Braiding Indigenous Knowledges
Teaching In Indigenous Spaces
"If we begin to understand and appreciate Indigenous wisdom traditions, and work ethically with Indigenous people to bring those traditions to bear on how we learn, we can improve any education system." p.5, Natural Curiosity 2nd Edition: A Resource for Educators
The following resources provide some background information on Indigenous land-based pedagogies and showcase the relationships Indigenous cultures have with the land. Please explore these resources to learn more about how many Indigenous cultures view land as our relations and how these epistemologies shape learning environments. Additionally, learn more about land-based educational opportunities at UMass Amherst, including the Traditional Teaching Lodge managed by NSF CBIKS.
- Land as teacher: Understanding Indigenous land-based education
Indigenous land-based education has implications for science, culture, politics, language, environmental stewardship, land rights, reconciliation—and the future of the planet. It can offer significant benefits to Indigenous people by providing culturally relevant education, promoting opportunities for inter-generational knowledge transfer, and creating safe spaces for healing and learning. And by changing the relationship that many non-Indigenous people have with the land, it has the potential to lead to a healthier Earth for all. - Land-Based Pedagogy“Land-based learning typically uses an Indigenized and environmentally-focused approach to education by first recognizing the deep, physical, mental, and spiritual connection to the land that is a part of Indigenous cultures. Each land- based learning program is unique, and therefore some may use different titles, or may not focus on Indigenous knowledge at all.”
- Place-Based Learning as a Framework for Building Native Student SuccessThe College Fund offers a variety of programs that support Native arts, early childhood education and environmental sustainability. Each of these initiatives are beneficial to the institutions they serve by promoting TCUs abilities to provide place-based, culturally embedded curriculum and programming, which provide students education that reflects and is responsive to their community’s needs. TCUs have the distinctive ability to re-envision education and create innovative curriculum that engages academics and cultural knowledge to provide well-rounded opportunities for the students attending. Place-based education honors traditions and knowledge that exists within Native communities.
- Indigenous StoryworkThe purpose of this website is to help educators learn about Indigenous cultures and ways of knowing, predominantly through Indigenous traditional and life-experience stories.
Northeast Resources
UMass Amherst Land Acknowledgement
Before starting to engage with Indigenous Knowledges and pedagogies it’s important to acknowledge the Indigenous peoples whose homeland you’ll be teaching on. The UMass Amherst Native Advisory Council collaborated with all Federal and State recognized tribal nations in the state of Massachusetts to write the UMass Amherst Land Acknowledgment which you can read here.
The central commitment of a land acknowledgment is to take actionable steps towards reparations, representation, and respect of Indigenous Peoples and their homelands which they have been caring for since time immemorial and in-perpetuity. This LibGuide, the Teaching Lodge, NSF CBIKS, and ultimately the classes who will be lead through these spaces are intentional steps to do so.
When you teach we encourage you to explore resources from Indigenous communities within the Northeast, and across North America, about sharing Land Acknowledgments in your classroom.
Click to the next slide for resources from Tribal Nations in the Northeast to get started.
Decolonizing Curricular Resources: Bibliography for Teaching and Learning Native American and Indigenous Studies in New England
This curated list spans age levels, integrating general education with area-specific studies. It includes information and links for written, audio, and film resources from across Turtle Island (North America) as well as those authored by Native people from New England that are specific to Indigenous nations of the Northeast.
Ohketeau Cultural Center
Ohketeau means ‘a place to plant and grow’ in the Nipmuc language, and it is the only Native founded and run cultural center in all of Central and Western Massachusetts. Since 2017, Ohketeau's work has focused on uplifting the voices of Native peoples and dismantling unjust frameworks, replacing them with accessibility, equity, dignity, and wellness for our Native communities. They share stories and their cultures so that our communities remain strong and others may know our authentic experiences and current issues. The Ohketeau Team understands the importance of a safe place to gather regularly and educate our youth in impactful ways.
Ohketeau is a place for Indigenous scholars and educators to undermine harmful narratives, stereotypes, and biases about Indigenous cultures and actively acknowledge and take steps to remove invisibility within mainstream settler society. We strive to illuminate the work of Indigenous artists, ancestors, culture-bearers, and activists, thereby expanding the Non-Native audience's worldviews.
Traditional Teaching Lodge Protocols
The NSF Center for Braiding Indigenous Knowledges and Science (NSF CBIKS) team members worked together in May 2024 to construct a Traditional Indigenous Teaching Lodge on the UMass Amherst campus. The Lodge is designed to be a space to facilitate land-based learning opportunities in ways that honor Indigenous knowledges, cultures, and worldviews.
This Teaching Lodge is a living space equal in value to other learning spaces on campus but unique in its roots in Indigenous Sciences and Knowledges. We aim for students and faculty across campus to use this space to facilitate learning experiences that braid Indigenous ways of knowing and learning.
Traditional Teaching Lodge Reservation Form
If you wish to reserve the Lodge, please fill out the information below. Shortly after submitting your responses, you can expect an email from a NSF CBIKS staff member to confirm if the proposed date and time you submitted are available. If you have any additional questions, please reach out to Kallie Carnevale at kcarnevale@umass.edu.
