Indigenous Epistemologies Research Articles

Decolonizing academic identities in postcolonial higher education: A collaborative framework for Africa and the Caribbean

This conceptual paper critically examines the persistent influence of colonial structures on higher education in the Caribbean and Africa, particularly in shaping academic identities that remain tethered to Eurocentric knowledge systems. The paper argues that while there have been efforts to decolonize curricula, these attempts are often limited by entrenched Western frameworks that sustain the marginalization of indigenous epistemologies. The paper proposes a collaborative framework that enables Caribbean and African academics to reconstruct their professional identities by actively integrating indigenous knowledge into academic curricula, research, and pedagogical practices. Drawing on some decolonial theorists such as Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o and Linda Tuhiwai Smith, the framework underscores linguistic and cultural reclamation as essential processes in redefining academic roles. Cross-regional partnerships, professional development programs, and curriculum reforms are posited as essential mechanisms to foster epistemological diversity, offering academic pathways to authentic engagement with local cultural contexts. The study advocates for institutional restructuring that challenges colonial legacies, advances inclusive leadership, and supports decolonial practices as a means of transforming higher education. This study contributes to scholarship by providing an analytical framework for decolonizing academic identities, and fostering an inclusive and contextually relevant academic environment that addresses the intellectual needs of postcolonial societies.

Epistemological dimensions of Indigenous honey collection in the Kattunaicken community of South India.

Indigenous ecological knowledge (IEK) has proven effective in environmental governance, forest management, and sustainable development, yet it is threatened by globalization and rapid social-ecological changes. In southern India, I investigated the engagement of the Kattunaicken community with the forest, particularly through honey collection, to explore the connection between their Indigenous epistemological identity and their role in caring for the forest and its inhabitants. I conducted 48 interviews and accompanied 11 forest walks as part of walking ethnography with male community members, who are primarily involved in honey collection within the Wayanad district of Kerala. The Kattunaicken identity was intrinsically linked to their knowledge of the forest, with reciprocal epistemological interactions between the community and forest entities (trees, animals, and bees). Honey collection emerged as an epistemological endeavor, manifesting their Indigenous identity through the collective "knowing" of the forest that encompassed sensorial, ethical, and metaphysical dimensions that facilitated harmonious coexistence and care for the forest and its inhabitants. The Kattunaicken world of knowing challenges extractivist interpretations of nontimber forest product collection, emphasizing the importance of Indigenous epistemologies in shaping alternative knowledge construction for forest conservation. Their epistemological framework highlights care as an active process emerging from collective understanding and negotiation among all entities within their shared epistemic realm, fostering a harmonious coexistence that transcends conservation efforts.

Re-enchanted Bodies of Water: Towards a Decolonial Tidalectics in Recent African Fiction and Performance

This article explores the complex entanglements of (bodies of) water and coloniality, indigenous epistemologies and alternative ways of being in recent African poetry, short fiction and performance. Idza Luhumyo’s short story “Five Years Next Sunday” gauges the Black female power to create and contain water against the White male thirst for domination, while Koleka Putuma’s poem “Water” offers a haunting insight into an acknowledgement of the sea as archive. The research-based multi-media project Lalela uLwandle by the Empatheatre Collective meditates on our communal relationship with the ocean in the face of exploitation and resource extraction on the coasts of South Africa. These texts redefine the meaning of bodies of water, broaden the significance of wet matters and offer ways of being otherwise through the aquatic and maritime imagination. This article merges Black African feminist critique, decolonial thought and environmental activism in a tidalectic reading of three artistic interventions in our relationship with water. In thinking with and in water, this article embraces a more fluid understanding of the category of the human and argues for a re-enchanted existence with and within the more-than-human world as well as challenges eco-social injustices through an exploration of hydrocolonialism in contemporary African literature and performance.

Multilingualism, translanguaging, and education in the Vaupés, Northwest Amazonia: dynamics of language use, and language loss

Abstract This paper examines translanguaging interactions in the multilingual area of the Vaupés, northwest Amazonia. After providing a brief overview of the Vaupés’ multilingual landscape-highlighting its social and linguistic diversity, as well as its distinct identities- we present evidence of multilingual interactions collected during fieldwork using ethnographic and linguistic documentation methods. This data is further illustrated through comments on grammatical aspects and unique linguistic features of certain local languages, showcasing how these languages differ from Spanish, the vehicular language used in the formal education of indigenous populations. Our discussion is framed within the context of epistemic injustice and education, emphasizing the importance of incorporating indigenous epistemologies and ecouraging the pedagogical use of translanguaging practices in educational settings. We argue that the traditional model of ‘castellanización’ (or ‘Spanish-ization’) offered by the Colombian State to school programs in the Vaupés, invisibilizes (if not, negates) the cultural, social and spiritual particularities of indigenous individuals and societies in the area. Furthermore, this educational Spanish-ization model fails to acknowledge the structural linguistic complexities and the linguistic interactions (translanguaging) embedded in everyday life, resulting in social and cognitive disadvantages in the student population.

