Research Quest - "Two-Eyed Seeing" 

Cheryl Bartlett works in Cape Breton University as a Biology Professor and also the Director for Integrative Science & Health.  In her research, she is analyzing the knowledge of Aboriginal individuals and their knowledge and how it can be merged with science today.  She wants to help others to understand how indigenous knowledge can be beneficial to people who do not come from Aboriginal decent.

Cheryl is working with a Mi’kmaw Elder Albert Marshall in the principle of “Two-Eyed Seeing”.  This principle is trying to draw attention to the learning of both “mainstream” knowledge and as well as indigenous knowledge.  The two-eyed concept is that one eye you see the western or mainstream knowledge and with the other you see the indigenous side. 

This relates back to what we are discussing in class concerning climate change.  Many books being read are introducing the thought of Indigenous knowledge and how they perceive weather and climate change.  If non-indigenous peoples took a look at the way they respect and consider nature, this could perhaps help immensely with climate change.

http://www.integrativescience.ca/uploads/files/CRC-Integrative-Science-Bartlett-research-statement.pdf