How to Learn Indigenous Knowledge the Right Way
Join us as we return with Professor Susan (Sue) Chiblow, one of our most beloved guests whose wisdom bridges Indigenous science with academic research. As an Ojibwe professor and International Joint Commission commissioner, Sue reveals the right way to learn from Indigenous knowledge—without appropriation or harm.
Discover how to respectfully access traditional wisdom, trace your own ancestral stories, and apply Indigenous practices to solve environmental problems in your own community.
What You'll Experience:
- Sue's groundbreaking work fighting harmful herbicides like glyphosate in Canadian forests 🌲
- Why Indigenous peoples aren't the only ones responsible for fixing environmental problems—it's all of us
- The powerful classroom exercise that helps students understand their own displacement stories
- How maple syrup, potatoes, and canoes are Indigenous innovations the world still uses today 🍁
- Traditional water ceremonies that connect us to our universal origin story
- The difference between saving the planet (impossible) and saving ourselves (essential)
- Practical ways to honor the Indigenous peoples of the land you currently live on
- Why trees teach us better coexistence than most humans ever manage
Essential Reading Mentioned:
- "Native Science: Natural Laws of Interdependence" by Gregory Cajete
- "Braiding Sweetgrass" by Robin Wall Kimmerer
- "Traditional Ecological Knowledge" (multiple authors)
- "Water Voices from Around the World" (2001)
📚 Support This Podcast & Indigenous Youth Workshops: When you purchase the books Sue recommends through our Indigenous Earth Bookshop, you directly support independent Indigenous booksellers AND fund our hands-on workshops for Native youth worldwide. Every book purchase helps preserve traditional ecological knowledge for the next generation. 🌱
🎬 Watch Recommended: "The Americas Before Christopher Columbus" series on APTN - 10 episodes showing the incredible innovations of Indigenous peoples across the continent
Connect with Indigenous Earth:
- Workshops: https://www.indigenousearth.org/p/indigenous-earth-workshops/
- Newsletter: https://www.indigenousearth.org/newsletter/
"We're not trying to save the planet—the earth will be fine. We're trying to save ourselves and learn to be better humans." - Sue
Topics: Water protection, Indigenous science, chemical contamination, glyphosate, traditional ecological knowledge, displacement trauma, academic-Indigenous knowledge bridge, Ojibwe wisdom, environmental justice, intergenerational healing
