Ancestral Science Ancestral Science of "Relational Science Circle"

Mohawk Mathematician Dr. Edward Doolittle, Kanyen’kehake from Six Nations, taught us about mathematics as medicine, the difference between global/Indigenous/and Western mathematics, how there are many ways to learn and understand math, connections between mathematics and the Creation Story, and the importance of bringing emotion and spirit back into mathematics.
Support the pod w "Ancestral Podcast MERCH" helps pay Knowledge Keepers, follow protocols, & keeps the pod going
What is science to you? it is a misused and misunderstood term, often associated w scientific, standardized methods. Mathematics existed BEFORE proof
Applied Epistemology: connects science to us as humans/this is not positivism, not objectivism/this is the way we understand the world/science is about ourselves
Indigenous MathScience: local to human, land, community. The essence of teachings are taught and passed on through different traditions, customs, languages.
Global Math/Science: universal, w standard methods. culture removed. Can be taught the same anywhere in the world. “Western” mathematics is a misunderstood term and reinforces the mysteries of the East and rationality of the West; this term can other.
Alan Bishop: six universal activities which can be described as mathematical: COUNTING, LOCATING, MEASURING, DESIGNING, PLAYING, EXPLAINING
Tom Porter (Sakokwenionkwas): Can we be thankful for mathematics? Math begins with creation.
Math as Medicine by E. Doolittle
-Math -understanding the world & ourselves from different perspectives. How can mathematics contribute to wellness?
Haudenosaunee Thanksgiving Address: remembering the water, fish, trees. where is mathematics?
Numbers led is back home-mathematics is first, it is ours, from the first moment of Creation
-like the waves on the shore, which give us the drum beat. math is being, creation, medicine
Math&Residential Schools
math was how they really got us! (residential school survivor)- it reinforces one right answer that increase control & decrease critical thinking. How do we stop the cycle of harm done by teaching math in this way?
4 Directions of Math
Mental, physical, emotional, spiritual
Ramanujan: Math & Spirituality
UPCOMING:
Math Bundle Project- June 2025
Tipis and Wind Tunnels- TBD 2025
Indigenous Mathematicians
Gratitude to JUAN-CARLOS CHAVEZ, the editing skills of EMILSTARLIGHT of Limelight Multimedia, and ALEX FLETT for marketing and pod support

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TESSA WOLFLEG from Siksika Nation, taught us about how 'science is LIFE and Math RUNS THE WORLD,' Ancestral scientific knowledge is on "another level of thinking," her deep love for the crocus, getting punched in the face by humility, the connection between non-Native plants and trees and railroads, "Alberta is POKEY," and the harms of over-harvesting and Pan-Indigenizing.
Remember, profits from Ancestral Podcast MERCH support Knowledge Keepers & keeping the pod going
-University of Calgary,Indigenous Viewbook: University can get your brain thinking differently!
-Biogeoscience Institute: This is where Tessa realized “Indigenous knowledge is Science”
-Majorville Medicine Wheel: shows significant star locations, and solstice/equinox cycles. (beware: these articles are NOT written by local Indigenous people).Elders have said this "wheel" is older than Stonehenge, & shows the depth of science within Indigenous Knowledges.  
-Ancient Indigenous Clam Farms-West Coast of Canada
-Elder in the Making
-Crocus: when you see this first flower of Spring, it is a relief, you know you have survived that winter! It is a start of a new beginning.
-being in-tune with the Land allows us to understand our needs and those of the Land.
-be careful when sharing knowledge that is gifted, there is a responsibility you have with that knowledge! Have HUMILITY and RESPECT. Many people are becoming protective of Indigenous Knowledge because of a history of exploitation, lack of protocols, overharvesting, and pan-Indigenization. Humans have to learn to adapt in a mixed world, these are shared lands with shared responsibilities.
-Invasive Species ruin the ecosystem and reduce diversity. Plant Native Plants!
-CP Railway & Invasive Species: European Fire Ants, Railroad Ecology
-Alberta Invasive Species Council 
-Alberta has rank winds and is pokey, native plants have adapted to this weather!
Additional Resources: 
-Popular Wildflowers of Alberta & the Canadian Rockies
-Edible & Medicinal Plants of Canada
-Alberta Wayside Wildflowers
-Alpine Plants of British Columbia, Alberta, NW America
-Kainai Plants
Gratitude to JUAN-CARLOS CHAVEZ, the editing skills of EMIL STARLIGHT, & ALEX FLETT for marketing and pod support.

