Weaving Indigenous science, protocols, and sustainability science

 Participatory research.
 Reciprocal learning.
 Data collection and analysis.
 Policy analysis and recommendations on natural and social sciences.

In this article, the authors describe how the concepts of stewardship and caretaking are used by Indigenous community leaders and researchers to address their protocols in which humans approach the world with the attitude of respectful partners in genealogical relationships of interconnected humans, non-human beings, entities and collectives who have reciprocal responsibilities to one another. They refer to The Little River Band of Ottawa Indians’ Nme ́ (Lake Sturgeon) stewardship program and The Meskwaki Red Earth Gardens program as two examples of interesting projects that successfully interweave protocols of caretaking and stewardship and scientific inquiry as part of the practice of Indigenous science.

The workshops and programs described in the article were conducted with high ethical standards shown through a strong commitment to respecting and engaging with Indigenous values and concerns within the field of sustainability studies.

Through the educational materials provided to participants and the recommendation policies made through the presented study cases, the authors promote Indigenous knowledges (as protocols concerned with ethics and care) to enhance sustainability policies.

 Documents produced in community consultations and meetings.
 Community knowledge, in material (written, visual, and audio) or oral history.
 Academic publications on Indigenous knowledges and sustainability.

The experiences from the workshop and the two case-studies are well-documented and available through their websites.

“In the workshop, Indigenous participants repeatedly stated that any kind of scientific (i.e., empirical) inquiry— whether Indigenous or sustainability sciences—is in- separable from a protocol. For the participants, protocols are attitudes about how to approach the world. One workshop participant, Kekuhi Keali‘ikanakaole‘oleo- haililani (Native Hawaiian) defines protocol as an ‘‘attitude’’ or ‘‘the manner in which one approaches each and every element in our space’’. Protocols serve to define the way a group ought to proceed or behave in any given situation.” (p. 26)
“Tribal members approach scientific inquiry as a vehicle for learning about the world in ways that can be used to cultivate and kindle moral relationships between diverse parties, such as different generations of humans, other humans and the watershed, and humans, animals, and plants. Terms such as caretaking and stewardship are used to express the strong requirement to be mindful of and tend to these relationships and the responsibilities arising from the relationships.” (p. 29)

Science and Technology Studies, Environmental Sciences, Education