#07, February 2021

THE LIST

Top picks of our guests, Melissa, Jayce, Meky, Deborah and Rachel

Our guests—Melissa Mollen Dupuis, Jayce Chiblow, Meky Ottawa, Deborah McGregor, and Rachel Plotkin—share a list of top picks that will deepen your appreciation for Indigenous knowledge.

  1. Melissa Mollen Dupuis recommends one of her favourite books
    Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer is an ode to all that is alive. Combining a scientific perspective with Indigenous knowledge, the author, a professor of environmental and forest biology, explains that our commitment to fighting climate change depends on our ability to sustain truly reciprocal relationships with living things. Looking for more books by Indigenous authors? Check out Librairie Hannenorak, an Indigenous bookstore in Wendake.
  2. Jayce Chiblow is working to inspire a new generation of Indigenous people to use their traditions and knowledge in the service of climate action
    Jayce, an Anishinaabe woman and climate-change activist, is a guest on the first episode of the Raccords podcast. With a Master’s degree in Environmental Studies and vast experience in the field, she seeks to amplify the voices and leadership of Indigenous people in the climate-action movement. Through its work with young people, her organization, Indigenous Climate Action, generates new and innovative solutions grounded in Indigenous rights, knowledge, and culture. Looking for an idea for #GivingTuesday? You just found it!
  3. Meky Ottawa’s selection: a crowdsourced online encyclopedia demonstrating the powerful role of young people in the transmission of Indigenous knowledge
    In 2013, a linguist in Manawan, in Quebec’s Lanaudière region, launched an online encyclopedia in collaboration with local high-school students. Wikipetcia helps to promote and preserve the Atikamekw language by encouraging young people in the community to publish content that celebrates their traditional knowledge and culture.
  4. Indigenous environmental justice is at the heart of Deborah McGregor’s ambitions
    At York University, Deborah is developing a new environmental-justice model grounded in Indigenous knowledge systems, lived experience, and concepts of justice. It’s an indispensable resource for anyone who wants to help elevate Indigenous leadership.
  5. A study—shared by Rachel Plotkin—highlighting the vital contributions of Indigenous knowledge to the restoration of the caribou in Indigenous territory
    Faced with the decline of the madziih, or boreal caribou, one First Nation was forced to impose a ban on hunting them. It was a painful break with tradition: Elders were unable to pass on knowledge about sustainable stewardship practices with new generations. But this landmark study helped restore this knowledge transmission. It affirms the right of Indigenous Peoples to play a leading role in the battle to restore the caribou to Indigenous territory.

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Other Raccords