NWT RESEARCH DATABASE

Regions: Dehcho Region

Tags: plant distribution, knowledge transfer, traditional knowledge, traditional medicine

Objective(s): The short-term goal of this project is to interview elders and document their TEK (with the assistance of plant ecology summer students) by identifying where these sites are located and the long- term objectives is to monitor these sites for future reference and preservation.

Project Description: This licence is being issued for the scientific research application No. 1067. The short-term goal of this project is to interview elders and document their TEK (with the assistance of plant ecology summer students) by identifying where these sites are located and the long- term objectives is to monitor these sites for future reference and preservation. ADKFN will accomplish their research project by collecting elders’ traditional knowledge by way of audio visional recording on what type of editable and medicinal plant ecology they used for different kinds of illnesses and where they collected these plants. ADKFN will coordinate their research with existing ongoing research projects. They will gather this information with the assistance of plant ecology students. This research will be done in ADKFN’s traditional territory. The work will be conducted with ADK elders, youth and plant ecology students. Plant ecology students along with all employees of the study, will sign a confidentiality agreement clause. Acho Dene Koe First Nation Land and Resource Department is very aware of the sensitivity of our medicinal floral traditional knowledge. Community members will participate in the actual survey of plants. Participants must sign a confidentiality consent form, be over 18 years of age, and have the choice to remain anonymous. Elder participants who want to be interviewed and recorded will be required to sign a release form. The elder will have a transcript sent to them, and notes taken can be reviewed by the participant. The questions will include: Which plants have been used? Have new invasive species plants been seen in the area recently? Does this plant have a special medicinal use? Does it have a Dene name? What edible plants were used? The first step in the research will be pre-sectional elder interviews, engaging elders and selecting locations of interests to begin the flora resource identification and documentation process. Elder involvement is critical and the researchers will follow strict Acho Dene Koe First Nation Land and Resource Department Elder Interview Protocols to ensure that the Elders' traditional knowledge is respected and secured. Chief and Council and the Executive Director will be well informed of all project efforts. Acho Dene Koe First Nation Land and Resource Department will amalgamate all ecological data into the final report. The fieldwork for this study will be conducted in the area of Bovie Lake, Fisherman Lake, Celebita Lake and Spectra Energy Transimission Quarry from May 25 to July 24, 2009.