Community-Based Cultural Heritage Research

IPinCH Fall Gathering (photo: K. McLaughlin)

Community-Based Participatory Research (CBPR) methods engage communities in all aspects of the research process.

In IPinCH’s twelve affiliated community initiatives, the communities determined the research goals, which formed the foundation of the initiative, including the practical and theoretical outputs. Our goal has been to help foster balanced and mutually-beneficial relationships between academic and community researchers and to promote fair and culturally appropriate uses of intellectual property. These IPinCH-supported initiatives may serve as positive examples of CBPR methods being put to use to investigate and address pressing cultural heritage needs.

This theme offers a variety of resources to help students, scholars and community representatives think through the implications of community-based research.

Photo: Our team at the IPinCH Fall Gathering (K. McLaughlin).

Community Initiatives

Did Tlingit and Haida people eat sea otters during the pre-contact period? An issue of intellectual property and cultural heritage Sea otters were once common around the North Pacific but were eradicated from southeast Alaska by about A.D. 1830 due to the commercial fur trade. In the 1960s, sea otters were re-introduced to selected areas in southeast Alaska and now their populations are rapidly increasing and expanding into new areas.	Managing and Protecting Inuit Cultural Heritage in Nunavut Established in 1994, the Inuit Heritage Trust (IHT) has a mandate to preserve, enrich, and protect Inuit cultural heritage and identity as embodied in Nunavut’s archaeological sites, ethnographic resources and traditional place names.
Traditional Knowledge Licensing and Labeling Website 1.0 The Traditional Knowledge Licensing and Labeling Website 1.0, developed by IPinCH Associates Kim Christen and Jane Anderson, in collaboration with many others, is a project for the development of an accessible digital platform that will contain a set of standardized licenses and fair-use labels that can be applied to already existing and future generated content that contains community-recognized traditional and Indigenous knowledge.	Ainu Conceptions of Cultural and Natural Heritage Since 2009, IPinCH has been working with the Hokkaido Ainu Association and Ainu community members in Hokkaido, northern Japan, to address their desire for cultural and intellectual property policies and protocols to protect their heritage.
The History and Contemporary Practices of the Hopi Cultural Preservation Office This project investigates how the HCPO manages Hopi cultural knowledge resources, given the differences between Hopi notions of navoti (“traditional knowledge”) and Euro-American understandings of intellectual property.	Grassroots Resource Preservation and Management in Kyrgyzstan: Ethnicity, Nationalism and Heritage on a Human Scale This case study is intended to begin a public conversation among both urban and rural people about intellectual property and cultural heritage in Kyrgyzstan, a post-Soviet nation where ties to the past have been attenuated and even severed.
The Ngaut Ngaut Interpretive Project: Providing Culturally Sustainable Online Interpretive Content to the Public The Ngaut Ngaut rock shelter was the first “scientifically” excavated site in Australia in 1929, but it has much deeper meanings for local Indigenous people.	Yukon First Nations Heritage Values and Heritage Resource Management Following settlement of their respective land claim and self-government agreements, Yukon First Nations own and have responsibility for managing Heritage Resources on their Settlement Lands.
The Journey Home - Guiding Intangible Knowledge Production in the Analysis of Ancestral Remains This study, co-developed by David Schaepe, Director, Stó:lo Research and Resource Management Centre and Susan Rowley, Associate Professor, Department of Anthropology, University of British Columbia, stems from the Journey Home Project, a repatriation of ancestral remains from the UBC Lab of Archaeology (LOA) to the Stó:lo Nation of southwestern B.C.	Cultural Tourism in Nunavik Cultural tourism has now become the “in” thing in Nunavik. In the early 1990s, the first few attempts saw little success, but there is now a “business” will to include tourism as a facet of economic development. As recently as April 2010, cultural tourism was a major topic at an economic summit in Kuujjuaq.
Secwepemc Territorial Authority – Honoring Ownership of Tangible / Intangible Culture The Secwepemc Territorial Authority project begins with the question of: What do “cultural heritage” encounters within Secwepemc territory, British Columbia, look like were we to fully accept and act upon the premise that Secwepemc peoples have economic, political, and legal authority within their territory?	Education, Protection and Management of ezhibiigaadek asin (Sanilac Petroglyph Site) For the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe of Michigan, ezhibiigaadek asin is a sacred place. Teachings from their Anishinabe ancestors are embedded in this rock art site that holds over 100 petroglyphs.
Moriori Cultural Database The Moriori case study is located on Rekohu (Chatham Islands, New Zealand). It focuses on the development and implementation of a multi-layer research programme that ties together work on Moriori identity, indigenous cultural heritage management and protection and resource management.	Developing Policies and Protocols for the Culturally Sensitive Intellectual Properties of the Penobscot Nation of Maine The Penobscot Indian Nation (Maine, USA), with support from partners at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst, developed tribal protocols, tools, and organizational structures to address intellectual property (IP) issues related to archaeology and heritage-based places.
A Case of Access: Inuvialuit Engagement with the Smithsonian’s MacFarlane Collection The MacFarlane Collection was named after the Hudson’s Bay trader who assembled the objects, and includes nearly 5000 natural history specimens, such as birds’ eggs and animal skeletons, and an additional 300 cultural objects collected from Inuvialuit people of the Anderson River region in the 1860s.