Å skape rom for samiske kunnskapsforståelser i barnehagen

Making space for Sámi knowledge in kindergarten is the focus of the article. Making space refers concretely to the design of a Sámi-inspired outdoor area in an urban kindergarten, located in Sápmi. In the kindergarten's outdoor area, two play installations have been designed with clear references to Sea Sámi coastal culture. By applying relational Sámi approaches to knowledge, the article highlights how the installations are more than an innovative backdrop for children's play and activity. In such a perspective, the installations can be regarded as entrances to Sámi understanding of knowledge, where material culture is regarded as relational ties between people and the environment. Thinking with a braiding metaphor, rooted in indigenous epistemology, the article will discuss how Sámi knowledge can be understood and emphasized in the education system, in which kindergarten is a part of.

Sustained collaborative inquiry with teachers of multilingual learners

AbstractSociocultural theories and Indigenous epistemologies inform approaches to teaching and learning with K‐12 multilingual learners and Indigenous students in the United States, and center instruction in the cultural and linguistic identities of children and their communities. Teacher preparation programs often incorporate readings and opportunities for dialogue around these sociocultural concepts, theories, and instructional approaches. However, without opportunities for implementation, it is difficult to know how fully these practices are taken up in classrooms. Challenges to bridging theory into practice include teacher autonomy, agency, and opportunities for practice. With decades of research that support the use of teacher inquiry in general, and collaborative and sustained inquiry in particular, a gap in research remains around what happens when sustained collaborative inquiry is used with teachers of multilingual learners (MLLs) in unique contexts. Using a multi‐case study methodology, this study examines what happens when in‐service teachers of multilingual learners, including Alaska Native students, practice and reflect on asset‐based instructional practices within sustained cycles of collaborative inquiry. Findings indicate that sustained collaborative inquiry within learning communities with relational trust can create spaces for teachers to take up asset‐based practices, grow in agency, and bridge the theory and practice divide.

Decolonizing Methodologies Through Dialogue: A Relational Literature Review on Urban Indigenous Health

This article responds to Tynan and Bishop’s call for relational engagement in literature reviews, employing Indigenous epistemologies and a relational, conversational approach to examine trends in urban Indigenous health research. Reflecting on a comprehensive literature review, we highlight shifts in research focus, authorship, and methodologies. The analysis, guided by Indigenous scholars with diverse disciplinary backgrounds, centers on current and emerging trends, while addressing the impact of funding priorities and sociopolitical contexts on research. Despite growing recognition of Indigenous scholarship and community engagement, our discussions reveal challenges in maintaining authenticity in community-driven methodologies. We emphasize the need to further decolonize research approaches, highlighting the role of relational methodologies that honor Indigenous epistemologies. By integrating oral traditions, community-based sources, and relational citation practices, this article advocates for a paradigm shift in literature reviews, urging scholars to prioritize Indigenous ways of knowing and strengthen the relational dynamics within research processes to better address urban Indigenous health and well-being.

Technical and Professional Training in Nursing for Indigenous Populations in the Amazon: Challenges, Advances, and Perspectives

Objective: The objective of this study is to investigate intercultural and professional education aimed at indigenous peoples in Brazil, with the purpose of analyzing the implementation of pedagogical practices that respect and integrate the cultural specificities of these communities. Theoretical Framework: The study is based on the National Curricular Guidelines for Indigenous School Education (BRASIL, 2012) and concepts of interculturality, as proposed by Apinajé (2017). The research also draws on theories related to indigenous epistemology and discussions on the role of professional education in social emancipation. Method: The methodology adopted was qualitative, including document analysis and interviews with graduates and faculty from technical courses aimed at indigenous communities. Data collection involved the use of questionnaires and semi-structured interviews. Results and Discussion: The results revealed that, despite the existence of a strong legal framework, significant challenges remain in applying truly intercultural and specific education. Technical courses, such as those in indigenous nursing, have made progress in valuing traditional knowledge, but face resistance both within and outside indigenous communities. The discussion highlighted the need for a broader and more integrated approach that considers cultural diversity in its entirety. Implications of the Research: The implications of this research suggest the importance of more inclusive educational policies that respect the cultural specificities of indigenous peoples and expand the offering of intercultural technical courses. Additionally, the research points to the need for ongoing training of educators with an intercultural perspective. Originality/Value: This study contributes to the literature by emphasizing the relevance of pedagogical practices that integrate indigenous and professional knowledge, promoting a more just and representative education. The research holds value by proposing a model of professional education that respects and strengthens indigenous identities.

