Indigenous knowledge centres & the transmission of knowledge

Abstract

The research study “Indigenous Knowledge Centres and the Transmission of Knowledge” was undertaken in order to understand the process of Indigenous knowledge (IK) acquisition, storage, and transmission. The undertaking offered a means for participant knowledge centres, in Australia and Canada, to share their wise practices, methods, concepts and ideas amongst other Indigenous Knowledge Centres (IKCs) and aspiring community IKCs. Data were collected from informed participants by means of a personal interview on IKCs and their operations (Bainbridge, Whiteside, & McCalman, 2012) (Gray & Densten, 2005) (Kovach, 2009) (Mills, Van de Bunt, & de Bruijn, 2006). Four IKCs were chosen for the research project: three centres in Canada and one centre in Australia. Indigenous Knowledge Centres were chosen in Canada and Australia because of their similar political and colonial backgrounds as well as the similarity in current governmental relations with Indigenous populations within respective countries. Australia was chosen, in contrast to Canada, because the state of Queensland has one of the most well-known government funded IKC models in the world. Australia is a world leader in terms of developing and analyzing the successes/challenges of IKC’s. The results of the research, based on participants interviewed, align with Chandler and Lalonde (1998), Marks and Lyons (2010), and Duran, Firehammer and Gonzalez (2008). They highlight the essential role culture, land, language, and traditional knowledge can play in the healing of intergenerational trauma in conjunction with Indigenous resurgence and self-determination movements. The importance of cultural revitalization and community healing are evident in this research study