Culturescope.ca - Indigenous Knowledge<br><i>February 2006</i>

An important notice to Culturescope.ca users:

Photograph - Julius and Daniel Park of La Loche, Saskatchewan - Courtesy of Yvonne Vizina.jpg

Photo: Julius and Daniel Park of La Loche, Saskatchewan, Courtesy of Yvonne Vizina

The Department of Canadian Heritage entered into the exploration of Indigenous Knowledge and policy development with 2005’s National Gatherings on Indigenous Knowledge.

In this production of In Focus, Aboriginal researchers, Yvonne Vizina and Racelle Kooy, examine benefits and challenges of developing policy concerning Indigenous Knowledge. In her Introduction to Indigenous Knowledge Yvonne Vizina says, “Policy development regarding Indigenous Knowledge requires a willingness to explore Aboriginal epistemology, Western scientific and holistic paradigm discord, issues of labeling and defining Indigenous Knowledge and a willingness to value Indigenous perspectives of Indigenous Knowledge.”

A primary challenge for policy makers is that “Indigenous Knowledge systems exist in a manner unique to the Indigenous Peoples who hold the knowledge and no one comprehensive body or system of Indigenous Knowledge exists.”

To help address these challenges for policy-makers and to honour the personal nature of Indigenous Knowledge (IK), Yvonne Vizina and Racelle Kooy, who are from two different Aboriginal communities, discuss what Indigenous Knowledge means for them in the Dialogue on Indigenous Knowledge.

Finally, as is noted in the text from an engrossing on-line dialogue, IK is not discussed in academic and theoretical terms by most Indigenous Peoples. In this spirit, the Observatory presents Racelle Kooy’s reflection on the role of Indigenous Knowledge in her personal life, her community and her work (Aboriginal tourism), in Indigenous Knowledge: Making it Personal.

Read on, as the Canadian Cultural Observatory brings Indigenous Knowledge In Focus.

An Introduction to Indigenous Knowledge

A Dialogue on Indigenous Knowledge

Indigenous Knowledge: Making it Personal

All Resources and Bibliographies

Special thanks to Racelle Kooy and Yvonne Vizina, Dr. Marie Battiste, and the National Gatherings Secretariat and Aboriginal Affairs Branch of the Department of Canadian Heritage for their cooperation in the development of Indigeneous Knowledge In Focus.