Land and identity in poetry from Northeast India: an ecocritical reading

ABSTRACT This article explores how contemporary poets from Northeast India articulate the profound connections between Indigenous communities and their natural environments through literary expressions. By analysing works by selected poets, the study highlights how they address ecological and cultural transformations driven by modernity and globalisation. Nature-centric imagery and symbolism form the core of their resistance against forces like capitalist development and resource extraction, lamenting the erosion of traditional ways of life while defending Indigenous epistemologies. The study utilises thematic analysis to explore how these poets convey the intricate relationship between land and identity, and reflects on the politics of representation, stressing the inclusion of marginalised voices. It argues that these poetic works not only represent cultural loss but also bear witness to the resilience of Indigenous identities, firmly tied to the land. These literary depictions expose the ruptures between capitalist progress and place-based identities, evoking emotional attachments to threatened lifeworlds.

AI, Reconciliation, and Settler Teachers’ Mediated Morality

This case study addresses the integration of generative AI (GenAI) within educational practices, particularly in the context of reconciliation and decolonization of curriculum in Canadian schools. The case focuses on a teacher using ChatGPT to generate Cree star stories for a grade 4/5 science unit, aiming to fulfill the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's (TRC) educational calls to action. The study explores the ethical implications of using AI to include diverse knowledge traditions, questioning the potential harms and benefits, and highlighting the challenges of ensuring AI aligns with Indigenous epistemologies. Normative ethical theories and the TechnoEthical Framework for Teachers (TEFT) are employed to examine how AI technologies shape and mediate teacher practices and pedagogical responsibilities.

Native American language rights in light of Lau: Overlapping policies and possibilities

ABSTRACT Using a sociocultural approach with Indigenous epistemology, we examine language policies related to Lau. We researched how Lau impacted Native language policies through the Sinajini v. Board of Education of San Juan School District. Native education rights are embedded in treaty rights. As such, Native students have unique statuses with political and racialized identities, both of which Lau references. Native students are also unique as heritage language learners, English language learners, and members of Tribal Nations. Although the Lau case was not intended for Native students, it has possibilities to strengthen the argument for Native heritage languages.

On the Politics of Making Life in the Ruins of Empire: Helon Habila’s Oil on Water and Chigozie Obioma’s An Orchestra of Minorities

Extractive capitalism and neoliberal politics have for years plundered Africa, causing extended ecological devastation and disavowing indigenous epistemologies that did not abide with Western anthropocentric thought. Literary production, however, has not failed to document life in the ruins of structural racism, amid the gradual effacement of local livelihoods, and native knowledges and belief systems founded on politics of living-with, as part of, instead of dominating over animal, plant, and Other. In Helon Habila’s Oil on Water (2010) and Chigozie Obioma’s An Orchestra of Minorities (2019) representations of the ongoing destruction of ecologies and ontologies under the weight of neoliberal practices and the impositions of overriding neocolonial ideologies are entangled with and moulded by the depictions of those marginal but often resilient social assemblages and their quotidian communal practices that resist being reduced to relics of a used-to-be. This article explores the ways in which the two novels unravel their protagonists’ stories while revealing the immense pressure neoliberal politics exercise over native land and indigenous epistemologies in modern-day Nigeria, all while offering glimpses into the multiple ways these assemblages resist and challenge despotic formations that dominate their ecologies.

Cognitive imperialism in artificial intelligence: counteracting bias with indigenous epistemologies

AbstractThis paper presents a novel methodology for integrating indigenous knowledge systems into AI development to counter cognitive imperialism and foster inclusivity. By critiquing the dominance of Western epistemologies and highlighting the risks of bias, the authors argue for incorporating diverse epistemologies. The proposed framework outlines a participatory approach that includes indigenous perspectives, ensuring AI benefits all. The methodology draws from AI ethics, indigenous studies, and postcolonial theory, emphasizing co-creation with indigenous communities, ethical protocols for indigenous data governance, and adaptation of AI algorithms. Case studies in natural language processing, content moderation, and healthcare demonstrate the methodology’s effectiveness and importance. By offering a concrete methodology for decolonizing AI, this paper contributes significantly to AI ethics and social justice, providing a roadmap for equitable, culturally respectful AI.

