They are a global community of activist scholars advancing the rights of Indigenous peoples through the application of traditional knowledge.They are activist scholars advancing the rights of Indigenous peoples worldwide.
They provide high quality research and rely on the knowledge and expertise of Indigenous Nations. They integrate long-standing knowledge to place and space to translate that information in a way that external organizations, companies, and governments can understand.
IIPJ is a peer-reviewed, policy-relevant research journal addressing issues pertaining to Indigenous Peoples throughout the world. IIPJ has a very specific set of goals: To promote evidence-based policy making. To encourage quality research based on partnerships with Indigenous Peoples.
Founded in 2001, LIAMES: American Indigenous Languages is published by the area of Anthropological Linguistics (Indigenous Languages) / Center for Studies of Amerindian Languages and Cultures (CELCAM) of the Department of Linguistics of the Institute of Language Studies / UNICAMP. Its main objective is to provide researchers in the area with the publication of academic research and reflection articles, analytical studies and reviews that, by their theme, deal with the investigation and documentation of Native American languages, elaborated according to different theoretical approaches. This is expected to make available works on Native American languages, provide dialogue between different approaches and stimulate the exchange between researchers in the area.
The First Peoples Child & Family Review is an open-access, interdisciplinary, and peer-reviewed journal honouring the voices and perspectives of First peoples and non-Indigenous allies and supporters. Our mission is to promote research, critical analysis, stories, standpoints, and educational resources which advance innovation within child, family, and community based-matters for First Nations, Métis, and Inuit, as well as Indigenous peoples abroad.
Foreign Law Guide (FLG) is an essential database offering relevant information on sources of foreign law, including complete bibliographic citations to legislation, the existence of English translations, and selected references to secondary sources in one virtual destination. Approximately 190 jurisdictions are systemically covered and updated by a global team of experts.
A subject index to selected international and comparative law periodicals and collections of essays.
JSTOR is a digital library of academic journals, books, and primary sources founded in 1994. Originally containing digitized back issues of academic journals, it now encompasses books and other primary sources as well as current issues of journals in the humanities and social sciences. It provides full-text searches of almost 2,000 journals. Full-text scholarly journal issues are typically added to the database 3 to 5 years after the publication date.
Google Scholar provides a simple way to broadly search for scholarly literature. From one place, you can search across many disciplines and sources: articles, theses, books, abstracts and court opinions, from academic publishers, professional societies, online repositories, universities, and other web sites.
The UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, UNDRIP
Adopted in 2007, the UNDRIP recognizes the wide range of basic human rights and fundamental freedoms of indigenous peoples such as the right to unrestricted self-determination and inalienable and collective land and resource right. It also establishes guarantees against ethnocide and genocide.
ILO Convention No. 169 on Indigenous Peoples
Adopted in 1989, it reflects changes in the position of indigenous and tribal populations and a greater understanding of their position by governments, employers, and workers.
ILO Convention No. 107 of 1957 concerning Indigenous and Tribal Populations
In 1957, the ILO adopted convention 107 to be applied to indigenous and tribal populations in independent countries and aimed at protecting these peoples against abuses. In 1989, the revised version; ILO Convention 169 was adopted
Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues
The Permanent Forum is an advisory body to the Economic and Social Council. It discusses indigenous issues related to economic and social development, culture, the environment, education, health, and human rights. The UNPFII website provides information on Forum members, meetings, and actions, as well as links to U.N. documents related to indigenous peoples.
Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms of Indigenous Peoples
The Special Rapporteur promotes good practices, laws, government programs, and constructive agreements between indigenous peoples and States to implement international standards concerning the rights of indigenous peoples, reports on the overall human rights situations of indigenous peoples in selected countries, addresses specific cases of alleged violations of the rights of indigenous peoples, and contributes to thematic studies on topics of special importance regarding the promotion and protection of the rights of indigenous peoples.
Over cultural heritage and the natural heritage sites being increasingly threatened with destruction not only by the traditional causes of decay, but also by changing social and economic conditions which aggravate the situation with even more formidable phenomena of damage or destruction. Read full--text online or download in full text in Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Hebrew, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish Official citation 1037 UNTS 151
Considered the importance of intangible cultural heritage as a mainspring of cultural diversity and a guarantee of sustainable development. Can be read online or downloaded in English|French|Spanish|Russian|Arabic|Chinese & 32 other languages.
Recognized the need to take measures to protect the diversity of cultural expressions, including their contents, especially in situations where cultural expressions may be threatened by the possibility of extinction or serious impairment and the importance of intellectual property rights in sustaining those involved in cultural creativity. Full text in various languages on official website.
Created from the importance of underwater cultural heritage as an integral part of the cultural heritage of humanity and a particularly important element in the history of peoples, nations, and their relations with each other concerning their common heritage Full-text available on UNESCO's official website.
This IGC has mandate to undertake " text-based negotiations with the objective of reaching agreement on a text(s) of an international legal instrument(s), which will ensure the effective protection of traditional knowledge (TK), traditional cultural expressions (TCEs) and genetic resources (GRs)."
