Knowledge Connects Our Hearts and Lands: A Qualitative Research Study on Stewarding Indigenous Traditional Ecological Knowledges for Community Well-Being
Danya Carroll, Desiree J. Edwards, Ramon Riley, Nicole Redvers

TL;DR
This study explores how Indigenous communities in the southwestern U.S. steward traditional ecological knowledge to protect their lands, health, and cultural heritage.
Contribution
The study provides community-driven insights into protecting traditional ecological knowledge through qualitative research with Indigenous Peoples.
Findings
Historical and current barriers hinder the sharing of traditional ecological knowledge.
Language preservation is crucial for passing down traditional ecological knowledge across generations.
Protecting lands and medicines is essential for community health and environmental well-being.
Abstract
Indigenous Peoples have developed and stewarded complex knowledge systems that have contributed to thriving societies. With continued threats to Indigenous lifeways, there is increasing need to further protect traditional ecological knowledges (TEK). We carried out a qualitative study to explore Indigenous community perspectives on stewarding and protecting TEK while identifying gaps in community-level protections of TEK. We conducted ten semi-structured interviews in December 2024 and one focus group in January 2025 with Indigenous Peoples in the southwestern United States. Reflexive thematic analysis through open coding was carried out using qualitative software. Six overarching themes were characterized in the interviews, which overlapped with findings from the focus group, including the following: (1) Historical and current barriers impact the sharing of TEK; (2) Preserving our…
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Taxonomy
TopicsIndigenous Studies and Ecology · Indigenous Knowledge Systems and Agriculture
