One Book 2023-2024: Environmental Justice & No Country for Eight-Spot Butterflies: A Lyric Essay

Indigenous Knowledge & Science

“Science and traditional knowledge may ask different questions and speak different languages, but they may converge when both truly listen to the plants....The question was, how do we show respect? Sweetgrass told us the answer as we experimented: Sustainable harvesting can be the way we treat a plant with respect, by respectfully receiving its gift.”

-Kimmerer, from Braiding Sweetgrass, p. 165
(cited below)

Featured Resources by Type

Organizations & Online Resources

Global Citizen
"Our mission is to build a movement of 100 million action-taking Global Citizens to help achieve our vision of ending extreme poverty by 2030."
Indigenous Environmental Network
"The Indigenous Environmental Network is an alliance of grassroots Indigenous Peoples whose mission is to protect the sacredness of Mother Earth from contamination & exploitation by strengthening, maintaining and respecting Indigenous teachings and natural laws"
The NDN Collective
"NDN Collective is an Indigenous-led organization dedicated to building Indigenous power. Through organizing, activism, philanthropy, grantmaking, capacity-building and narrative change, we are creating sustainable solutions on Indigenous terms."
World Economic Forum
"The World Economic Forum is the International Organization for Public-Private Cooperation. The Forum engages the foremost political, business, cultural and other leaders of society to shape global, regional and industry agendas."

Featured Articles

Use the links below to find articles from different publication types.

Reference Articles

These background or overview articles are useful for defining and understanding the history and key concepts of a topic. They come from subject-specific books and reports and aim to help you understand the basics. Find more articles like these in the databases Gale Ebooks, Opposing Viewpoints, or CQ Researcher.

Ethnobotany A 2021 article from The Gale Encyclopedia of Science(
Human Ecology A 2021 The Gale Encyclopedia of Science
Indigenous Ecological Knowledge A 2021 article from Sustainable Planet: Issues and Solutions for Our Environment's Future
Indigenous Knowledge A 2014 article from the book, Achieving Sustainability: Visions, Principles, and Practices From: Achieving Sustainability: Visions, Principles, and Practices
Intellectual Property and Traditional Knowledge A 2013 article from Encyclopedia of American Folklife From: Encyclopedia of American Folklife
Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) A 2020 article from Religion and Environmentalism: Exploring the Issues From Religion and Environmentalism: Exploring the Issues

Popular Source Articles

These kinds of articles are from mainstream publications like the "Washington Post," "The Atlantic," or other publications aimed at the general public., as well as a wide variety of websites, both commercial, educational, and governmental. Find more sources like this in Academic Search Complete, ProQuest Combined, or Science In Context.

How Indigenous Knowledge Advances Modern Science and Technology
A 2018 article from The Conversation
Indigenous Leaders at the Frontlines of Environmental Injustice and Solutions
A 2021 article from the NRDC
Meet 13 Indigenous Young Indigenous Rights Activists
An article about young, indigenous EJ activists from the UN
Once-ignored Indigenous Knowledge of Nature Now Shaping Science
A short article (or 5+ minute listen) from Minnesota Public Radio (MPR )
The Role of Indigenous Women in the Preservation and Transmission of Traditional Knowledge
A short article from the UN
Traditional Ecological Knowledge Fact Sheet
A PDF factsheet from the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Services
Why Indigenous Resistance is More Important than Ever
An article from Greenpeace

Scholarly Articles

Scholarly journal articles are written by scholars/experts/researchers for others in their field with the aim of sharing, reviewing, and building new information. These publications can give us insight into the ways that environmental justice topics are being studied at a research-based, academic levels. Find more articles like these in ProQuest Combined, Agricola, OR Global Issues in Context.

Listening and Learning from Traditional Knowledge and Western Science: A Dialogue on Contemporary Challenges of Forest Health and Wildfire
A 2012 article from the Journal of Forestry
A Multi-Perspective Reflection on How Indigenous Knowledge and Related Ideas Can Improve Science Education for Sustainability
A 2020 article from Science & Education
Mushrooms and Sweetgrass: A Biotic Harvest of Culture and Place-Based Learning
A 2017 article from the Journal of Environmental Education
On the Role of Traditional Ecological Knowledge as A Collaborative Concept: a Philosophical Study
A 2013 article from the journal Ecological Processes, open access
Situating the Scientist: Creating Inclusive Science Communication Through Equity Framing and Environmental Justice
A 2020 article from the journal "Frontiers in Communication"
Weaving Indigenous and Sustainability Sciences to Diversify Our Methods
A 2016 article from Sustainability Science

Featured Videos

There are some DVDs you can check out from the library on environmental topics as well. The links here, however, are largely for online videos as there are so many great organizations with content. Streaming education films can also be searched in the database Films on Demand, linked in the "Digging Deeper in Your Research" tab of this guide, or from the library's homepage.

