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Bringing Knowledge Systems Together

Find important resources on principles and practical guidance to support the integration of Indigenous and Western knowledge below. Click to expand each topic for resources:

Ethical Space

Braiding Knowledges

Two-Eyed Seeing

Courses

Practical Guidance

Braiding Knowledges Canada

Address: CCIS 3-170, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB., T6G 2E9

Mailing Address: CW-405 Biological Sciences Building, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada T6G 2E9

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Braiding Knowledges Canada, CW-405 Biological Sciences Building, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada T6G 2E9
Sign Up for Our Newsletter
Stay informed, learn more and get timely updates about new initiatives, our work, programs and events.
BKC is supported by a five-year grant from the Government of Canada’s Strategic Science Fund Program (2024-2029).

Connect with us through social media!

Facebook-f X-twitter Instagram Youtube Linkedin

Ethical Space

A concept first introduced to the context of Indigenous-Western relations in Canada by Cree scholar and educator Willie Ermine, described as a metaphorical “space between the Indigenous and Western spheres of culture and knowledge.” Ethical space can be understood as an invitation to step outside of our own worldviews and assumptions and step into an undefined neutral zone that is an “abstract, nebulous space of possibility.” New possibilities exist because of our differences, thus ethical space is co-created together as we retain our autonomy and respect our differences. (Ermine, 2007).

Braiding Knowledges

Within this context, braiding knowledges is described as the weaving together of Indigenous knowledge and Western knowledge to strengthen them both by using them together. Popularized by Potawatomi botanist and author Robin Wall-Kimmerer, the analogy stems from the idea that a braid does not get its strength from one single fibre running through, rather it gets its strength from many fibres woven together (Kimmerer, 2013).

Two-Eyed Seeing

Developed by Elder Albert Marshall, Two-Eyed Seeing, or Etuaptmumk in Mi’kmaw, refers to learning to see from one eye with the strengths of Indigenous knowledges and ways of knowing and from the other eye with the strengths of Western knowledges and ways of knowing… and learning to use both these eyes together, for the benefit of all. Other concepts or metaphors relate to bringing together or building collaborations between Indigenous and Western peoples or ways of knowing (Bartlett et al., 2012).

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