Pathways and Barriers to Weaving Indigenous Science with Western Science

Sustainability science is best when bringing together different forms of knowledge to address societal problems. This research project addresses the barriers and pathways of bringing indigenous science (IS) together with western academic science. Dovetailing with a current NSF INCLUDES grant, the project furthers work to explore and develop best methods for bringing together these different forms of knowledge. The project would be a daunting undertaking if it was not for the initial work that started six years ago with the Wabanaki Youth in Science (WaYS) experimenting with ways to bring IS and Western science (WS) together to benefit Native and non-Native peoples. This research advances our understanding of the best methods of bringing these different knowledge traditions together and increase our efficacy in delivering programs related to WaYS.

This project promotes and expands the mission and vision of the Mitchell Center’s desire to connect knowledge to action. The knowledge component expands the traditional scope of western science and creates a more diverse learning experience. The action creates more opportunities for inclusive place-based, hands-on research with applications beyond the four walls of academia.

Project Update (July 2020)

The goal of this project was to expand the team’s network of collaborators to enhance and strengthen the inclusion of cultural science within western sciences in a community-based setting.

Project activities:

  • One-on-one meetings with traditional cultural knowledge keepers (CKK) in Hawaii to share the successes and challenges that came with the inclusion of cultural science within the dominant ideology of their homeland.
  • Bearing witness to the clash of cultural science and western science over the building of the Thirty Meter Telescope on Mauna Kea.
  • Talking with Native Hawaiian students about their successes and challenges in bringing cultural science into their work in post-secondary education.
  • Learning from faculty and staff at the University of Hawaii which has a strong, 20+ year foundation of enhancing student learning through the inclusion of cultural science and western science within internships.
  • Learning from three focus groups that included participants working in post-secondary education, WaYS students, and CKK. Based on their experiences, participants provided insight into how indigenous ways of knowing might be integrated into post-secondary education and how knowledge, specifically cultural knowledge, could be expanded beyond the traditional walls of western science to create a more diverse learning experience.

Project outcomes:

  • An understanding of the idea of authority versus power in relation to using different forms of knowledge. This dynamic (authority versus power) and a clear understanding of the difference is critical for change to occur and is likely one of the major stumbling blocks to change.
  • The need to develop a WaYS Ambassador program utilizing Native college students to connect as mentors with younger students (elementary/high school).
  • Continued collaboration between UMaine and University of Hawaii because of the parallel challenges that are occurring with the inclusion of cultural science and western science.

This project has helped solidify what is often lacking within many western-focused science projects: the opportunity to work with other cultures in their community on the integration of western and indigenous science traditions for collective benefit and effort. It also allowed for a cross cultural exchange in Maine between Native Hawaiian students and Native American students in the Wabanaki communities. Meeting on each other’s “home ground” allows for lasting connections that help build trust in order to continue moving forward towards solutions.

Team Leader:

  • Darren Ranco, University of Maine, Associate Professor, Dept. of Anthropology, UMaine

Team Members:

  • tish carr, Ph.D. Student, University of Maine
  • Pam Cunningham, Cultural Knowledge Keeper, Penobscot Indian Nation Member

Stakeholders:

  • Noe Puniwai, University of Hawai’i at Manoa, Kamakakūokalani Center for Hawaiian Studies ,Hawaiʻinuiākea School of Hawaiian Knowledge Honolulu, HI
  • Albert Marshall, Elder Advisor, Unama’ki Institute of Natural Resources