Our lands tell our stories: supporting Indigenous co-led research through the Indigenous Foods Knowledges Network
The Indigenous Foods Knowledges Network (IFKN) brings together Indigenous researchers and community leaders from the Arctic and U.S. Southwest along with non-Indigenous researchers to foster cross-cultural interdisciplinary knowledge exchange about sovereignty of Indigenous foods. IFKN draws on cultural and scientific expertise from shared cultural protocols and practices, Indigenous Knowledges, Earth sciences, and social sciences to better understand reclamation, preservation, and perpetuation of traditional food practices to sustain Indigenous food sovereignty in a rapidly changing global environment. In this article, we discuss how IFKN developed a methodology prioritizing relational accountability encompassing both people and place while establishing a framework for collaborative learning that centers Indigenous Knowledge systems. We provide examples from our roles as Tribal community members, university researchers, and network members in creating an organizational framework for this collaborative work and connecting it to community, university, and research protocols and practices. We further describe the ways that IFKN adapted during the COVID-19 pandemic to continue to remotely co-produce knowledge and amplify concerns and priorities of community partners through non-academic settings.