Braiding knowledge: how Indigenous expertise and western science are converging

Students of researcher Marco Hatch collect scientific samples on Russell Island, British Columbia, in 2017. Photograph: Marco Hatch View image in fullscreen Students of researcher Marco Hatch collect scientific samples on Russell Island, British Columbia, in 2017. Photograph: Marco Hatch Braiding knowledge: how Indigenous expertise and western science are converging Researchers are weaving Native practices with western methods to revive ecosystems and reclaim food sovereignty “I’m a glorified clam counter.” So said Marco Hatch , a marine ecologist at Western Washington University and an enrolled member of the Samish Indian Nation. Hatch has been conducting surveys of mollusks growing in and around clam gardens in the Pacific north-west, as he collaborates with seven Indigenous communities to build or rebuild these rock-walled, terraced beaches once created and tended by their ancestors. Hatch’s surveys in service of this reclamation are rooted in western scientific methodology and increase understanding about beach ecology and clam health. But, just as important, the data Hatch provides can help these nations obtain the local, state and federal permits they need to maintain or re-engineer these structures. And that helps them assert greater control over their heritage and regain food sovereignty for their communities. Mining made this US tribal area a toxic wasteland. This Indigenous nation brought it back to life Read more Rather than dismissing Indigenous knowledge, more western scientists are discovering its viability for themselves and adjusting their research goals to embrace it. That represents a “massive shift”, according to Kyle Whyte, a professor of environmental justice at the University of Michigan and a member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation. Historically, western scientists have considered themselves rigorous and empirical, while they have classified traditional Native thought as mythic, religious or plain made-up, he said. View image in fullscreen Clam gardens are an ancient technology used by Indigenous Americans. Scientific research shows these terraced gardens like these on Russell Island, British Columbia, for mollusks enhance biodiversity and help with coastal management. Photograph: Marco Hatch In fact, a long-overdue “braiding” of Native and western knowledge is becoming ever more common. Prominent Native authors such as Vine Deloria Jr have pointed out Native environmental practices in books for popular audiences. They’ve theorized, as the Alaskan native scholar Oscar Kawagley described it, “native ways of knowing”. More Indigenous people – Robin Wall Kimmerer, author of Braiding Sweetgrass, is a notable example – are entering academia and changing it from the inside, while some tribal nations have hired their own scientists. Non-Native institutions are seeking to undo their erasure of Indigenous cultures; the Brooklyn Botanic Garden has started to include labeling that highlights Lenape names and uses for food plants like