Science and Research committee  Absolutely. Indigenous languages and indigenous knowledge are not universal, but there is a universality of connection to a specific land. Indigenous people have a spiritual, relational connection to the land, and the land teaches them. From that connection have arisen mathematics, science and chemistry from around the world, and with that, number systems.

Science and Research committee  I believe I've already said that. We have to walk alongside one another. How many indigenous people are in that room right now? What is your plan to work alongside communities throughout this process and not just today or through these meetings? I suggest that it's something that communities have to be a part of at every step, not just in these conversations.

Science and Research committee  There are many examples. Maybe I can send them in later. I think examples of the ways this has been done well are when indigenous people are at the forefront. If you look at any of the Maori universities in New Zealand, they are at the forefront of everything. They are at the decision-making level of this work.

Science and Research committee  The answer is probably no. Every community is different, and every community has a different level of trust in these processes with whatever organization they may be involved with. It has to start from the beginning. Any of this work being done, whether it is a mine or whatever else it might be, has to start, from the very first conversation, with “We're thinking of doing this so let's talk to the community.”

Science and Research committee  I do. I'll reference Robin Wall Kimmerer, a member of the Potawatomi community, who wrote Braiding Sweetgrass. Read it. She said something beautiful: When is Mother Earth going to be thanked by humans for being here, because she gives so much? Everything we have is from the earth.

Science and Research committee  Absolutely. In that case, a parallel path is more about walking alongside one another and supporting one another. That goes back to wampum belt teachings, which I don't have the rights to pass on or feel comfortable passing on, but look that up. You can offer some tobacco and ask about wampum belt teachings.

Science and Research committee  Absolutely. As I mentioned, when working with children—or anyone—the first thing I do is take them outside. One assignment right now for my university class is to go out on the land and learn something. The land will tell you. It will teach you something. Those are the truly relational methods.

Science and Research committee  Science North is doing some amazing things.

Science and Research committee  Number one, it's about community, knowledge-keepers and the elders. That will always be the centre of the work I do. It's about building that trust in myself and building that trust in them to bring forth their ideas on what they think should happen. Nothing happens without the community.

Science and Research committee  Can you repeat the question? It was a big one.

Science and Research committee  That's a very big one.

Science and Research committee  Yes, I'll just give you that report—that's great. I think there are so many challenges because, as I mentioned, from an indigenous perspective, there is such a seemingly narrow definition of “science” and how we do, be and know science and math. To me, science and math are under the same umbrella of thriving and understanding the world around us.

Science and Research committee  There are many suggestions. There's the TRC. There's UNDRIP. They're all there. You just have to do them. It's about doing the work to understand what those mean. We've done our work. I mentioned that there are a ton of resources. A lot of work has been done on how to do this in a good way and how to do this with us and the community.

Science and Research committee  It's in multiple ways. There are ways that we do it through, first of all, community connections, really starting with elders, knowledge-keepers and indigenous scientists and listening to their knowledges and what they would like to bring in. Secondly, it's through education. How do we create events that are connected to indigenous science so that everybody can understand, so there's a connection that people can get?

Science and Research committee  Stories are knowledge. When we tell a story, we're teaching—whatever that may be. For me and for my research, I never connected with math when I was in school. It didn't connect with my body, my culture, my spirit or the land until I realized, when I was doing my master's degree, that there is a way of doing, being and knowing in mathematics that's very standardized.