovation and change in practices
Include history, law, spirituality, agriculture, environment, science, medicine, animal behaviour and migration patterns, art, music, dance, craft, construction, and more

Issues in using Indigenous Knowledge resources include:

Assessing the quality of the information without peer review
Ethics requirements for obtaining information directly from people

Primary sources

Many assignments require the use of primary sources, and Indigenous Knowledge resources can often be used. These might be:

Community-produced materials and information
Images of traditional clothing, regalia, activities
Recordings / digital versions of traditional practices (Ceremonies are not usually photographed or recorded and if they are, it may not be appropriate to use them.)
Oral pieces

(Thank you to the University of Alberta's First Nations, Métis and Inuit Subject Guide)

Expand Your Learning

Native Knowledge 360
Native Knowledge 360° (NK360°) provides educators and students with new perspectives on Native American history and cultures. Most Americans have only been exposed to part of the story, as told from a single perspective through the lenses of popular media and textbooks. NK360° provides educational materials, virtual student programs, and teacher training that incorporate Native narratives, more comprehensive histories, and accurate information to enlighten and inform teaching and learning about Native America. NK360° challenges common assumptions about Native peoples and offers a view that includes not only the past but also the vibrancy of Native peoples and cultures today.
Bioneers Deep Dives
Bioneers is an innovative nonprofit organization that highlights breakthrough solutions for restoring people and planet. Our dynamic programs and initiatives focus on game-changing initiatives related to Restorative Food Systems, Biomimicry, Rights of Nature, Indigeneity, Women’s Leadership and Youth Leadership."Deep Dives" is an extensive collection of videos, podcasts, articles, and more on the topics that matter to you most.
Nokomis Cultural Heritage Center
The Nokomis Cultural Heritage Center is dedicated to the preservation of History, Arts, Culture and Language of the Anishinaabe people - Ojibwe, Odawa and Potawatomi nations. The Center fulfills this mission through programs, exhibitions and special events.
The Ziibiwing Center of Anishinabe Culture and Lifeways
The Ziibiwing Center is a distinctive treasure created to procide and enriched, diversified, and culturally relevant educational experience. This promotes the society's belief that the culture, diversity, and spirit of the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe of Michigan and other Great Lakes Anishinabek must be recognized, perpetuated, communicated, and supported.
Local and Indigenous Knowledge Systems
Local and indigenous knowledge refers to the understandings, skills and philosophies developed by societies with long histories of interaction with their natural surroundings. For rural and indigenous peoples, local knowledge informs decision-making about fundamental aspects of day-to-day life. Features seperate project areas in science policy, biodiversity, climate change, and knowledge transmission.