The Reconciling Ways of Knowing Forum in collaboration with the Victoria Forum, shared the fifth dialogue in our Online Forum series, “Millennia of Experience: Drawing on Indigenous Knowledge in

The Reconciling Ways of Knowing Forum in collaboration with the Victoria Forum, shared the fifth dialogue in our Online Forum series, “Millennia of Experience: Drawing on Indigenous Knowledge in Responding to COVID-19.” on November 12, 2020. This dialogue explored how collaboration between Indigenous knowledge and science can improve public health outcomes throughout Canada in the face of COVID-19. Preliminary reports from Indigenous Services Canada suggest that First Nations communities are experiencing 1/4 of the infection rate and 1/5 of the mortality rate from COVID-19 experienced by the general Canadian population. The session will explore how Indigenous Peoples have leveraged their millennia of experience enduring past pandemics to protect their people and foster their resilience in the face of new public health challenges. Speakers Elder Dr Dave Courchene, Jr, an Anishinaabe Elder and spiritual leader; Grandmother Katherine Whitecloud, a Dakota knowledge keeper and Indigenous health and wellness advocate; Miles Richardson, OC, a Haida political leader and negotiator focused on Nation-to-Nation relationships between Indigenous Peoples and Canada; Tom Swanky, JD, a historical researcher focused on the role of smallpox in the foundational relationship between Indigenous Peoples and the Crown in British Columbia; and Dr Sabina Ijaz, a medical doctor who has built deep relationships in Indigenous communities, in dialogue with moderator Darrin Mah, JD, discussed the history of what Indigenous Peoples have learned in responding to pandemics, how this informs their responses to COVID-19, and what can be learned more broadly within Canadian society and the global community from these lessons. The speakers discussed issues including: How Indigenous knowledge has been marginalized by a presumption within policy- and decision-making circles that (Western) science is the only valid form of knowledge upon which to base and inform their work; How the devastation of Indigenous populations during previous smallpox and Spanish Flu pandemics has influenced Indigenous responses to COVID-19; How Indigenous Peoples have exercised their sovereignty and self-determination to protect their nations and communities; The role of traditional medicines and healing practices in protecting community health and recovering from the pandemic; How Indigenous knowledge has helped mitigate negative health outcomes that may result from factors such as remoteness from healthcare facilities, food security challenges, higher poverty rates and housing shortages on reserve; Opportunities for collaboration between Indigenous knowledge and science for improved health and social outcomes as we navigate our way through the pandemic together. More information at https://www.waysofknowingforum.ca/dialogue-5 and https://www.waysofknowingforum.ca.

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In this virtual roundtable, Indigenous leaders will discuss the historical journey of self-determination, contemporary challenges and advancement of the right, and the relationship between

In this virtual roundtable, Indigenous leaders will discuss the historical journey of self-determination, contemporary challenges and advancement of the right, and the relationship between self-determination and Indigenous Peoples’ collective rights, including the right to Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC). They will also address practical steps for policy makers, states and corporations to respect and align with diverse expressions of self-determination globally. Other topics include experiences forwarding self-determined priorities in contemporary global contexts; overcoming challenges for inclusion of self-determination in the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples; and navigating autonomy and self-governance within the broader framework of self-determination. Organized by the SIRGE Coalition. Panelists: Carlos Mamani, Professor, Universidad Mayor de San Andrés (La Paz) Les Malezer, Chairperson, Foundation for Aboriginal and Islander Research Action (FAIRA) Dalee Sambo Dorough, Associate Professor, University of Alaska Anchorage Elsa Stamatopoulou, Professor, Columbia University Moderator: Galina Angarova, Executive Director, SIRGE Coalition

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This is a radio interview of Barry Heidt of Sustainability Action Media (

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