Oral tradition and science : knowledge co-production in Indigenous collaborative research

Indigenous collaborative research is a form of research where Indigenous knowledge keepers and scientists combine methods from their respective communities in order to produce more robust knowledge. However, this integration process is not always seamless. Oftentimes it involves a complex negotiation of epistemological frameworks and ontological commitments, where successful research is staked on successfully navigating these complexities. Research involving oral traditions and archaeological evidence is one case where these tensions may arise. Oral traditions are contentious sources of historical information in the eyes of some critics, who argue that to use them in conjunction with other scientific methods is unwarranted unless certain minimal criteria are met. More optimistic approaches grant that oral traditions convey historical information, and instead focus on the types of information conveyed, along with the degree to which these different sorts of information are integratable. In this thesis, I discuss both of these approaches, and their merits. I call the first the minimal-criteria approach and the second the information-assuming approach. I argue that the information-assuming approach is preferable for analysing oral traditions in collaborative research because it correctly presupposes that differing knowledge communities have some degree of partial overlap between them. This approach emphasises identifying these partial overlaps, and therefore yields more fruitful analysis and research directions. To support this claim, I discuss one example of Indigenous collaborative on Triquet Island, British Columbia, where researchers argue that Haíɫzaqv oral tradition and archaeology can integrate to provide a fuller picture of the region’s history.