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Nuclear Contamination and Indigenous Health

Nuclear Contamination and Indigenous Health

May 22, 2026

This first installment of the Hanford Series explores the lasting impacts of nuclear contamination on Indigenous health, land-based lifeways, and cultural continuity among the Sahaptin peoples. Through personal reflection, historical context, and Indigenous environmental perspectives, the article examines how contamination moves through water, food, ceremony, and community across the Columbia Plateau.

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Reclaiming Cultural Diversity as a Pathway to Nutritional Justice

Reclaiming Cultural Diversity as a Pathway to Nutritional Justice

May 14, 2026

An exploration of how cultural diversity, Indigenous food sovereignty, and ancestral knowledge offer pathways to nutritional justice. This post examines nutrition trauma caused by colonization and globalization, and highlights how reclaiming traditional food systems strengthens community resilience, health equity, and cultural identity.

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Indigenous Ways of Knowing

Indigenous Ways of Knowing

May 7, 2026

Explore how Indigenous health systems, grounded in relational and ecological practices, can expand evidence frameworks, advance health equity, and bridge global health research.

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Saffron: Medicine, Tradition, and the Women Who Sustain Its Ancient Knowledge

Saffron: Medicine, Tradition, and the Women Who Sustain Its Ancient Knowledge

May 4, 2026

A look at the medicinal power of saffron, its deep history across Persia, Ayurveda, and Unani traditions, and the vital role of women whose ancestral knowledge sustains its cultivation.

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Mapping Epistemological Scales

Mapping Epistemological Scales

April 24, 2026

This post examines the distinctions between traditional, tribal, and Indigenous epistemologies, highlighting how each system is shaped by context, governance, and responsibility. Clarifying these differences supports more ethical, precise, and respectful engagement with Indigenous knowledge systems.

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Naming Knowledge with Care

Naming Knowledge with Care

April 21, 2026

This post clarifies how terms like Indigenous, Indigenous Knowledges, Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK), and Local Ecological Knowledge (LEK) are used across research and practice. By distinguishing between them, it highlights how language shapes recognition, responsibility, and the ethical engagement of knowledge systems.

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Indigenous Knowledge and the Politics of Naming

Indigenous Knowledge and the Politics of Naming

April 17, 2026

Indigenous knowledge systems are increasingly recognized across research and policy, yet the language used to describe them remains fragmented and imprecise. This post explores how conceptual ambiguity shapes the way Indigenous knowledge is understood, engaged, and often misrepresented, and why clarity is essential for ethical, accountable research.

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Elina Vesara
Ostern Fund