Indigenous pedagogies of love: Theorizing nonscalable worlds

Indigenous life in India is defined by development. Indigenous peoples in India are categorized as Scheduled Tribes, a constitutional category defined by a presumed backwardness, remoteness, and need for improvement. Indigenous life and community well-being is tracked via development measures and initiatives where development is seen as both a requirement for and vehicle of peace and stability. In this article, we propose Naga pedagogies of love as Indigenous modes of accounting for relations and narrating community wellbeing. We consider Naga storytelling about rice as an embodied Indigenous pedagogy of love that enacts Indigenous futurity in the here and now. Building on theorizations of Indigenous epistemologies, we demonstrate how dominant modes of development and scaling-up are unable to account for Indigenous ways of knowing and being. Instead, we explore forms of reciprocity and sociality that are embedded in Indigenous community and allow us to claim past and future as Indigenous features that are outside the economic domain of expansion.

Reimagining a nursing ecosystem in an uncertain world.

The discussion paper synthesises the insights shared during a keynote panel at the 26th International Philosophy of Nursing Conference, themed "Reimagining a nursing ecosystem in an uncertain world." It delves into the substantial impact uncertainty has on nursing, offering innovative strategies for reconceptualization. Through a critical examination of evidence-based practice, the tendency to homogenise nursing is discussed, prompting advocacy for a Nietzschean political framework as a form of resistance and emancipation. Drawing inspiration from Donna Haraway, a transition from individualistic to relational approaches is needed, especially amidst social and economic instability. Furthermore, the integration of caritas and Indigenous epistemologies underscore the significance of cultural sensitivity in nursing. Meanwhile, Ubuntu philosophy champions empathy and collective values, while a convergence of Eastern and Western philosophical traditions promises to enrich nursing practice. Ultimately, the panellists advocate for overcoming rigid ideologies in favour of a pluralistic approaches, ontologies, epistemologies and ethics to address contemporary challenges, and signal for a philosophical reorientation to engage uncertainty and reshape nursing roles in an ever-evolving and world.

Seventh Generation: Voices of the Rezilient

In this phenomenological study, we examined the meaning of resilience for seventh generation Pueblo people who took part in the historic Water Protector movement against the construction of the Dakota Access pipeline. Using focus group data from eight Pueblo participants, four themes were developed: (a) Creating Interconnectivity, highlighting the significance of resilience in fostering connections with all living beings and things across time; (b) Cultivating Resilience, emphasizing the role of relationships, especially with women caregivers and role models, in nurturing resilience; (c) Being Resourceful to Overcome Oppressive Hurdles, involving awareness of historical trauma, proactive actions like protests, and patience for change; and (d) A Way of Healing, illustrating how resilience serves as a source of healing through engagement in spiritual practices of prayer, ceremony, love, forgiveness, and sovereignty. These findings may encourage counseling psychologists to reflect Indigenous epistemologies of resilience for genuine decolonization of the psychological literature.

Integrating science on indigenous arts, culture, and law: A sine qua non for Africa’s true independence from colonialism and eurocentrism

Africa has been fighting against colonialism and Eurocentrism for a long time in an attempt to reverse the regime of oppression and socio-economic marginalization and exploitation, and take back control of its cultural identity and right to self-determination. This adventure requires the recognition and revitalisation of indigenous arts, culture, and law—all of which have been subjugated and ignored during colonial rule. Ironically, the situation has not improved much by the dominating presence of post-independent neo-colonial structures and perpetuated Eurocentric phenomenon that have been ingrained into the socio-cultural and economic fabrics of the African state. This research explores the critical need for integrating science on African indigenous arts, culture, and legal systems, as a way of globalizing as well as revitalizing these elements, towards the ultimate emancipation of the continent from the vestiges of colonialism and Eurocentricism. Relying on the postcolonial, and indigenous knowledge systems theoretical frameworks, the study engages the ethnographic, collaborative and interdisciplinary research approaches, subjecting data obtained to thematic analysis. Underscoring the profound interconnectedness of science, indigenous arts, and cultural heritage, the study argues that combining scientific methods with indigenous African epistemology provides a powerful framework for advancing Africa’s true independence from the protracted legacies of colonialism and Eurocentrism. The research concludes that a holistic integration of these elements therefore, is indispensable for fostering a decolonized and inclusive approach to knowledge production, self-determination and sustainable development, against the background of the rich insights and sustainable practices embedded within the African cultural traditions. Ultimately, the research recommends that embracing and integrating science on indigenous epistemologies can propel Africa towards an emancipated, truly independent, and culturally affirming future, transcending the enduring legacies of colonialism and Eurocentrism.