Indigenous Ways of Knowing A 2011 film streaming on Films on Demand, ~32 mins.
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David Begay, Adjunct Professor, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Northern Arizona University and Nancy Maryboy, President and Founder of Indigenous Education Institute, Santa Fe, New Mexico, invite us to understand Navajo ways of knowing. They describe a worldview that is place-based, emphasizes kinship and connection, and intimately orients the human within an interrelated and unified cosmos.
MY 25: The Ocean Between Us A 2020 short film by Inka Cresswell
Revitalization from Destruction: The Movement to Protect Indigenous Food Systems April 2022. In this second installment of MAZON's 2022 Insider Briefing Series, MAZON’s Vice President of Programs Mia Hubbard was joined by Valerie Segrest, Native nutrition educator and member of the Muckleshoot Indian Tribe, and Maria Givens, sustainable food systems expert and member of the Coeur d’Alene Tribe, to explore the destruction of food systems as a colonial tool of genocide, and how these colonial legacies impose continuing barriers for tribal communities. Rooted in this experience, we discussed the powerful movement to support the reemergence of traditional food systems in Indian Country.
Science and Indigenous Knowledge A short 2016 video from the Global Landscapes Forum
TED Talks: Earth Appreciated A playlist of talks all about the beauty, wonder, and fragility of the natural world
TED Talks: Indigenous Knowledge and Ocean Science A 2017 talk by ’Qátuw̓as Jessica Brown at TEDxBrentwoodCollegeSchool
TED Talks: Indigenous Knowledge Has Value A 2016 talk by Curtis Bristowe at TEDxRuakura
TED Talks: Indigenous Knowledge Meets Science to Take on Climate Change A 2020 talk by Hindou Oumarou Ibrahim
TED Talks: The Case to Recognise Indigenous Knowledge as Science A 2019 talk by Albert Wiggan at TEDxSydney
What Indigenous Communities Teach Us About Climate Change A ~5 min. video from the "Hot Mess" series, streaming on Films on Demand
What is Traditional Knowledge? A short 2018 video by the Centre for International Governance Innovation

Featured Podcasts

Our Native Land
Our Native Land features fun interviews and compelling discussions about Indigenous and First Nations cuisine, culture, heritage, and more from Vancouver Island and around the world. Recorded at CHEK Studios in Victoria, BC, Tchadas is joined by guests of all backgrounds and professions for educational, emotional, and engaging conversations.
All My Relations (podcast)
"On each episode hosts Matika Wilbur (Tulalip and Swinomish) and Adrienne Keene (Cherokee Nation), delve into a different topic facing Native peoples today, bringing in guests from all over Indian Country to offer perspectives and stories."
MediaINDIGENA
MediaINDIGENA is a roundtable podcast with host Rick Harp and a group of panelists who tackle weekly affairs in so-called Canada. The podcast draws in people of all backgrounds, but appeals to those who enjoy a more academic look at things.
Two-Eyed Seeing as a Way to Decolonize Western Science
June 2022, KUOW podcast

Sources used on this page:

Kimmerer, R. (2013). Braiding sweetgrass : Indigenous wisdom, scientific knowledge and the teachings of plants. Milkweed Editions.

Featured Books & eBooks - click on titles to access

Ancient Pathways, Ancestral Knowledge: Ethnobotany and Ecological Wisdom of Indigenous Peoples of Northwestern North America

Indigenous Knowledge and the Environment in Africa and North America

Science, Colonialism, and Indigenous Peoples: The Cultural Politics of Law and Knowledge

Red Alert!: Saving the Planet With Indigenous Knowledge

Community Resources: Intellectual Property, International Trade and Protection of Traditional Knowledge

Indigenous Peoples and the Collaborative Stewardship of Nature: Knowledge Binds and Institutional Conflicts

Indigenous Resilience and Indigenous Knowledge Systems in the context of Climate Change

Indigenous Environmental Justice

Who's Asking?: Native Science, Western Science, and Science Education

As Long As Grass Grows: The Indigenous Fight for Environmental Justice, from Colonization to Standing Rock

Wisdom of the Elders: Sacred Native Stories of Nature

What Is Indigenous Knowledge?: Voices From the Academy

Intellectual Property, Indigenous People and Their Knowledge

Featured Resource: Enduring Legacies Native Cases

Enduring Legacies Native Cases
The Enduring Legacies Native Cases Initiative develops culturally relevant curriculum and teaching resources in the form of case studies on key issues in Indian Country.

Culturally relevant curriculum is a key factor in student success and essential to prepare students for leadership roles. Key topics of our cases have been identified by Native leaders. Our partners in developing and using these cases are Northwest Indian College, Salish Kootenai College, and Grays Harbor College.

Search Tips & Terms

Search Terms & Topics

Consider searching some of these topics as search words when trying to locate resources in the library's collection.

Traditional Knowledge or Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK)
Indigenous Knowledge
Local Knowledge
Native Science