Publications

Intervention as a Strategy in Protecting Indigenous Cultural Heritage Publication Title: SAA Archaeological Record 15(4):41-47. Author: George Nicholas, Brian Egan, Kelly Bannister, Emily Benson Year: 2015	Reconciling Inequalities in Archaeological Practice and Heritage Research Publication Title: Transforming Archaeology: Activist Practices and Prospects, edited by S. Atalay, L.R. Clauss, R.H. McGuire, and J.R. Welch, pp.133-158, Left Coast Press , Walnut Creek. Author: George Nicholas Year: 2014
Engaging Archaeology: Positivism, Objectivity and Rigor in Activist Archaeology Publication Title: Transforming Archaeology: Activist Practices and Prospects, edited by S. Atalay, L.R. Clauss, R.H. McGuire, and J.R. Welch, pp.45-59, Left Coast Press, Walnut Creek Author: Sonya Atalay Year: 2014	Activating Archaeology Publication Title: Transforming Archaeology: Activist Practices and Prospects, edited by S. Atalay, L.R. Clauss, R.H. McGuire, and J.R. Welch, pp.197-214, Left Coast Press, Walnut Creek Author: K. Anne Pyburn Year: 2014
Collaborative, Community-Based Heritage Research and the IPinCH Project Publication Title: SAA Archaeological Record, Special Forum: International Collaborations 12.4 (pp.30-32) Author: George Nicholas and the IPinCH Collective Year: 2012	A Consideration of Theory, Principles and Practice in Collaborative Archaeology Publication Title: Archaeological Review from Cambridge 26.2 (pp.11-30) Author: George P. Nicholas, Amy Roberts, David M. Schaepe, Joe Watkins, Lyn Leader-Elliot and Susan Rowley Year: 2011
Intellectual Property Issues in Heritage Management Part 2: Legal Dimensions, Ethical Considerations, and Collaborative Research Practices Publication Title: Heritage Management 3.1 (pp.117-147) Author: George Nicholas, Catherine Bell, Rosemary Coombe, John Welch, Brian Noble, Jane Anderson, Kelly Bannister, and Joe Watkins Year: 2010	Using Ethnographic Methods to Articulate Community-Based Conceptions of Cultural Heritage Management Publication Title: Public Archaeology: Archeological Ethnographies, Vol. 8 No. 2-3 (pp. 141-160) Author: Julie Hollowell and George Nicholas Year: 2009