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Dr. LINDA FURUTO is a mathematics educator professor & Director of the Ethnomathematics Graduate Certificate and M.Ed. Curriculum Studies, Mathematics Education. She taught us about how math is all around us- from angles in spearfishing to trigonometry and navigation, ethnomathematics is used to solve real-world problems, the importance of service learning, the wisdom of the Hawaiian Star Compass, and how we can create tools together to navigate the universe.
 
She graciously donated her honoraria to the MAUI STRONG FUND, supporting immediate and long-term recovery needs of people and places affected by the Maui fires. https://www.hawaiicommunityfoundation.org/strengthening/maui-strong-fund
 
Remember, any support from the "Ancestral Podcast MERCH" www.relationalsciencecircle.com/shop helps pay Knowledge Keepers, and our editors, to follow protocols and keep this podcast going.
 
-Universe is our greatest textbook, from the heavens to the stars
- Spearfishing & Mathematics
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JB8TBf_LTKI
(Light Refraction & Spear Fishing)-mathematics is not only taught within the four walls of the classroom
-math is life, math is everywhere

-experiential fish pods
-engineering, preservation, land to sea, marine biology, navigation
Pacific American Foundation Waikalua Loko Fishpond: 
https://www.thepaf.org/waikalua/
 
-Ethnomathematics Graduate Division: University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, 
https://coe.hawaii.edu/ethnomath/
-Math has existed since the beginning of time, but it takes naming it, ethnomathematics, to be aware of it.
 
-ethnomathematics is a tool to navigate the world. The pillars of the UHM Ethnomathematics Program include: environment, integrated content, teaching practice, culture, community, values, legacy. https://coe.hawaii.edu/ethnomath/vision/
 
-“Current and Future perspectives of ethnomathematics as a program,” (book), M. Rosa, U. D’Ambrosio , D. C. Orey et al., https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-319-30120-4
-challenges students to solve real-life problems
-value-based education
 
-Polynesian Voyaging Society- Hōkūle‘a https://hokulea.com
-navigating around the world on a traditional voyaging canoe.
-learning to care for Island Earth
-to honour the past and raise the next generation
-Papa Mau, the first wayfinder https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9IF8jCLxyAA
-islands have limits, we have to work together to survive and venture beyond the horizon
 
-Wisdom of the Hawaiian Star Compass
-mental construct of the canoe- 32 star houses, accounting for the winds, angles, degrees, trigonometry.
-being aware of all directions at all times.
-you have to trust your internal compass
https://ksdigitalfiles.ksbe.edu/assets/ohana/hawaiianstarcompass_ohana.pdf
https://hokulea.com/the-star-compass-by-nainoa-thompson/
 
-we can’t change the wind, but we can change our sails. When we change our sails, we often arrive not necessarily where we think we need to be but exactly where we are supposed to be. You never should scold the winds, the winds are our family.
 
