Indigenous Languages and Climate Change

In addressing the gaps in resources regarding the intricate relationships between Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) and environmental stewardship (Aikenhead & Michell, 2011; Fuchs & Tan, 2021; Whyte et. al., 2016), this presentation connects local and global research in a resource for both teachers and students; addressing the critical role that Indigenous languages and TEK have in connection to land and place, directly influencing environmental citizenship practices (Aikenhead & Michell, 2011; Turner, Ignace & Ignace, 2000). Specifically, what are the local (Secwépemc) and global connections between Indigenous languages and environmental stewardship? How can this learning help braid together TEK and Western science sustainability education? Research included analysis of four books and seven academic papers, and discussions with Indigenous culture and language educators and academics in Indigenous education. Four main connections emerged:

(1) To teach and foster sustainable ways of living among learners, science education must acknowledge, learn from, and weave together Indigenous science, Indigenous language(s), TEK and sustainability science (Aikenhead & Michell, 2011; Demssie et al., 2020; Snively & Williams, 2016; Whyte et. al., 2016),

(2) Indigenous people, language and cultures globally are negatively impacted by climate change (Cajete, 2020),

(3) Indigenous languages are intricately connected to sustainable land practices and biodiversity of plants and animals, (Arriaga-Jimenez et. al., 2018; Chiblow and Meighan, 2021; Turner, 2014; Ignace & Ignace, 2017; Wilder et. al., 2016),

(4) In learning how to respond to the devastating effects of climate change, restoration efforts need to balance Indigenous knowledge and language with Western scientific knowledge to embody respect, reciprocity, and responsibility through stewardship practices (Dickson-Hoyle et al., 2022).

The impacts of climate change on Indigenous peoples, communities, and languages are being felt and seen locally and globally. The essential role of Indigenous science and TEK needs to be at the forefront of education as we work toward active practices of reconciliation, restoration, and language revitalization. To create environmental stewards and caretakers of the land, we must teach and learn with a harmonized balance of Indigenous science knowledge and protocols alongside of Western science and environmental sustainability practices and put Indigenous language revitalization at the forefront of this educational journey.

References:

Aikenhead, G. S.; Michell, H. (2011). Bridging Cultures : Scientific and Indigenous Ways of Knowing Nature; Pearson Canada..

Arriaga-Jiménez, Pérez-Díaz, C., & Pillitteri, S. (2018). Ka’ux: Mixe language and biodiversity loss in Oaxaca, Mexico. Regions & Cohesion, 8(3), 127–143. https://doi.org/10.3167/reco.2018.080308

British Columbia Ministry of Education (2018). Curriculum Overview. https://curriculum.gov.bc.ca/curriculum/overview

Brown, A. (2022). Environmental science for sustainability education: How Indigenous youth engage with critical pedagogies and traditional ecological knowledge to enhance science for citizenship. Research Proposal.

Cajete, G. A. (2020). Indigenous Science, Climate Change, and Indigenous Community Building: A Framework of Foundational Perspectives for Indigenous Community Resilience and Revitalization. Sustainability, 12 (22), 9569–. https://doi.org/10.3390/su12229569.

Chiblow, & Meighan, P. J. (2021). Language is land, land is language: The importance of Indigenous languages. Human Geography, 194277862110228–. https://doi.org/10.1177/19427786211022899

Demssie, Y. N.; Biemans, H. J. .; Wesselink, R.; Mulder, M. (2020) Combining Indigenous Knowledge and Modern Education to Foster Sustainability Competencies : Towards a Set of Learning Design Principles. Sustainability, 12 (17), 6823–. https://doi.org/

Dickson‐Hoyle, Ignace, R. E., Ignace, M. B., Hagerman, S. M., Daniels, L. D., & Copes‐Gerbitz, K. (2022). Walking on two legs: a pathway of Indigenous restoration and reconciliation in fire‐adapted landscapes. Restoration Ecology, 30(4). https://doi.org/10.1111/rec.13566

First Nations Education Steering Committee (2007). First Peoples Principles of Learning. http://www.fnesc.ca/first-peoples-principles-of-learning/

Fuchs, T., & Tan, Y. S. M. (2021, June 3). Frameworks supporting socially responsible science education: Opportunities, challenges, and implementation [Conference presentation]. Canadian Society for the Study of Education Conference.

Ignace, & Ignace, R. E. (2017). Secwépemc people, land, and laws = Yerí7 re Stsqʼeyʼs-kucw. McGill-Queen’s University Press.

Snively, G., & Williams, W.L. (2016). Knowing Home: Braiding Indigenous Science with Western Science, Book 1 and 2.

Turner. (2014). Ancient Pathways, Ancestral knowledge : Ethnobotany and Ecological Wisdom of Indigenous Peoples of Northwestern North America. McGill-Queen’s University Press.

United Nations. (2021). The Sustainable Development Goals Report 2021. https://unstats.un.org/sdgs/report/2021/The-Sustainable-Development-Goals-Report-2021.pdf

Whyte, K. P.; Brewer, J. P.; Johnson, J. T. (2015). Weaving Indigenous Science, Protocols and Sustainability Science. Sustainability Science, 11 (1), 25–32. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11625-015-0296-6.

Wilder, O’Meara, C., Monti, L., & Nabhan, G. P. (2016). The Importance of Indigenous Knowledge in Curbing the Loss of Language and Biodiversity. Bioscience, 66(6), 499–509. https://doi.org/10.1093/biosci/biw026