Indigenous Knowledge
People gather knowledge for a wide range of purposes, including for survival, well-being, and cultural, economic, and technological developments. Indigenous knowledge—or traditional knowledge—refers to information, meanings, purposes, and values that Indigenous peoples have gathered, conceptualized, studied, and passed through generations for thousands of years. Indigenous knowledge offers solutions to some of the world’s most pressing issues, from environmental crises and declining biodiversity, to equity, justice, and holistic health systems.
Despite the power of traditional knowledge, throughout history, it has been criticized, banned, erased through cultural assimilation, and purposely destroyed in favor of Western, Eurocentric views. Prior to colonization, Indigenous ways of knowing formed the basis of all aspects of Indigenous life, including language, culture, spirituality, architecture, agriculture, and technology. During colonization, the racist devaluing and destruction of Indigenous knowledge served as a key justification for Native American cultural assimilation and genocide. Over hundreds of years, these colonial practices have created unsustainable development patterns, which now harm all people, but continue to disproportionately harm Indigenous and marginalized peoples.
Through negotiations, battles over stolen lands, the Red Power Movement of the 1960’s, and hundreds of other public and private protests, Indigenous peoples have worked tirelessly to maintain Indigenous ways of knowing and being since the advent of colonization. Today, Native American communities and activists are leading a powerful renewal of Indigenous culture, knowledge, and identity. From language revitalization and the renewal of spiritual practices and ceremonies, to Indigenous leadership in environmental crises, the resurgence of Indigenous food sovereignty, and the reclaiming of Two-Spirit identities, Indigenous knowledge is slowly being recentered. Due to geographic location and lack of resources and funding, renewal efforts are not always accessible to all Indigenous peoples in the United States. Indigenous peoples who live in rural areas—most Native American reservations—often lack the infrastructure and resources for programs to preserve and cultivate Indigenous knowledge. Indigenous peoples living in urban areas often lack cultural centers and gathering spaces to share community, identity, and knowledge.
Centering Indigenous knowledge has the power to advance equity for Indigenous communities and society as a whole. Supporting this change at scale means a significant cultural shift to genuinely valuing traditional knowledge and lived experience as equal to—and sometimes even superior to—knowledge from professionally trained experts or modern scientific sources. This shift requires deeply uprooting racist, colonialist, and Eurocentric assumptions, biases, and values that perpetuate oppression and abuse. Communities and stewards can advance equity and well-being for Indigenous and other marginalized communities by uplifting Indigenous knowledge, centering Indigenous perspectives and people, and funding Indigenous communities and renewal programs.
Resources & Tools
In Solidarity with Maui: Taking Action for Wildfire Response, Recovery, and Prevention
Story
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Original
Brought to you by Community Commons
Published on 08/24/2023
Protecting Indigenous Traditional Knowledge Through a Holistic Principle-Based Approach
Resource - Journal Article
Brought to you by Taylor & Francis
Educating for Indigenous Health Equity: An International Consensus Statement
Resource - Journal Article
Not a One-Size-Fits-All Approach: Building Tribal Infrastructure for Research
Resource - Journal Article
Decolonizing Evidence To Better Support Native Communities
Resource - Blog
Brought to you by Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health
An Indigenous Systems Approach to the Climate Crisis
Resource - Journal Article
Brought to you by SSIR
An Integrated Framework for Preservation of Hawaii Indigenous Culture: Learning from Vernacular Knowledge
Resource - Journal Article
The Culture is Prevention Project: Adapting the Cultural Connectedness Scale for Multi-Tribal Communities
Resource - Journal Article
Developing an Indigenous Measure of Overall Health and Well-being: The Wicozani Instrument
Resource - Journal Article
Building a Hopeful Future: The Restoration of Native American Life and Culture
Resource - Website/webpage
Brought to you by Native Hope
Tribal Data Sovereignty: A Summary of Structures, Systems, Principles, Laws, and Related Resources with an Emphasis on New Mexico
Resource - Journal Article
Brought to you by University of North Dakota
Understanding Native Hawaiian Land Relations Through Kanaka Maoli Literature
Resource - Journal Article
Native Land Digital 2019 Teacher’s Guide
Resource - Guide/handbook
Brought to you by Native Land Digital
Culture Writes the Script: On the Centrality of Context in Indigenous Evaluation
Resource - Journal Article
A National Education Initiative Framework for Essential Understandings about American Indians
Resource - Guide/handbook
Good Health and Wellness in Indian Country (2019-2024): Strengthening Indigenous Wisdom and Resiliency
Resource - Website/webpage
The Indian Health Service and Traditional Indian Medicine
Resource - Journal Article
Brought to you by AMA
Addressing the Need for Indigenous and Decolonized Quantitative Research Methods in Canada
Resource - Journal Article
Native American Ethnobotany: A Database of Foods, Drugs, Dyes and Fibers of Native American Peoples, Derived from Plants
Resource - Data Bank/repository
The Medicine Wheel Revisited: Reflections on Indigenization in Counseling and Education
Resource - Journal Article
Brought to you by SAGE Publications
Reclaiming Indigenous Health in the US: Moving beyond the Social Determinants of Health
Resource - Journal Article
Indigenous Data Governance: Strategies from United States Native Nations
Resource - Journal Article
Brought to you by Ubiquity Press Limited
Native Data Sovereignty Can Address Data Gaps and Improve Equity
Resource - Blog
Brought to you by Urban Institute
Published on 06/13/2022
Words into Action: Using Traditional and Indigenous Knowledges for Disaster Risk Reduction
Resource - Guide/handbook
Trauma Informed Care through an Indigenous Lens: Tribal Learning Series
Resource - Webinar
Brought to you by North Sound ACH
Combining Science and Traditional Ecological Knowledge: Monitoring Populations for Co-Management
Resource - Journal Article
Centering and Celebrating Culture in Public Health
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Original
Brought to you by Community Commons
Children of the Setting Sun Shares Indigenous Stories With an Eye to the Future
Story - Written
Brought to you by The Seattle Times
Published on 04/28/2024
Ethics Talk: Representation, Sovereignty, and Caring for Native American Patients
Story - Audio
Brought to you by AMA
The Resurgence of Waffle Gardens Is Helping Indigenous Farmers Grow Food with Less Water
Story - Written
Brought to you by Civil Eats
The Black History of Public Health: From Legacies of Racism and Resistance to Futures of Equity and Justice
Story
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Original
Brought to you by Community Commons
Parks for All People: Addressing Legacies of Racism, Displacement, and Exclusion in National Parks
Story
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Original
Brought to you by Community Commons
Swinomish Tribe Builds U.S.’s First Modern ‘Clam Garden,’ Reviving Ancient Practice
Story - Written
Brought to you by NPR
Published on 09/01/2022
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