Living Research of an Indigenous Speaker Series - Dialogues About Indigenous Peoples’ Cultural and Traditional Lived Experiences

Abstract:

"Living Research of an Indigenous Speaker Series - Dialogues About Indigenous Peoples’ Cultural and Traditional Lived Experiences" in partnership with the Northwest Indian College, Nez Perce Campus and the University of Washington Tacoma’s commitment to equity and social justice is a transformative platform to empower agency and the conduit to decolonizing the narrative. The Series remains pivotal in its focus on Tribal Participatory Research approach and traditional knowledge as a “living research” tool for adaptation to climate change, promoting sustainability, and empowering resilience. In the midst of sociopolitical challenges of racial violence and a global Coivd-19 pandemic, Indigenous Peoples' continue to bring to the forefront an increased ecological consciousness of cultures, lived experiences, health and well-being and histories. The series has an extensive representation from communities who have different challenges related to climate change from coastal communities to those that live in the plains and struggle with drought. For this reason, it is important to articulate critical questions to unveil superficial, institutionalized siloed approaches that do not demonstrate decolonized settler-colonial narratives for “who” decides for “whom” the meaning of open spaces for Indigenous Peoples perspectives of research, sciences and knowledges. The Series has a unique ability to bring together perspectives from sovereign Nations, Indigenous Knowledges and Indigenous languages within a broad virtual community that is authentic in ways to uplift the more than often erased, marginalized bodies and voices of Indigenous Peoples. This presentation discusses the Indigenous Speaker Series and demonstrates how this series can be used as a model to cultivate inclusive multi-interdisciplinary knowledges.