The Center for Braiding Indigenous Knowledges and Science (CBIKS) will examine how to effectively and ethically braid Indigenous and Western science, research, education, and practice related to the urgent and interconnected challenges of climate change, cultural places, and food security.
Collaborative Effort
The Midwest/Great Lakes regional work is Tribally co-led by the Sustainable Development Institute of the College of the Menominee Nation and the University of Michigan Matthaei Botanical Gardens.
Tribal guidance as well as as well as meaningful outcomes are central to CBIKS. In Michigan alone there are 12 Federally recognized Tribes and 2 State recognized Tribes. The Michigan Anishinaabek Cultural Preservation and Repatriation Alliance headquartered at the Ziibiwing Center of Anishinabe Culture & Lifeways assists with appropriate Tribal engagement.
Funding
CBIKS is funded by the National Science Foundation’s Science and Technology Centers with $30,000,000 over 5 years. The organizational Center is at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. This Midwest Hub is one of the 8 Initial Hubs across 4 countries.
Contact Information
William Johnson
Chairman of MACPRA and Curator/Operations Manager, Ziibiwing Center
Jennifer Gauthier
Director, Sustainable Development Institute
David C. Michener
Curator, Matthaei Botanical Gardens and Nichols Arboretum
Partners
