Within the information landscape, the conceptual foundations of Native knowledge systems offer enormous potential for the advancement of research, teaching, and practice of library and information science.  Information issues such as access, control, dissemination, preservation, curation, and information security are of vital importance to tribal communities because they impact tribal sovereignty.  iSchool faculty and students have generated a series of activities, including funded research projects, leadership in national organizations, and community-based work within Native-serving organizations, which have deepened our understanding of Native North American Indigenous Knowledge at practical, conceptual, and theoretical levels. 

With our strategic focus on “Native North American Indigenous Knowledge,” we intend to raise and expand the level of discourse concerning the intersection of information, knowledge, technology, and Native American communities within higher education, broadly and at the iSchool in particular.  We will designate the UW iSchool as the first information school in the world that honors the treaties of its Indigenous population — treaties that clearly stipulate educational rights — by developing and implementing an information science program that studies and celebrates the intersection of information, technology, and Native communities. 

Research

iSchool groups focusing on Native North American Indigenous Knowledge include:

iNative Research Group

Faculty: Cheryl Metoyer, Director
The iNative research group is comprised of Native American and Alaska Native scholars, information professionals, and students concerned with addressing the information challenges faced by Native nations. With an emphasis on Native American and Alaska Native populations, the iNative research group seeks to raise the level of discourse concerning information and Native American communities through an Indigenous knowledge lens and with a focus on social justice. Visit website.