Presentations

Pragmatism at the Intersection of Indigeneity, Cultural Property, and Intangible Heritage Event: SFU Aboriginal Lecture Series Speaker: George Nicholas Year: 2016	Sq'ewlets: A Sto:lo-Coast Salish Community in the Central Fraser Valley - A Community-based Collaborative Virtual Museum of Canada Project Event: Sto:lo People of the River Conference Speaker: Natasha Lyons, Dave Schaepe, Kate Hennessy, Kyle McIntosh, Mike Blake, Patricia Ormerod Year: 2015
Learning to Listen - Ways to True Community Collaboration Event: IPinCH Fall Gathering Speaker: Sonya Selanoff and Holly Cusack-McVeigh Year: 2014	Community-Based Cultural Heritage Research: Insights, Challenges, and Possibilities from the IPinCH Project Event: SFU Research and Environmental Management Department Seminar Series Speaker: George Nicholas Year: 2014
Building Connections, Protocols, and Toolkits from Comparative Community-Based Research Event: Native American and Indigenous Studies Association Conference Speaker: Lena Mortensen Year: 2013	Cultural Tourism and Indigenous Agency in Southern Africa Event: Sto:lo People of the River Conference: Sharing Experience and Building Knowledge Speaker: Rachel Giraudo Year: 2013
Beyond the Equator (Principles): Community Benefit Sharing in Relation to Major Land Alteration Projects and Associated Intellectual Property Issues in Cultural Heritage Event: Society for American Archaeology Annual Meeting (Honolulu, Hawaii) Speaker: John Welch and Ian Lilley (Panel Organizers) Year: 2013	Community-Based Research: Theory, Practice, Policy and Ethics Event: American Anthropological Association Annual Meeting (Sacramento, CA) Speaker: Julie Hollowell (session organizer) Year: 2012
Participatory Planning, Core Tribal Values, and Knowledge Mobilization in Community-Based Research Event: Central States Anthropological Society Conference (Toledo) Speaker: Sonya Atalay Year: 2012	Building Capacity for Community-Based Research in the University: Lessons from IPinCH Event: Central States Anthropological Society Conference (Toledo) Speaker: Julie Hollowell Year: 2012
Negotiating the Past: Collaborative Practice in Cultural Heritage Research Event: Public History Seminar Series, Kings College London Speaker: Alison Wylie Year: 2012	'When Descendant Communities are in the Driver’s Seat': Examples of Collaborative, Community-Based Heritage Research from the IPinCH Project Event: American Anthropological Association Conference, Session: Reversing the Legacy of Colonialism in Heritage Research (Montreal, Quebec) Speaker: George Nicholas Year: 2011
Community Initiatives and Archaeology: The Ngaut Ngaut Interpretive Project Event: American Anthropological Association Conference, Session: Reversing the Legacy of Colonialism in Heritage Research (Montreal, Quebec) Speaker: Amy Roberts Year: 2011	Reversing the Legacy of Colonialism in Heritage Research Event: American Anthropological Association Annual Meeting (Montreal, QC) Speaker: Stephen Loring (session organizer) Year: 2011
Learning Together: Core Tribal Values, Transformative Influences, and Shared Benefit Event: World Archaeological Congress Intercongress (Indianapolis) Speaker: Shannon Martin, W. Johnson, Sonya Atalay Year: 2011	Achieving Reasonable Balance in Archaeological Practice Event: Society for American Archaeology (Sacramento, CA) Speaker: George Nicholas Year: 2011
Essential Tensions in Archaeological Theory and Practice Event: Stanford Archaeology Centre, Archaeology Workshops Series (Stanford, CA) Speaker: George Nicholas Year: 2010	Community-Based Fieldwork with the Innu of Labrador: Lessons from Thirty Years of Collaboration Event: Symposium on Ethics and Community-Based Fieldwork, DePauw University (Greencastle, IN) Speaker: Stephen Loring Year: 2009
Decolonizing Research Methods: Lessons From The First Nations Cultural Heritage and Law Project Event: Symposium on Ethics and Community-Based Fieldwork, DePauw University (Greencastle, IN) Speaker: Catherine Bell Year: 2009	Developing Practical Guidelines for the Protection of Indigenous and Traditional Knowledge through Community-based Initiatives Event: Symposium on Ethics and Community-Based Fieldwork, DePauw University (Greencastle, IN) Speaker: Jane Anderson Year: 2009
Using Ethnographic Methods to Articulate Community-Based Conceptions of Heritage Management and Explore Intellectual Property Issues in Archaeology Event: Wenner Gren Workshop on Archaeological Ethnographies: Charting a Field, Devising Methodologies (Poros, Greece) Speaker: Julie Hollowell and George Nicholas Year: 2008

