It sounds like Native Americans were some of the original proponents of sustainability. That seems like more of a buzzword these days as many organizations, hotels, restaurants, etc. talk about saving water, recycling paper or reducing carbon footprints. It seems many tribes only used resources from the earth when absolutely necessary and even then they used as much of the animal or resource as possible, discarding as a little as possible.

This explanation of "Indigenous ways of knowing" is helped by the real-life example offered from one of the several hundred tribes present in the United States. Being able to explain the origin story of your people seems to be a common thread across humanity. Indigenous ways of knowing also seems to connect past, present, and future in ways that protect the people, plants, animals and planet from destruction.

I'm glad that the movement for Ethnic Studies (and Native American Studies within it) was inclusive to groups that are often overlooked or underrepresented. The horrors of colonization should be discussed in the context of history. The goal moving forward should be to acknowledge this harm and continue trying to make things right especially when treaties are still being broken, the horrors of the missions are barely being revealed, and the Indigenous are still trying to guard the sanctity of the earth from fracking and pollution.

I work in a college environment. I make a point to request a land acknowledgement at the beginning of events and meetings and that we are intentional on any harm we might perpetrate against the humans who originally occupied the land, the animals and plans that occupy the land, and the land itself.