Indigenous Affirmation
Ni manàdjiyànànig Màmìwininì Anishinàbeg, ogog kà nàgadawàbandadjig iyo akì eko weshkad. Ako nongom ega wìkàd kì mìgiwewàdj.
Ni manàdjiyànànig kakina Anishinàbeg ondaje kaye ogog kakina eniyagizidjig enigokamigàg Kanadàng eji ondàpinangig endàwàdjin Odàwàng.
Ninisidawinawànànig kenawendamòdjig kije kikenindamàwin; weshkinìgidjig kaye kejeyàdizidjig.
Nigijeweninmànànig ogog kà nìgànì sòngideyedjig; weshkad, nongom; kaye àyànikàdj.
Listen to the audio file made by Joan Commanda Tenasco, an Anishinàbekwe from Kitigàn Zìbìng near Maniwaki, Quebec.
We pay respect to the Algonquin people, who are the traditional guardians of this land. We acknowledge their longstanding relationship with this territory, which remains unceded.
We pay respect to all Indigenous people in this region, from all nations across Canada, who call Ottawa home.
We acknowledge the traditional knowledge keepers, both young and old.
And we honour their courageous leaders: past, present, and future.
What is Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK)?
"Indigenous knowledge, also known as Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK), is essentially the cumulative body of knowledge associated with ecological relationships, which is handed down through generations by Indigenous people."
Source: How indigenous knowledge advances modern science and technology.
Indigenous Voices
Selected reading
Carmen Wong, Kate Ballegooyen, Lawrence Ignace, Mary Jane (Gùdia) Johnson, and Heidi Swanson. Towards reconciliation: 10 Calls to Action to natural scientists working in Canada. FACETS. 5(1): 769-783.
https://doi-org.proxy.bib.uottawa.ca/10.1139/facets-2020-0005
Roundtable on Indigenous Knowledge and WesternScience: Summary of Literature by Publication Date: 2019
Indigenous Knowledge, Ecology, and Evolutionary Biology by ISBN: 9780203847114Publication Date: 2010
Knowing Home: Braiding Indigenous Science with Western Science, Book 1 by Publication Date: 2016
Knowing Home: Braiding Indigenous Science with Western Science, Book 2 by Publication Date: 2018
The right to be cold : one woman's story of protecting her culture, the Arctic and the whole planet by ISBN: 9780670067107Publication Date: 2015
Plants, people, and places : the roles of ethnobotany and ethnoecology in indigenous peoples' land rights in Canada and beyond by ISBN: 9780228003175Publication Date: 2020
Indigenous research : theories, practices, and relationships by ISBN: 9781773380858Publication Date: 2018
TEK Websites and Resources
- Native LandA project to map Indigenous territories, treaties, and languages across the world in a way that goes beyond colonial ways of thinking in order to better represent how Indigenous people want to see themselves.
- Indigenous Studies PortalA database of full-text electronic resources such as articles, e-books, theses, government publications, videos, oral histories, and digitized archival documents and photographs. The iPortal content has a primary focus on Indigenous peoples of Canada with a secondary focus on North American materials and beyond.
- Indigenous Leadership InitiativeThe Indigenous Leadership Initiative is dedicated to facilitating the strengthening of Indigenous Nationhood for the fulfillment of the Indigenous cultural responsibility to our lands, the emergence of new generations of Indigenous leaders, and helping communities develop the skills and capacity that they will need as they continue to become fully respected and equally treated partners in Canada’s system of governance and its economic and social growth.
- Reconciling Ways of Knowing; Indigenous Knowledge and ScienceReconciling Ways of Knowing; Indigenous Knowledge and Science brings together Indigenous knowledge and science for the benefit of our shared natural world.
- Indigenous Climate HubThe purpose of the Indigenous Climate Hub is to provide helpful resources and information on climate change, and to provide a space to share resources, information, and impactful climate change stories from Indigenous perspectives.
- Métis Nation Environment and Climate Change PortalThe Métis Nation has unique knowledge and understandings to support healthy and thriving ecosystems. This online portal provides resources pertaining to the Métis Nation’s efforts in the conservation of biological diversity, sustainable development and protection of vulnerable ecosystems and species.
- National Aboriginal Forestry Association (NAFA)NAFA's mission is to promote and support increased Aboriginal involvement in forest management and related commercial opportunities, while staying committed to holistic or multiple-use forestry, to build sustainable Aboriginal communities.
- Environment and natural resources for Indigenous peoplesGovernment of Canada's services and information.
- Parks Canada - Indigenous ecological knowledgeInformation on various projects conducted in collaboration with Indigenous partners.
- Traditional Ecological Knowledge (US National Park Service)This site is a collaborative collection of information, hosted by the US National Park Service, for all those interested in traditional ecological knowledge.
Indigenous Research Methodologies
- The First Nations Principles of OCAPThe First Nations principles of ownership, control, access, and possession – more commonly known as OCAP® – assert that First Nations have control over data collection processes, and that they own and control how this information can be used.
- Ethics HubFounded by Thomas Burelli, Professor of Law at the Civil Law Section of the University of Ottawa. The main objective of the Ethics Hub is to bring together and share a set of resources that can contribute to the establishment of more respectful and equitable relationships between researchers and Indigenous and local communities.
- Indigenous Information LiteracyKwantlen Polytechnic University Guide