The Rematriation of Science: Restoring Balance through Indigenous Knowledges - Melissa K. Nelson | Part 1

Melissa K. Nelson and Host Jaune Evans How can a rematriated science address the roots of the polycrisis? Can society move beyond an anthropocentric, male-dominated science to a relational one rooted in justice and care? As an Anishinaabe ecologist and transdisciplinary scholar-activist, Commonweal New School Visiting Scholar Melissa K. Nelson is working to find ways to return to and revitalize the Indigenous and feminist roots of science by highlighting ways of knowing that are based on epistemologies of care, belonging, kinship, and respectful intimacy with the natural world and each other. Meet Melissa and find out more about her worldview in conversation with Host Jaune Evans in part one of this podcast. Watch for part two coming soon, where she will share an experiential process around her new work. ___ Melissa K. Nelson (Anishinaabe/Metis) Melissa is a Global Futures Professor of Indigenous Conservation and Sustainability at Arizona State University and Professor Emerita of American Indian Studies at San Francisco State University. From 1993 to 2021, she served as the founding executive director and CEO of the Cultural Conservancy and continues to serve as president of their board. She is a contributor and co-editor of What Kind of Ancestor Do You Want To Be? (2021), Traditional Ecological Knowledge: Learning from Indigenous Practices for Environmental Sustainability published (2018), and Original Instructions: Indigenous Teachings for a Sustainable Future (2008). She is Anishinaabe/Métis/Norwegian and a member of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians. Jaune Evans Jaune is a writer and visual artist. She serves as a senior meditation teacher and ordained Soto Zen priest with the Heart of Compassion Zen Sangha and the Bay Area Everyday Zen lineage. Jaune worked in public policy and philanthropy for three decades as the executive director of several foundations. Her ongoing interests and professional expertise include public health and hospice, Indigenous peoples’ rights, protecting sacred lands and waters, cultural and human rights, gender empowerment, and global justice alliance-building. She serves on the Board of Directors of Commonweal, as well as the leadership team of Healing Circles Global.