Establishing, Conducting, and Maintaining Mutually Beneficial, Collaborative Research Efforts with Tribes

No one perspective provides all of the answers to the environmental issues of our time. Humans have created a multitude of problems during the past 150 years or so, not only through continued development and industrialization, but also by suppressing and discontinuing land management techniques that historically enhanced local biodiversity. Through activities such as repetitive burning (with low-severity fire) and selective harvesting and pruning of useful plants, many landscapes were managed in a way that encouraged the growth of culturally important plants and discouraged others from growing in the area. While cultures have changed with time, so too has the landscape. Fortunately, academics, agency scientists, and policy makers are increasingly seeking traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) as a source of ideas for ecosystem management, restoration, and conservation biology. While many recognize TEK as complementary to western scientific knowledge, its incorporation into scientific research is uncommon. We believe that both traditional and Western scientific worldviews should be integrated into research projects when possible. This is particularly true in cases where the research is being conducted with an area or species that has been, or currently is being, managed or used by indigenous people. A working relationship between two groups such as an academic institution and a tribal nation requires an enhanced form of communication that emphasizes trust, respect, and shared responsibility. It requires an open and free exchange of information and belief among parties, which leads to a mutual understanding and comprehension. This relationship is essential to a process that results in positive collaboration and informed decision-making. It is essential for ecologists to not only be concerned about threats to the land, water, plants, and animals that have characterized an area historically, but also for the people that have knowledge that can be used to help address environmental issues. There is an inextricable link between indigenous cultures and the land in which the traditions evolved. As native species of plants and animals and their respective habitats are lost due to factors such as development, suppression of fires, or overharvesting by non-indigenous people, the traditions that relied on these resources are threatened. Our aim has been to unite traditional ecological knowledge with a western scientific perspective to address environmental issues that can benefit not only the plants of concern, but also the cultures that use those species. Once we unite indigenous and western science perspectives effectively, there is great potential to address environmental concerns such as threatened and endangered species, as well as health concerns such as diseases and diets in today’s societies.

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Author(s): Daniela J. Shebitz, Justine E. James, Jr.

Publication: National Nursery Proceedings - 2009

Event: Intertribal Nursery Council Meeting
2009 - Moscow, Idaho