Indigenous Elders carry knowledge systems that are embedded within their respective land-based systems of knowledge. When Indigenous Elders pass away, their knowledge systems, if not preserved and documented, also pass away, which has lasting impacts on the continuance of Indigenous knowledge and practices of health and well-being. As a result of the enduring presence of settler colonialism, Indigenous Elders pass away at far earlier ages in comparison to their non-Indigenous counterparts. This article shows the results of an Indigenous health and well-being research project led by an Anishinaabe community in partnership with an Anishinaabe researcher. Guided by Anishinaabeg Elders and a Community Advisory Board, this research project preserves and documents Elders' knowledge of the land for community use and asks, how does knowledge of the land inform our health and well-being practices? In this article, we argue that Elders' knowledge is integral for regenerating critical well-being practices. We demonstrate that placing Elders' knowledge at the forefront of our well-being is an actionable practice of ganandawisiwin or good health. Without such knowledge and practices, we risk missing an opportunity to learn about well-being practices from our most precious knowledge holders.

How would the usage of Indigenous languages contribute to overcoming the epistemological gap between Traditional Ecological Knowledge and Environmental Impact Assessments? This article examines incommensurabilities that arise in Sakha-Russian and Cree-English translations of EIA through the translations of the most common words in samples. Without being embedded in Indigenous languages, TEK and other knowledges are easily decontextualized, and results in the loss of layers of meaning. This study adopted a linguistic anthropological approach to language combined with content analysis and guided by a poststructuralist mode of analysis. We argue policies around EIA/EAs must be shifted to center Indigenous languages as the source of TEK and ensure that there is space for these languages to be used in the consultation processes.

Indigenous communities have painful histories of colonization, resulting in historical trauma and adverse current community conditions (CCCs). This is a mixed method study of Administration for Native Americans grants that includes analysis of project summaries and CCCs as well as a analysis of impact and effectiveness scores finished projects are given by ANA evaluators. The results show that all grants included in the analysis are addressing colonization and almost half of the grants are utilizing culture as a protective factor. The projects using culture as a protective factor have significantly higher effectiveness ratings, which means they are achieving their objectives more than those not using culture. Grantee project examples are in the discussion. The paper concludes with policy implications for funders.

Individuals with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) can experience multiple layers of adversity that increase vulnerability to justice involvement. Given the systemic overrepresentation of Indigenous Peoples in the justice system, community-based interventions are important for supporting Indigenous individuals with FASD who are justice-involved, yet little is known about individual experiences with such interventions. In this community-based study, we conducted interviews with 12 adults in an FASD-informed Indigenous justice program, revealing stories of coping, growth, and hope. Findings suggest that blending FASD assessment with restorative justice approaches can contribute to physical, human, family/social, and community/cultural resources that support wellbeing. We describe tangible strengths and processes to leverage in practice and policy for supporting justice-involved individuals with FASD across settings and communities.

Worldwide, large amounts of administrative data are collected within official statistics systems on Indigenous Peoples. These data are primarily used for government and state policy purposes as opposed to by Indigenous Peoples to support Indigenous agendas (Taylor & Kukutai, 2017). In Aotearoa me Te Waipounamu New Zealand, Māori need high quality data to develop evidence-based policies and programs and to monitor government policies that impact on Māori. In this methodological paper, we describe uses of administrative data for Māori and current barriers to its use. We outline the development of a novel administrative data infrastructure and future longitudinal study. By explicating our Indigenous initiated, designed and controlled data project, we make a methodological contribution to Indigenous Data Sovereignty and Kaupapa Māori (Māori worldview) epidemiology.

Before Indigenous scholars engage in decolonial research with human participants, Canadian universities must grant them ethics approval. Grounded by the experiences of the nehiyaw researcher and the Chair of the research ethics board who reviewed the research, we explore the experience of REB review with research exploring self-determination and sovereignty with nehiyaw iskwewak (Cree females) as Knowledge Holders. In accordance with iyiniwak (Indigenous Peoples) beliefs, the co-creators and authors positioned themselves in the centre of a circle with Natural Law teachings of kindness, honesty, caring, strength, and determination. In this shared space, we brought together dialogues connected to thematics grounded in ceremony, Natural Law (iyiniwak teachings), and cyclical process. Through four directions, we examine colonial processes and identify REB accountabilities.

Mobility pathways to and from Indigenous programs is one strategy post-secondary education (PSE) institutions employ to support reconciliation, yet data is limited on the status or impact of these pathways. The current study examined program pathways of Indigenous and non-Indigenous learners within Indigenous programming. Fifty-three students were recruited from across PSE institutions in Ontario. Chi squared tests indicated that the majority of students transferring to an Indigenous program were Indigenous, however the study also found that non-Indigenous learners were frequent users of pathways. Results of this study provide cause for consideration about how settler normativity may permeate in pathway development and delivery and recommendations are provided on how PSE can centre Indigenous students in mobility program development.

Sarawak is the largest state in Malaysia, where two-thirds of the population are Indigenous. This study aims to evaluate, through the lens of good governance principles, the current practice of the Sarawak State’s formal land governance of lands associated with Native Customary Rights (hereafter known as Native land governance). Being quantitative in nature, this study conceptualises an evaluation framework for good governance principles as applied to Native land governance. Next, this study empirically tests out the framework by adopting a multi-criteria decision-making tool known as The Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS). TOPSIS analysis enables the integration of perceptions between State/private groups and Indigenous groups. The output of the TOPSIS analysis is summarised in a strength, weakness, opportunity, and threat (SWOT) format according to the TOPSIS closeness value. Unfortunately, results show that the weaknesses outnumber the strengths in Sarawak’s Native land governance. Among these issues, Indigenous respondents highlight major issues with the Sarawak land registry’s efficiency in delivering outcomes that are equitable for Indigenous land rights. This study ends with recommendations on how the state of Sarawak can move towards compliance with good governance principles in relation to lands associated with Native Customary Rights.

Australia's distinctive colonial administrative history has resulted in the generation and capture of large quantities of personal data about Indigenous Peoples in Australia, which is currently controlled and processed by government agencies and departments without coherent regulation. From an Indigenous standpoint, these data constitute stranded assets. Established legal frameworks for pursuing recovery of other classes of asset alienated by governments from Indigenous Peoples in Australia, including land, natural resources, and unpaid wages, have not yet been extended to the recovery of Indigenous data assets. This legacy scenario has created a disproportionate administrative burden for Indigenous organisations by sustaining their dependency on government for necessary data, while simultaneously suppressing the value of their own contemporary community-owned data assets. In this article, we outline leading international legal, economic, and scientific frameworks by which an equitable arrangement for the governance of Indigenous data might be restored to Indigenous Peoples in Australia.

This article reports on the findings of a larger study that explored urban Indigenous providers’ experiences with contracting in mental health and addictions care. The study was undertaken with seven Indigenous and one non-Indigenous non-profit organizations based in diverse large and mid-size cities (off reserve) in British Columbia, Canada. Indigenous and critical theoretical perspectives provided the lens for this ethnographic inquiry. In-depth interviews were the primary data source. Participants’ narratives provide an account of the ideological embeddedness of contracting and how a New Public Management operates to perpetuate colonial power imbalances and structural barriers to culturally safe and equity-oriented care within urban Indigenous communities. Policy and practice implications for government funders are discussed.