Indigenous Native American Epistemology: An Example from the Menominee of Wisconsin

In today’s modernized world, it is becoming increasingly difficult for individuals, policy makers, government officials, and the like to understand exactly how indigenous peoples differ from others. If the indigenous peoples are living in modern houses, use cars, and watch TV, how are they still "indigenous"? And if they are basically "modern", should they get any special treatment or recognition in terms of policy decisions or actions that may effect their traditional homelands? These are tough questions, ones that cannot be easily answered. However, there is one way to begin to investigate these questions: by looking at epistemology.

Epistemology can be defined as: the method and theory of knowing. Basically, it is an individual’s belief system and cognitive understanding of the world, from the individual’s perspective. The key point stressed in this article is that indigenous peoples have a very different epistemology than those of Europeans, Americans, or any other peoples. On top of that, each indigenous group often has its own unique epistemology separate from any other indigenous group. For example, one Native American tribe may have a very different epistemology from another, and these will differ – and have knowledge and stake in the future – from Canadian First Nation epistemologies and so forth. Sure, there are similarities, but they are not the same. So, in examining the question of how indigenous people differ, it is more sound to first examine the epistemology of a group to see exactly how they envision themselves then to simply look at the groups current cultural manifestations (i.e., housing, transportation, electricity, etc.).

An excellent example of this approach, and the insights gained from such an approach that can then be used in policy decisions, self-determination cases, natural resource management plans, and more comes from a recent article published in ETHOS.

In the article the researchers describe how Menominee Native Americans and Euroamerican hunters differ with respect to how they perceive and think about nature (here, specifically animals and plants of the forest) as well as the role of humans in it. Using an approach that combines ethnographic research from anthropology with experimental approaches from related cognitive sciences, the researchers explored the within- and between-cultural distributions of ideas, values, and beliefs and their behavioral consequences. The findings presented in the article indicate that stereotyping of other groups is largely driven by differences in epistemological frameworks and resulting categorizations and interpretations of observed or assumed behaviors.

In essence, what these researchers found is that the Menominee Native Americans (and other indigenous peoples in general) have a very different epistemology from that of Euroamericans. This means they understand, and view, the world around them very differently. As a result, how each group treats the environment, deals with resource issues, and so forth will also differ. All one has to do is look at how the Menominee have managed the environment on their reservation.

The Menominee Native Americans have an international reputation for sustainable forestry. The Menominee forest is richer in larger trees, has a richer mix of species, and is denser even than the Nicollet forest (a state forest preserve area) to the north in the state. It also has a higher per-acre production of timber and maintains a higher number of board feet of commercial species. This is all because of the Menominee epistemology – one that allows them to actively use, and manage, their land economically, sustainably, and productively.

If we could include the epistemologies of indigenous peoples in policies, natural resource management plans, oil development plans, mining impact assessments, and the like, we may be able to better manage our environment and its resources. The logic is simple: a broader epistemology is better than a narrower one. Including indigenous peoples epistemological knowledge is key to the future of our planet. The Menominee Native Americans have demonstrated that if we do, everyone can benefit, the people, the environment, and the planet.

Further Reading

Beck, David R.M. (2007). The Struggle for Self-Determination: History of the Menominee Indians since 1854. Lincoln, NE: University of Nebraska Press.

Cragg, G.; Asebey, E.; Stabinsky, D.; and Brush, S. (1996). Valuing Local Knowledge: Indigenous People And Intellectual Property Rights. Washington, DC: Island Press. 

Lewis, G. Malcolm. (1998). Cartographic Encounters: Perspectives on Native American Mapmaking and Map Use. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. 

Sillitoe, Paul. (2006). Local Science Vs. Global Science: Approaches to Indigenous Knowledge in International Development. Berghahn Books.