As environmental challenges become increasingly complex and frequent, it is more important than ever to approach these challenges from multiple perspectives. To advance this, researchers are working to bring Indigenous Knowledge and Western scientific knowledge together, creating a new lens to view problems and solutions.
At the University of Maine, Professor of Anthropology Darren Ranco is at the forefront of this effort, working to embed Indigenous Knowledge in pedagogy and research. A citizen of the Penobscot Nation, this approach lies at the center of Ranco’s work with both the NSF EPSCoR Maine-FOREST and Maine-SMART. Serving as a primary investigator for themes on both EPSCoR grants, Ranco has the unique position to help mobilize Indigenous Knowledge across the university system, the state of Maine and education as a whole.
With Maine-FOREST, Ranco’s work focuses on climate resilience and improving Indigenous access to traditional places.
“We work with conservation and land partners to create a new mapping interface for Indigenous harvesters to be able to locate places that they have been locked out of because of conservation and other private property concerns, so creating frameworks of access helps reinvigorate Indigenous land care,” said Ranco.
Through Maine-SMART, Ranco’s research is changing how research faculty and universities understand ecological knowledge and can incorporate Indigenous knowledge and science paradigms into the way they teach. To accomplish this, two cohorts of six UMaine faculty members across different disciplines have undergone training to change the way they teach core environmental science concepts, to better reflect Indigenous thought processes such as land stewardship and management.
“All students benefit from being exposed to Indigenous Knowledge in science frameworks, in a respectful, ethical manner,” said Ranco.
This program additionally helps empower Indigenous youth to seek out environmental and STEM careers, another research area that Ranco explores. He previously helped create the Wabanaki Youth and Science (WaYS) Program in 2012, which originally focused on integrating Indigenous knowledge into Western science curriculum for middle and high schoolers.
“We found that this program created a lot of interest for Indigenous students entering the university system and they were excited to pursue environmental fields, but would then switch out often due to the way introductory classes were taught and the values reflected in those classes,” said Ranco.
Ranco’s current programming with Maine-SMART works to shift the pedagogy in these courses while also creating frameworks of mentoring and support for students.
“The real output and shift has been seen with the retention of Indigenous people in the life sciences, more degrees being awarded, and an increase of indigenous graduate students,” explained Ranco. “This has a significant impact on the University’s relationship with Indigenous communities and the projects we engage in, but it’s not just me anymore. It’s all of these students who are engaging in community-based research that’s supporting Indigenous sovereignty and also mobilizing Indigenous knowledge in a way that is ethical and framed up in the right way.”
For Ranco, his position with both EPSCoR grants reflects the core mission of a research university, engaging in community-led research while transforming educational systems to better support future researchers.
“The promise of a research university is that students are being taught by the people creating new knowledge,” he said. “The research informs the pedagogy, and the pedagogy prepares the next generation to continue advancing that research.”
By strengthening both research and education, Ranco’s work through Maine EPSCoR is helping create a more inclusive scientific community while demonstrating the value of Indigenous Knowledge as an essential component of environmental research, education and long-term stewardship.
By Heather Johnson, EPSCoR graduate student