Theorising Māori Health and Wellbeing in a Whakapapa Paradigm: Voices from the Margins

ABSTRACT Whakapapa is an Indigenous metatheoretical framework; a phenomenon of metaphysical and social connections embedded in Indigenous epistemology unique to Aotearoa New Zealand (Aotearoa NZ). This research foregrounds the innate connection between Māori, land, health, and wellbeing as an expression of Whakapapa, nuanced through the layering of lived experience and sensemaking of 30 Māori participants, situated in dialogue with the culture-centered approach (CCA). Noting the erasure of Māori voices from the hegemonic frame of health communication in the settler colonial state, we sought to understand health and wellbeing meanings, challenges and solutions as articulated by Māori participants at the margins of Indigeneity. Drawing on the CCA approach to health communication, the manuscript highlights the relationship between Whakapapa and voice. The dialogs emergent from in-depth interviews place the CCA in dialogue with the Whakapapa paradigm, foregrounding the role of voice democracy in creating anchors to health and wellbeing among Māori, rooted in tino rangatiratanga (sovereignty). The articulations of Māori health voiced from/at the margins are offered as interventions into the large-scale health inequities experienced by Māori in Aotearoa NZ.

Twenty-five years of change laboratories in schools: a critical and formative review

ABSTRACT Transformation, learning and research come together in educational action research. Change Laboratories (CLs) are a distinctive approach to action research grounded in Cultural-Historical Activity Theory (CHAT). CLs seek to go beyond technical change, oriented instead to systemic and ideologically driven transformation. However, there have been few reviews of CL research, none focused on education. This paper reports a review of 55 studies using CLs or sibling approaches involving schools. It finds that CLs have been applied to diverse problems including pedagogical practice development, initial teacher education and collaboration across school boundaries. Wider issues of equity, inclusion and justice are present but not ubiquitous in this work. Theoretical references focus on expansive learning, activity systems and double stimulation, with growing use of wider concepts from within and beyond CHAT, including Southern and Indigenous epistemologies. Critical reflection of these findings informs seven fronts for future development in CLs to strengthen their contribution to educational action research: participation, beyond-technical change, enduring change, epistemic justice, addressing grand challenges, resistance, and reporting.

Integrating Indigenous Knowledge in South African Geography Education Curricula for Social Justice and Decolonization

This paper analyzes the integration of indigenous knowledge into South African geography education as an intersection of social justice and decolonial imperatives. Historically, colonial education systems have marginalized indigenous epistemologies by privileging Western knowledge as universally superior. Integrating indigenous perspectives into curricula can counter this legacy by promoting cognitive justice and unsettling Eurocentric dominance. However, meaningful integration requires moving beyond superficial additions of indigenous elements within unchanged Western-centric curricula as this risks appropriating indigenous knowledge in disempowering ways. The paper argued that ethical integration necessitates recentring indigenous knowledge systems in their own right alongside Western frameworks to enact pluralistic, horizontal cognitive frameworks. A qualitative literature analysis identified key themes around recognizing indigenous epistemologies, dismantling enduring hierarchies, and developing responsible community-centred integration processes. While systemic constraints pose barriers, integrating indigenous perspectives into geography education holds the transformative potential to advance both social justice inclusion aims and decolonial decentralization agendas. This convergence provides opportunities to develop anti-oppressive curricula that empower marginalized knowledge and ontologies. However, realization requires extensive efforts to sustain reflexivity and enable indigenous self-determination over knowledge. Ultimately, the paper underscored that indigenous knowledge integration must move beyond tokenism towards fundamentally transforming education systems through ethical, empowering processes grounded in partnerships with indigenous communities. This is vital for nurturing students able to navigate the world through plural epistemologies and enacting both social justice and decolonial futures. Keywords: Indigenous Knowledge, Decoloniality, Social justice, Geography Education