Readings

Community-Based Participatory Research and Ethics Bibliography (2009)

Videos & Podcasts

Pragmatism at the Intersection of Indigeneity, Cultural Property, and Intangible Heritage Speaker: George Nicholas When descendant groups are denied direct and meaningful engagement in decision making, heritage management policies are ineffective at best and harmful at worst.	IPinCH Conversations / Linda Tuhiwai Smith on Decolonizing Research Linda Tuhiwai Smith talks with Mariane Gaudreau and Brian Egan about her influential book “Decolonizing Methodologies,” the growth in Indigenous research and researchers, the challenges of doing community-based work within academia, and much more.
Heritage and Knowledge: Decolonizing the Research Process Speaker: Linda Tuhiwai Smith In her Munro Lecture at SFU’s Harbour Centre, Professor Linda Tuhiwai Smith shares her tremendous insights into indigenous knowledge, language revitalization, decolonizing research practices, and how to "make knowledge live.”	Heritage and Politics Speaker: Grand Chief Edward John Grand Chief Edward John shares his insight on issues of sovereignty, jurisdiction, and the protection of Indigenous culture.
Heritage and Community Values, Benefits, and Sustainability Speaker: Rosita Worl In this talk, Rosita Worl explores how the Sealaska Heritage Institute —the regional corporation for the Tlingit and Haida of Southeast Alaska— integrates core cultural values into their initiatives and programs.	Heritage Industry Rhetoric Speaker: Larry Zimmerman In this talk, Larry Zimmerman discusses how heritage industry rhetoric impedes the protection of Indigenous cultural heritage.
IPinCH Conversations / Community Partnerships, IP, and Cultural Heritage Speaker: John Welch John R. Welch discusses his research and community partnerships, particularly his 20-year engagement with the White Mountain Apache Tribe in the redevelopment of the Fort Apache and Theodore Roosevelt School National Historic Landmark.	IPinCH Conversations / Reconciliation and Repatriation Speaker: Robin R.R. Gray In this episode, Robin R. R. Gray, PhD Candidate in the Department of Anthropology at UMass Amherst, discusses her community-based participatory action project to repatriate a collection of Tsimshian sound recordings back to her community.
Culture, Community, and Collaboration: New Directions for Protecting Indigenous Heritage Speaker: George Nicholas Questions about who "owns" or has the right to benefit from Indigenous heritage are at the core of ongoing political, economic, and ethical debates taking place at local, national, and international levels.	George Nicholas and Kelly Bannister on radio program CFAX 1070 Following IPinCH's SSHRC Partnership Award win, George Nicholas and Kelly Bannister were asked for an interview with Pamela McCall on CFAX1070 (Victoria, B.C.).
Highlights from the 2010 IPinCH Community-Based Initiatives Meeting Speaker: Catherine Bell Catherine Bell presents the highlights of the 2010 Community-Based Initiative meeting, at the IPinCH Midterm Conference Sept 30th - Oct 1st 2011.

Media Coverage

"IPinCH and the SSHRC Partnership Award" - CFAX 1070 (interview with George Nicholas and Kelly Bannister)	"Intellectual Property Rights & the IPinCH Project" - CJSF Radio, Ideas and Issues (interview with George Nicholas)
"TIG for Intellectual Property Rights" — Society for Applied Anthropology Newsletter	"Archeology's dark side" — The Windsor Star