Protecting Indigenous Knowledge

What is Indigenous Knowledge?

There is no single definition of Indigenous Knowledge. As recommended by our Indigenous Advisory Council, we are using a definition provided by the Inuit Circumpolar Council:

"Indigenous knowledge is a systematic way of thinking applied to phenomena across biological, physical, cultural, and spiritual systems. It includes insights based on evidence acquired through direct and long-term experiences and extensive and multigenerational observations, lessons and skills. It has developed over millennia and is still developing in a living process, including knowledge acquired today and in the future, and it is passed on from generation to generation."

Indigenous Knowledge will likely be shared during all Summit activities. A priority for the Arctic Rivers Project is to include and simultaneously protect Indigenous Knowledge and support Indigenous sovereignty. Therefore, we developed an Informed Consent Form and Data Sharing Protocols based on the below two key principles of engagement that the project is committed to following:

Cause No Harm
Free, Prior, and Informed Consent (FPIC)

Please scroll down to learn more about these principles. We are providing drafts of the Informed Consent Form and Data Sharing Protocols as these are currently undergoing review and are not yet finalized. Once finalized, we will ask all Summit attendees to sign the Informed Consent Form prior to joining the Summit.

Cause No Harm principle

The Cause No Harm principle is a core ethical principle in medicine, law, and human subjects research and is widely recognized in other disciplines as well as in customary international law. This principle asks that practitioners carefully consider the potential consequences of their actions and take steps to prevent, lessen, and control potential harm that could result from sharing information.

Recognize risks of sharing Indigenous Knowledge

Indigenous Knowledge is inextricably linked with the Indigenous cultures and locations where it arises and is part of a holistic knowledge system. Thus, when sharing Indigenous Knowledge, there is always an inherent risk that Indigenous Knowledge may be misinterpreted, misrepresented, and/or misused.

Take steps to avoid and reduce risks and ensure benefits for all

Seekers of Indigenous Knowledge have a responsibility to take steps to prevent and lessen risks that might occur from sharing Indigenous Knowledge. Indigenous Knowledge holders must be informed of any risks that may result prior to sharing their knowledge.

In addition, seekers of Indigenous Knowledge must ensure that the use of Indigenous Knowledge does not occur at the expense of Indigenous Knowledge systems, knowledge holders, or communities but rather through its use all are made better off and none worse off.

Free, Prior, and Informed Consent

Free, Prior, and Informed Consent is a right recognized in the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, as well as in many other international treaties. It applies to negotiations, agreements, and projects that may affect Indigenous peoples or their territories. This principle upholds the sovereignty and self-determination of Indigenous peoples. To learn more about how the project will engage in Free, Prior, and Informed Consent, please click on the links within the text below.

Free means that consent to participate in a project or enter into an agreement is given voluntarily without force, intimidation, manipulation or consequences for not participating.

Prior means that consent is sought in advance, prior to the start of activities, with sufficient time to deliberate on participation.

Informed entails several components including:

Provide accurate and objective information about proposed activities including: the project purpose, the types of questions that will be asked and why, how knowledge gathered will be used, how it will be collected, recorded, stored, and kept confidential, and how knowledge gathered will be shared back with you.
Provide information - in a non-biased way - of potential risks and how the project will manage risks and potential benefits of sharing Indigenous Knowledge.
Provide information in language that is understandable and in ways that are easily accessible, taking into account cultural considerations.
Able to easily seek clarification about the information being sought.
Provide information discussed above prior to the project seeking consent.

Consent affirms the right of Indigenous peoples to say yes to participation, to decline to participate without any repercussions, legal or otherwise, or to say yes but with conditions.

Additionally, consent acknowledges the right of Indigenous Knowledge holders to withdraw their participation and knowledge at any point during the collaborative process.

References

Adade Williams, P., Sikutshwa, L. and Shackleton, S., 2020. Acknowledging indigenous and local knowledge to facilitate collaboration in landscape approaches—Lessons from a systematic review. Land, 9(9), p.331.

Carroll, S.R., Garba, I., Figueroa-Rodríguez, O.L., Holbrook, J., Lovett, R., Materechera, S., Parsons, M., Raseroka, K., Rodriguez-Lonebear, D., Rowe, R., Sara, R., Walker, J.D., Anderson, J. and Hudson, M., 2020. The CARE Principles for Indigenous Data Governance. Data Science Journal, 19(1), p.43.

Climate and Traditional Knowledges Workgroup (CTKW). 2014. Guidelines for Considering Traditional Knowledges in Climate Change Initiatives.

Cooley, N., Cozzetto, K., Marks-Marino, D., Novak, R., Newman, R. Including Indigenous Knowledges (IKs) in Fish, Wildlife, and Plants Climate Adaptation Planning and Actions. In Advancing the national fish wildlife, and plants climate adaptation strategy into a new decade. Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies, Washington, DC. pp. 32-44.

Hill, R., Walsh, F.J., Davies, J., Sparrow, A., Mooney, M., Council, C.L., Wise, R.M. and Tengö, M., 2020. Knowledge co-production for Indigenous adaptation pathways: Transform post-colonial articulation complexes to empower local decision-making. Global Environmental Change, 65, p.102161.

Inuit Circumpoloar Council Canada. 2021. Indigenous Knowledge.

Research Data Alliance International Indigenous Data Sovereignty Interest Group. (September 2019). “CARE Principles for Indigenous Data Governance.” The Global Indigenous Data Alliance. GIDA-global.org

United Nations Environment Programme, Law and Environmental Assistance Platform. No date. No harm rule, environmental governance and rights.

United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization. 2021. Free, Prior, and Informed Consent.

Vinyeta, Kirsten; Lynn, Kathy. 2013. Exploring the role of traditional ecological knowledge in climate change initiatives. Gen. Tech. Rep. PNW-GTR-879. Portland, OR: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station. 37 p.

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