Earth, Story, and Belonging: Indigenous Ecological Traditions

Catalog description

A collaborative exploration of (mainly North American) Indigenous traditions, practices, and beliefs in relation to ecology. We will learn about a variety of Indigenous environmental perspectives and practices as expressed by Indigenous authors, elders, film producers, and community members. Topics will include: Indigenous knowledge systems, environmental activism, sacred lands, the importance of place, kinship relations to the human and more-than-human, climate change adaptation, storytelling, tribal and food sovereignty, and how settler colonialism and dispossession have affected Indigenous populations in their relation to the environment. Additionally, we will learn about Brown University’s relation to local Indigenous lands and populations, and how Indigenous research methods can inform the Brown community of scholars. Our community of learning will discuss broad topics that relate to life and learning at the University, and will offer guidance and support for students’ first year experience at Brown.