I am interested in building research that furthers theory and praxis of traditional Indigenous knowledges together with scientific disciplines and advances the ability of post-secondary institutions to take up sustainability issues through the resulting outcomes. 

The majority of my research has been anchored in Indigenous knowledges, methodologies, and ethical processes. I have lived my life as an Indigenous person working to advance my own understanding and ability to connect traditional and contemporary applications of Indigenous ontologies, epistemologies, axiologies, and spiritual belief systems. My experience has been largely in how Indigenous knowledges can be more effectively applied in formal educational settings.

Indigenous Peoples, cultures, and languages have been examined and included in most academic disciplines, such as Education, Law, Health, History, Indigenous Studies, English Literature, and others. Most scientific disciplines still have a bit of catching up to do. Key Indigenous research outcomes have been included in numerous discipline specific publications in addition to the 1996 Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples, the 94 Calls to Action of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada, and the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (RCAP, 1996; TRC, 2015; United Nations, 2007).  These are all still extremely relevant to how post-secondary institutions conduct research and include Indigenous knowledges.

In 2015, the same year that the TRC published the 94 Calls to Action, the United Nations launched Transforming Our World: The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (United Nations, 2015). Although the worlds separating the development and announcements of these documents were far apart, I am interested in the many common features they have that can be mutually beneficial.  Both the TRC and the 2030 SD Goals recognize that the respective business-as-usual approach is destructive to the social, economic, and environmental future of humanity. 

Science communities, and others, around the world have issued repeated warnings that without deep transformation, global human survival is in jeopardy (Ripple, Wolf, Newsome, Barnard, & Moomaw, 2020). At the same time, post-secondary education institutions in Canada are working to Indigenize their settings but lack discussion, research, and professional development on sustainability and Indigenization as related concepts and how they might be implemented.  Having done foundational exploration on these matters in my doctoral research (Vizina, 2018), I am working to activate a collaborative group of scholars, Indigenous community members, and other individuals who share an interest in working to advance Indigenization and sustainability practices in professional training programs within post-secondary institutions of Canada.  

Research Accomplishments

As a fairly new scholar, my research accomplishments are still developing. However, there are a few projects and research grants that I have been involved with, before and after the pandemic.  These include a UW SSHRC Explore and Exchange Grant (2023), UW Partnership Development Grant (2022), UW Discretionary Grant (2021), and UW Special Research Grant (2019).  External grants for research projects have been received from Les Femmes Michif Otipemisiwak (2022), Federation of Canadian Municipalities (2019), and the Canadian Commission for UNESCO (2019). During my time as Associate Director of the Aboriginal Education Research Centre in the College of Education at the University of Saskatchewan, I was responsible for writing successful research proposals, budgets, and ethics proposals for multiple projects. One of these was a major grant written by Dr. Marie Battiste and myself, valued at $4.5 million that created the Aboriginal Learning Knowledge Centre, a multi-faceted national research project that was administered at the University of Saskatchewan for several years. 

For the past few years, I had spent considerable amount of time with Elder Calvin Pompana, a member of the Sioux Valley Dakota Nation. In my experience, it is important to cultivate trust and friendship relationships with Elders and knowledge keepers who share similar values and belief systems. This is usually a natural outcome that is evident in the enjoyment of each other’s company and builds over time. If the relationship is mutually beneficial, more formal exchanges of knowledge may transpire. In this case, Calvin wanted to leave some of his stories and songs for new generations of learners. The pandemic slowed progress on this research. Often, we were prevented from meeting in-person, and later, after the death of his spouse, Calvin became confined to long term care institutions. Despite these challenges, he very much wanted to continue sharing his knowledge because it was very important to him. Calvin passed away in February 2023 but one of the things that I loved most about working with him was that we both believed that it was important for people from all Nations to work together. This meant learning from each other, practicing traditions, and living in a good way. I surely miss spending time with Calvin and I will be completing this research in the coming year. Other members of Sioux Valley have offered to assist with the Dakota language references. 

The other research initiated with the SSHRC Explore and Exchange Grant and Partnership Grant will bring together a few key partners on the project. I am currently working to put together a team of Indigenous persons who have the capacity to work on Indigenous knowledges and sustainability issues. One of the partners wants to start this research with sweatlodge ceremony and other protocols, which is a wonderful way to begin.  It should be noted that these protocols cannot be skipped or minimized because they establish a good foundation, trust, and relationships that strengthen over time, not to mention can withstand red-tape and paperwork!  It is my intention that this project be completed over the next year also with a view to a longer term research partnership.