Key terms related to intellectual property and genetic resources, traditional knowledge and traditional cultural expressions.
Waitiangi Tribunal Report (2011) "The claim is about the place of Māori culture, identity and traditional knowledge in New Zealand's laws, and in government policies and practices. It concerns who controls Māori traditional knowledge, who controls artistic and cultural works such as haka and waiata, and who controls the environment that created Māori culture. It also concerns the place in contemporary New Zealand life of core Māori cultural values such as the obligation of iwi and hapū to act as kaitiaki (cultural guardians) towards taonga (treasured things) such as traditional knowledge, artistic and cultural works, important places, and flora and fauna that are significant to iwi or hapū identity."
Indigenous Research Methodologies offer a distinct and vital framework to ensure research truly benefits Indigenous Peoples and advances reconciliation. These approaches prioritize Indigenous worldviews, knowledge, and voices, directly challenging Western paradigms that have often marginalized Indigenous perspectives. Indigenous Research Methodologies center Indigenous knowledge, prioritize community partnership, and adhere to strong ethical principles, resulting in more relevant, respectful, and empowering outcomes. Indigenous research methods include storytelling, oral history, ceremony, land-based learning, art, sharing circles and much more
It is important to think critically about the “how” of your research and the ways in which your research methods have been shaped by your worldview and experiences. The way you approach research may have been shaped by leaning on community, and the sharing of knowledge by your elders. Alternatively, it may have been shaped by 15 years in a Western education system.
Researchers that only use academic markers of authority (peer review, academic credentials, etc.) to evaluate information will find a one-sided perspective because academic sources are most often written about Indigenous communities rather than by them. Reliance on academic authority effectively silences many of the voices of Indigenous people on their own culture. Under this colonialist construction of knowledge, interpretation of Indigenous cultures is denied to members of that culture and reserved for those with academic authority.
Western systems of knowledge appropriate and at the same time devalue information created by Indigenous ways of knowing. When working with Indigenous Knowledge in an academic context, it is vital to respect the authority, agency, and voice of Indigenous Knowledge. Do not treat Indigenous authorities as mere "informants," but rather as equals in the knowledge creation process.
Indigenous Knowledge System, Alaska Native Knowledge Network
A compilation of links on topics related to Indigenous Knowledge Systems.
Local and Indigenous Knowledge Systems (LINKS), UNESCO
This program by UNESCO “promotes local and indigenous knowledge and its inclusion in global climate science and policy processes” by engaging indigenous peoples with scientists and policymakers. Themes include Science Policy, Biodiversity, Climate Change, and Knowledge Transmission.
A forum for dialogues related to Indigenous knowledge and science including a recognition of practices where Western knowledge has invalidated Indigenous ways of knowing. See Past Forums for recordings and blog summaries for each dialogue. Based in Canada. Affiliated with several foundations and the Canadian government.
Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) vs. Western Science, National Park Service
A list with summaries of reports, documents, and videos that discuss how an understanding of the environment requires Indigenous knowledge.
This PDF outlines characteristics of Indigenous and Western knowledges. Provides brief summaries of research frameworks that link Indigenous and Western knowledges.
Indigenous Knowledge systems are diverse and multifarious, though they often share practices based on long histories of accumulated experiences with the world. The particulars and specifics of this knowledge are related to the whole as Native knowledge is often holistic and interrelated (Barnhardt and Kawagley, 2005). This knowledge is passed on through stories, demonstrations, and trial.
In traditional Native knowledge systems there is respect and trust for inherited wisdom, often communicated through an oral tradition, and for knowledge that has proved its utility in everyday practices. There is respect for stories that connect the particulars of knowledge to holistic worldviews, values, and life ways. Knowledge is often collective, evolving in a community of users, knowers, and actors. Authority is not conferred via systematic processes of Western bureaucracy, but rather through community decision making and respect for the knowledge and authority of elders (Barnhardt and Kawagley, 2005).
Western knowledge is typically compartmentalized, taught in detached and decontextualized settings, and indirectly measured with tests rather than judged based on one’s ability to put that knowledge into practice.
Indigenous Knowledge has often been misappropriated and misinterpreted by scientists and academics. Examples of the misappropriation of Indigenous Knowledge include:
Biopiracy - the appropriation of Indigenous knowledge of plants and natural resources by non-Indigenous scientists or for-profit companies, especially the pharmaceutical industry
Appropriation of symbols or art - this story explains the Indigenous origin of New Mexico’s state flag, a sacred symbol created by the Zia people, and shared by a non-Indigenous anthropologist without Zia consent or compensating the Zia. The Zia ask that permission be requested to use the symbol and that those using the symbol contribute to a scholarship fund for Zia children.
Appropriation of sacred land for research purposes - the summit of Maunakea on the big island of Hawai'i is sacred to the Hawaiian nation. It is also the site of 13 astronomy telescopes and the proposed location of a thirty-meter telescope, against the wishes and informed consent of Indigenous peoples. Native scientists advocate the creation of a Cultural Impact Assessment process and emphasize the need for historical context in STEM, with an awareness of the costs of research on marginalized communities that prioritizes the agency and decision-making of Indigenous groups.