-Future:  responsibility to talk about the issues like land and water rights and protect what was here before.
-        University of Hawaiʻi News: First-in-the-World UH Ethnomathematics Program Approved by Hawaiʻi Teacher Standards Board https://www.hawaii.edu/news/2019/01/11/ethnomathematics-licensure-approved/
-        PBS Hawaiʽi: Home is Here Featuring the UHM Ethnomathematics Program 
https://www.pbshawaii.org/home-is-here-episode-5/
-        TODOS Mathematics for ALL Podcast: Ethnomathematics at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa  
https://www.podomatic.com/podcasts/todosmath/episodes/2021-05-24T11_03_21-07_00
-        University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa Ethnomathematics Curriculum Library (FREE K–12 and Higher Education Resources):
https://coe.hawaii.edu/ethnomath/curricula/
Gratitude to Support from JUAN-CARLOS CHAVEZ and the editing skills of EMIL STARLIGH

JADE GOULD (Butchulla & Woppabura scientist) taught us about how Science helps us better understand Landscape & Country, significance of Native Fire Mitigation practices, depth of scientific knowledge & Land-connection within Native languages, what are Land Rights, the importance of original place names to local knowledges, and how Land is our grocery store, pharmacy, and teacher....
Support from the "Ancestral Podcast MERCH" www.relationalsciencecircle.com/shop helps pay Knowledge Keepers, editors, & follow protocols to keep this podcast going. Jade donated her honoraria to SeedMob a youth-led Indigenous Science climate network in Australia, standing up for environmental & climate justice! 
-Science is understanding landscape, where everything has a role; even mosquitos.
-Humans & "Wilderness” importance of recognizing and valuing the work done by humans with deep connections and understanding of Land/Country, in shaping highly biodiverse landscapes. Indigenous Knowledge & the Shackles of Wilderness, Michael-Shawn Fletcher.
- The Wilderness Myth Michael-Shawn Fletcher.
- Concept of Wilderness is Destroying the Continent (video), Michael-Shawn Fletcher. 
-Fires & Climate Change: Indigenous Fire Mitigation Practices remove dry dense kindling through a slow, cool burn, & allow for germination. When controlled fires are not lit, fires spread more quickly, burn longer and hotter, not allowing time for animals to escape, or regrowth to happen. With more urban and developed areas, these cultural burns are more difficult to conduct.
-Indigenous Science is OLD, Wonky Holes in Hervey Bay, Wetland Science, Indigenous Fishing & Traps in Western Canada: here & here 
-Palaeontology in Warwich Region- Finding monsters, are stories AND morals and warnings that have deep connection to Land/Country and even science. (Githabul Nation). Mapping the Monsters of Aboriginal Australian Lore
-Importance of everything on Earth, even mosquitos! Everything has a place, everything has an effect. Think of the rodents, insects, plants that rely on mosquitos to survive.
-Mosquitos saved Wilfred Buck’s (Opaskwayak Cree) life, told in his book “I have Lived Four Lives.” 
-Depth of Tellings, Knowledge, & Science within Indigenous Languages: Indigenous Languages reflect people connection with the Land. Most are verb-based, reflecting the animation of all, with everything having a past/present/future. Durang in the Butchella language means both arm and tree.
-Responsibility TO the Land/Country: Humans cannot just TAKE from the Land, but what is gifted to us to survive (food, medicines, knowledge, air ..) come with a responsibility.
-Land Back & Land Rights Movements. Land Rights, Australia. Aboriginal Land Rights. Turtle Island & beyond Land Back. Be a decision-maker!
- Land Back: What do we Mean? 4R Youth Movement, & RedPaper
-Indigenous Referendum in Australia 2023. Reuters & Amnesty
-Australian Fires, 2020: the hottest and driest summer lead to large-scale fires. Many could have been stopped if Indigenous Fire Mitigation Practices were used prior.
-Environmental Science Forum solution to the increased fires
-Importance of Names: removing Indigenous/Aboriginal place names disconnects the community from Land, culture, stories, songs etc. Uncover the Deep Cultural Significance of Aboriginal Place Names, Aboriginal Place Names, Restoring Aboriginal Place Names key to Recognizing Indigenous Histories
-Aboriginal Songlines
-BabaKiueria 1986 short satire film about relations between Aboriginal Australians & Australians of European descent
-Indigenous Carbon Industry Network
-Ancestral Science Podcast’s Episode w Torres Strait Scientist TORRES WEBB Strength of Indigenous Science
Gratitude to Support from JUAN-CARLOS CHAVEZ and the editing skills of EMIL STARLIGHT of Limelight Multimedia

