Knowing Our Worth: An exploration of how Indigenous Knowledge is perceived and valued in a colonized world
No Thumbnail Available
Date
2025
Authors
Dorey, Crystal
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Mount Saint Vincent University
Abstract
Societal and policy changes have begun to address the need to build better relationships with Indigenous people in Canada. The desire to incorporate Indigenous Knowledge (IK) is critical for Indigenous organizations and of growing importance for non-Indigenous intuitions and entities. With the release of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada’s Calls to Action (2015), reconciliatory efforts are being made and advocacy for decolonizing Canadian systems, policies, and processes has increased. Part of this reconciliation process has been to create spaces and opportunities to amplify and include IK, voices, understandings and perspectives. The central purpose of this study was to examine how IK is perceived and valued in the Western world and whether Knowledge Holders are financially remunerated for their time and sharing their expertise. The study involved qualitative interviews in a case study with seven Mi’kmaw Knowledge Holders and three directors working for Mi’kmaw organizations in Nova Scotia. Using the theoretical lenses of critical sensemaking and the Mi’kmaw framework of Etuaptmumk, this study explored the foundational understandings of knowledge, and how experts are remunerated for their knowledge and expertise in Indigenous and Western worlds. Based upon experiences within the Mi’kmaw Nation, findings demonstrated that there are gaps in understandings and perspectives that impact the shared understanding of value of IK, which impacts how Knowledge Holders are remunerated. The culturally rooted desire of Mi’kmaq to share their knowledge and understandings has been misunderstood as an opportunity to get these teachings for free, which is not necessarily always the desire of Knowledge Holders. This study found that for reconciliatory efforts in Canada to be successful, there first needs to be a reconciliation of perspectives and understandings.