TY - JOUR
T1 - Using Indigenous research frameworks to enhance connections between Traditional Knowledge and Western science at Acoma Pueblo, NM
AU - Reano, Darryl
AU - Hasara, Carena
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2023 The Author(s). Published with license by Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.
PY - 2024
Y1 - 2024
N2 - A day-long geoscience educational module, “Sharing and Learning: The Natural Environments of Acoma Pueblo,” provided an opportunity to explore the various connections that Acoma Pueblo community members make between their cultural values and geologic concepts. The purpose of such an exploration is to make explicit the cultural understandings of the geologic environment that bring meaning to the Western scientific knowledge, for both future Acoma Pueblo community members and other Indigenous scholars. A mixed-methods approach [sequential transformative design] was used to collect quantitative and qualitative data during the project concerning participants’ sense of place and perception of geoscience concepts in relation to Acoma Pueblo cultural values. Indigenous research frameworks informed the analysis of the datasets and provided opportunities during the module for Western science to enhance the Indigenous knowledge system celebrated within the Acoma Pueblo community. In this article, we focus on the analysis of the qualitative portion of the larger mixed-methods study. The qualitative data analysis of a group interview after implementation of the Sharing/Learning program distinguished six primary themes: Traditional Knowledge, Western Geoscience, Education, Stories, Natural Resources, and Geoconnections that persisted throughout the group interview. Results from the study support the idea that a brief intervention which presented geoscientific information alongside Traditional Knowledge did have an impact, with newly recognized “geoconnections” as evidence. Furthermore, engaging Indigenous communities through connections between culture and geoscience has the potential to foster respectful relationships between academic researchers and Indigenous community members, especially when research practices are informed by Indigenous research frameworks. These respectful relationships are the foundation for authentic future research collaborations between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Peoples.
AB - A day-long geoscience educational module, “Sharing and Learning: The Natural Environments of Acoma Pueblo,” provided an opportunity to explore the various connections that Acoma Pueblo community members make between their cultural values and geologic concepts. The purpose of such an exploration is to make explicit the cultural understandings of the geologic environment that bring meaning to the Western scientific knowledge, for both future Acoma Pueblo community members and other Indigenous scholars. A mixed-methods approach [sequential transformative design] was used to collect quantitative and qualitative data during the project concerning participants’ sense of place and perception of geoscience concepts in relation to Acoma Pueblo cultural values. Indigenous research frameworks informed the analysis of the datasets and provided opportunities during the module for Western science to enhance the Indigenous knowledge system celebrated within the Acoma Pueblo community. In this article, we focus on the analysis of the qualitative portion of the larger mixed-methods study. The qualitative data analysis of a group interview after implementation of the Sharing/Learning program distinguished six primary themes: Traditional Knowledge, Western Geoscience, Education, Stories, Natural Resources, and Geoconnections that persisted throughout the group interview. Results from the study support the idea that a brief intervention which presented geoscientific information alongside Traditional Knowledge did have an impact, with newly recognized “geoconnections” as evidence. Furthermore, engaging Indigenous communities through connections between culture and geoscience has the potential to foster respectful relationships between academic researchers and Indigenous community members, especially when research practices are informed by Indigenous research frameworks. These respectful relationships are the foundation for authentic future research collaborations between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Peoples.
KW - Indigenous research frameworks
KW - geology
KW - place-based education
KW - qualitative research
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U2 - 10.1080/10899995.2023.2246344
DO - 10.1080/10899995.2023.2246344
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85169901734
SN - 1089-9995
VL - 72
SP - 134
EP - 145
JO - Journal of Geoscience Education
JF - Journal of Geoscience Education
IS - 2
ER -