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LATIFA PELLETIER-AHMED, botanist, herbalist, educator, artist, co-owner of ALCLA Native Plants & Nursery in Treaty 7, taught us about critical thinking in science, plants as teachers and guides, the incredible adaptability and resilience of Native Plants, personalities of seeds, harm of mono-agriculture, honeybees aren’t native, how to decolonize your lawn, and the importance of recognizing and learning about invasive species. Remember, any support from the “Ancestral Podcast MERCH” www.relationalsciencecircle.com/shop supports Knowledge Keepers, editing, and keeping the podcast going.
-What is Science? Observation in many ways, about the world around us. Think critically about who created/write/passed on that scientific knowledge. who is profiting from that knowledge?
-“Deadly” Water Hemlock. Think critically about the Global Science definition of a “poisonous” plant, open your mind to its gifts, & how it can help you (like how it helped Latifa) https://www.wildernesscollege.com/water-hemlock.html
https://www.ucl.ac.uk/~ucgajpd/medicina%20antiqua/sa_hemlock.html
-ALCLA Native Plants : https ://alclanativeplants.com
- Alberta Native Plant Council: https://anpc.ab.ca
- Plant Watch: Engaging Citizens in Science: https://www.naturewatch.ca/plantwatch/alberta/
- Alberta Invasive Species Council: https://abinvasives.ca/invasive-plants/
-The Plants and the Blackfoot, Alex Johnston (book)
- Kainai Ecosystem Protection Association (KEPA) @KainaiEPA
https://www.naapisgardenkepa.com
-Naapi’s garden: 
https://www.buffalotreaty.com/flux/naapis-garden-a-guide-to-culturally-important-blackfoot-plants 
-Decolonialize your lawn
-Kentucky Bluegrass is invasive. It goes dormant in the summer, turning brown, thereby seemingly needing excess water to keep it “pristine and green.” Roots of K.Bluegrass only grow a few feet, which is far less than 10+ long roots of Native grasses. Deeper roots prevent nutrient erosion during flooding https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1550742422000252
-Plant Blue Gramma Grass, Bunch grass (Junegrass, Fescues) are mow tolerant and happy in Southern Alberta. There are Native grasses that thrive in the summer, if you want a natural summer green lawn
-remove non-native species, plant Native species http://www.skinnernativeseeds.ca/index.html https://wrightnursery.ca
-Plant Medicines: Indigenous people have had relationships with plants and their medicines for thousands of years. This knowledge is well respected but comes with protocols. Be careful if passing on this knowledge, do it “in a good way,” with reciprocity, without ego, and for the community and Land.
-remember that plant ancestor and oral teachings have different time scales
-misuse of plant knowledge is real, and has consequences that may not be immediate.
-respect the medicines, don’t overharvest. Why you are harvesting? Are you taking away from people who need these medicines for ceremony and cultural practices? 
Other Resources:
-http://www.buffalorocktipicamp.com, fish rescue program, seasonal flooding, weed pulling.
- iNaturalist (app)
-The Cree Healer and his Medicine Bundle (book)
- North American Ethnobotanical Database: http://naeb.brit.org
-Nitsitapiisinni: Story of the Blackfoot People (book)
- Stories & Spaces https://galileo.org/kainai/
-Reader Rock Garden
https://www.calgary.ca/parks/reader-rock-garden.html
-https://www.saokioheritage.com/
-Ahwahsiin (The Land/Where We Get Our Food) https://nnigovernance.arizona.edu/ahwahsiin-landwhere-we-get-our-food. Abaki Beck
-The Ecological Buffalo, Wes Olson (book)
-Instagram @Homegrownnationalpark
-Nature's Best Hope: A New Approach to Conservation That Starts in Your Yard, Bringing Nature Home: How You Can Sustain Wildlife with Native Plants (Doug Tallamy)
-A New Garden Ethic: Cultivating Defiant Compassion for an Uncertain FuturePrairie Up: An Introduction to Natural Garden Design (Banjamin Vogt)
Gratitude to JUAN CARLOS CHAVEZ & editin