Research Vision 

I continue to be motivated by the findings of my doctoral research and hold these as my vision for understanding the relationships between sustainability and Indigenous knowledges. For example, my study recommended that: 

1) PSE institutions should have programs and financial supports that facilitate traditional knowledge holders’ participation in appropriate locations on and off campuses. This recommendation is based on traditional teachings of reciprocity for associated use of Indigenous knowledges within PSE institutions; 

2) PSE institutions should develop and offer Indigenous programs that combine traditional cultural knowledges, Indigenous languages, and environmental education for campus communities, professional development, and Indigenous communities; 

3) PSE institutions should retain Indigenous personnel to collaborate on the development of holistic frameworks appropriate to their region. These frameworks should illustrate the relationship between sustainability and Indigenous knowledges for professional development and use in curriculum, research, facility operations, institutional governance processes, and community outreach;

4) PSE institutions should develop a series of training modules for professional and Indigenous community development, with information on national and international standards supporting Indigenous self-determination. These modules should be designed in association with the holistic framework on curriculum, research, facility operations, institutional governance processes, and community outreach. The modules should also be offered together with orientation on local Indigenous protocols, experiential learning through participation in community-based conservation activities, and opportunities for dialogue among institutional personnel, students, and Indigenous community members; and 

5) PSE institutions should provide resources that support the development of a national PSE Indigenous sustainability network. This Indigenous-led network would assist in developing their capacity to discuss and respond proactively to sustainability issues across Canada and with PSE efforts to Indigenize their institutions. The network could also build relationships and collaborations with Indigenous communities, regional employers, and other PSE personnel to address sustainability practices and policies in relation to Indigenous knowledges.

I believe it is possible to advance reconciliation through the lens of Indigenous knowledges and sustainability because these mutual interests are shared concerns about social, economic, and environmental issues. My research plans for the next several years include: 

1) Research studies at local, regional, and global levels on the relationships between Indigenous knowledges and sustainability; 

2) Research studies involving PSE sustainability researchers and program administrators to explore inclusion of Indigenous knowledges in their work; 

3) Research studies exploring how an increased Indigenous presence within organizations such as the Association for Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) and others might support dialogue and collaboration on sustainability practices and policies, locally, nationally, and internationally; 

4) Research studies defining benefits of Indigenous PSE programming in terms of the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals and the seven generations philosophy; and 

5) Research studies on the integration of existing and new indicators that could be used to support longitudinal research on Indigenous knowledges and sustainability.

It is my believe and vision that the research will benefit Indigenous communities and others concerned with global sustainability by contributing Indigenous perspectives to the theory and praxis of Indigenous knowledges in education and sustainability, which in turn are passed on intergenerationally through formal and informal educational systems. Academic institutions will also benefit from this research by using it to inform such areas as curriculum development, research, facility operations, institutional governance processes, and community outreach as they relate to Indigenous Peoples. 

Ethical and traditional protocols are respected in working with Indigenous knowledges in my research (CIHR,  NSERC, and SSHRC, 2018; UN, 2004; WIPO, 2017).

CIHR, NSERC, and SSHRC. (2018). Tri-Council Policy  Statement: Ethical Conduct for Research Involving Humans. Retrieved from  Government of Canada:  https://ethics.gc.ca/eng/documents/tcps2-2018-en-interactive-final.pdf

RCAP.  (1996). Volume 5 renewal: A twenty-year commitment. Ottawa, ON:  Government of Canada. Retrieved May 23, 2019, from  http://data2.archives.ca/e/e448/e011188230-05.pdf

Ripple,  W. J., Wolf, C., Newsome, T. M., Barnard, P., & Moomaw, W. R. (2020).  World scientists’ warning of a climate emergency. BioScience, 70(1),  8-12. doi:https://doi.org/10.1093/biosci/biz088

TRC.  (2015). Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada: Calls to action. Retrieved from National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation:  https://nctr.ca/assets/reports/Calls_to_Action_English2.pdf

UN.  (2004). Akwé: Kon Voluntary Guidelines for the Conduct of Cultural,  Environmental and Social Impact Assessment regarding Developments Proposed to  Take Place on, or which are Likely to Impact on, Sacred Sites and on Lands and  Waters Traditionally Occupied or Used by Indigenous and Local Communities. Retrieved Nov 3, 2017, from United Nations Secretariat of the Convention on  Biological Diversity:  https://www.cbd.int/doc/publications/akwe-brochure-en.pdf

United  Nations. (2007). UN declaration on the rights of Indigenous peoples. Retrieved from United Nations:  https://www.un.org/development/desa/indigenouspeoples/wp-content/uploads/sites/19/2018/11/UNDRIP_E_web.pdf

United  Nations. (2015). Transforming our world: The 2030 agenda for sustainable  development. Retrieved from United Nations:  https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/content/documents/21252030%20Agenda%20for%20Sustainable%20Development%20web.pdf

Vizina,  Y. (2018). Indigenous knowledges and sustainability in post-secondary  education. Retrieved from University of Saskatchewan:  https://harvest.usask.ca/handle/10388/10813?show=full

WIPO.  (2017). Protect and promote your culture: A practical guide to intellectual  property for Indigenous peoples and local communities. Retrieved Mar 6,  2018, from World Intellectual Property Organization:  http://www.wipo.int/edocs/pubdocs/en/wipo_pub_1048.pdf