X7ensq't: "The sky and the land will turn on you," and its meaning for the future of Indigenous Languages, Knowledges and Lands
Dr. Marianne Ignace is Distinguished Professor in the departments of Linguistics and Indigenous Studies at Simon Fraser University, and Director of SFU's Indigenous Languages Program and the Indigenous Languages Research Centre. A resident of the Skeetchestn community in the Secwepemc Nation, she teaches and coordinates courses in Indigenous languages in Kamloops, Haida Gwaii, and Yukon, and her work focuses on Indigenous language documentation and revitalization as well as ethnobotany and ethnoecology.
The seminar focuses on the traditional knowledge that Dr. Ignace and colleagues have learned from Elders. How do people conceptualize laws about human or multispecies conduct on the land? How does it translate into how we look at water, land, and cultural fires? What does the traditional knowledge mean for restoration?
Organized by the Multi-Institutional Biocultural Conservation Group
IPBES Second Global Assessment on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services
IPBES is working towards the Second Global Assessment on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (2GA). It will evaluate progress toward the 2030 and 2050 targets of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. The 2GA is the first Global Assessment to include a chapter on Indigenous and local knowledge, and one central goal is to assess progress towards achieving the goals of sustainability and living in harmony with nature.
Gabriel Nemogá, member of the BCC academic network, identifies a significant opportunity to position the biocultural diversity framework in this science-policy space, where the network could make invaluable contributions. The first draft of the 2GA will be made available to the public in June for public comments.
The Scoping Report and relevant information are available at the IPBES website.
Shared by Gabriel Nemogá, University of Winnipeg / Universidad Nacional de Colombia
Biocultural Restoration of Social-Ecological Systems in Hawaiʻi
Professor Kawika Winter is a multidisciplinary ecologist who has focused his research and professional career on large-scale biocultural restoration of social-ecological systems in Hawaiʻi. His particular areas of interest include revival of traditional resource management, and he operates in the spheres of academia, conservation, and policy.
After serving more than a decade as the Director at Limahuli Garden and Preserve on the island of Kauaʻi, he is now the Reserve Manager at the Heʻeia National Estuarine Research Reserve on Oʻahu. He holds a faculty position at the Hawaiʻi Institute of Marine Biology (University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa), is an Affiliate Faculty in Natural Resources and Environmental Management (University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa), and is a Research Associate with National Tropical Botanical Garden.
This seminar is part of the ISR-BCIP Spring 2026 Seminar Series. Read more about the series and the 2026 line-up under highlighted events.
Contact: Kelsie Kuniyoshi (kelsiepk@hawaii.edu)