JESSIE FIDDLER-KISS, a Métis mother, beader, entrepreneur, and educator, taught us about Science as relationships between Land and time, how children are the best teachers of truth, love and how to play, the significance of trickster stories, anti-septic properties of moss, and the connection between swaddling and brain development.
"Ancestral Podcast ⁠MERCH⁠" helps pay Knowledge Keepers and editors, to keep this podcast going.
-The Moss Bag Project
-Articles about Moss Bag Project on CBC⁠, Avenue Calgary, Telus Spark Science Centre here⁠
-the importance of community and Aunties supporting mothers. “the moss bag is the anchor” (Jessie Fiddler-Kiss)
-“children are our greatest teachers,” they are the closest to spirit, learning from the world around them; a method of learning often forgotten by adults. Children teach us about love, play, and new beginnings.
-education systems need to allow for children to learn through play, discovery, failure, and follow their own sparks. 
-“Indigenous Methodology: Characteristics, Conversations, and Contexts” Margaret Kovach.
-think about the limitations Western academic processes and methods exert on knowledges that are connected with Land and Community? What are we missing if we don’t expand our minds and hearts to knowings and processes/methodologies that are community/land-based?
-Dr. Carmon Gillies, University of Saskatchewan
- A Critical Race Theory Analysis of Metis Teachers’ Counter-Stories. here
- Historical Racial Theories and Ongoing Racialization in Saskatchewan. here
-Trickster stories: Jessie is using “trickster stories” as a storytelling method for her Masters degree.
-the trickster is a common theme in many Native stories and teachings, with the purpose of teacher, making mistakes to teach humans.
-“Coyote the Trickster,”  Syilx Okanagan & Secwepemc stories. "Trickster Tales," “Trickster: Native American Tales” Dembicki, Thompson, Perry (graphic novel, “Trickster,” Eden Robinson (books) (CBC show)
-who/what is a Trickster in your community/culture? How do you learn from these stories/knowledges?
-“Whiteness as Property,” Cheryl Harris
-“Critical Race Theory, an introduction,” Delgado & Stefancic
-Moss Bag Science: moss bag as a tool for survival so caregivers could continue to work with babies.
-Sphagnum moss, used as ‘diaper,’ is anti septic and anti fungal. Its absorbant properties meant there were little (if no) diaper rash. It is antibacterial and has been used on wounds to heal and protect them. It is reusable, when the moss is used up, it went back to the earth.-“Antibacterial activities of some mosses...” Kang et al., here
- Swaddling mimics how babies are held in the womb and how they are delivered from the spirit world. It supports brain development in babies by continuing to hold them post birth. At this time, baby and mothers/fathers are flooded with hormones to allow for neuroplasticity- a perfect time for family healing, learning, and growth! Skin to skin regulates the baby, sleeping better when near loved ones.
-being in a moss bag, alongside those working, gathering, telling stories, allows for babies to be observant, always learning from their environment.
-Beading & Moss Bags. Each community/family has unique symbols, colours, & patterns of beading. Métis beading: colourful, usually on a black background, florals, plant medicines, and patterns of rotation & scale. Blackfoot beading: often geometrical with triangles, lines, and reflection.
Help re-matriate a Moss Bag Ancestor. Picture here, email here.
-Land-based Indigenous systems Education Program: programs for skills, conversations, and topics you wish you learned in school; eg. listening to aunties and grandparents talk in the kitchen, community land-based programs. fiddlerkissconsulting
-“Prison of Grass: Canada from a Native point of view,” Howard Adams. here
Gratitude to Sponsorship from BLUE MARBLE SPACE INSTITUTE of SCIENCE,