Led by the University of Melbourne with Technológico de Monterrey, The University of Auckland, and APRU, the Indigenous Knowledges Working Group aims to bring together the work of APRU members in multilateral collaborations to share knowledge, build connections between researchers, and enhance teaching programs in indigenous and First Nations studies. Participating Universities: Keio University Technológico de Monterrey The University of British Columbia The University of Melbourne The University of Queensland Universidad San Francisco de Quito Universiti Malaya University of Hawai’i at Mānoa University of Oregon University of the Philippines Strengthening Insights Many APRU members have world-leading departments and programs in the areas of Indigenous, First Nations, Māori, Pacific, Native American, and Latin American Studies. Over the last two decades, more leading universities have introduced international/ comparative dimensions to their Indigenous and First Nations programs. The APRU Indigenous Knowledges Network would be a platform to hold annual events and explore opportunities to collaborate and expand into the Asia-Pacific region by focusing on key themes such as the impact of climate change, sustainability, language preservation, education, cultural diversity and identity, among others. Thematic areas that are of interest could include: Fire and disaster management Alternative approaches to Indigenous health Indigenous languages Recognizing place: Promoting Indigenous culture on campus Indigenous legal practices Culture, heritage, and the creative arts Equity and diversity: discrimination in universities Indigenous staff development

Seminars will be held bi-weekly on Fridays from 10:00am-11:30am HKT (Thursday from 7:00pm-8:30pm PST) from mid-April through Mid-June.

The APRU Indigenous Knowledges Working Group is pleased to announce an inaugural Asia-Pacific Indigenous Studies.

The APRU Indigenous Knowledges Working Group concluded the Asia-Pacific Indigenous Studies Seminar Series on June 24. Academics from APRU Universities members and other guest universities could have an insightful exchange of ideas and strategies to explore relevant topics around Indigenous knowledges worldwide. As many as fifteen researchers working in a broad range of academic fields and community contexts presented their findings during five virtual events framed on the following topics: indigenous design and property regimes, reclaiming indigeneity, unsettling indigeneity, indigenous researchers forging flourishing indigenous futures, and inclusive education. They highlighted indigenous-led methodologies, indigenous language, and place-based research. Dr. Fredy Grefa, Professor, School of Social Sciences and Humanities, Universidad San Francisco de Quito (USFQ), used the Ecuadorian government’s Planes de Vida project to illustrate that well-intentioned initiatives may lead to an opposite outcome. Grefa spent two months researching in the Amazonian area covered by the Planes de Vida project. The project’s stated aim is to identify where the government should invest in infrastructure, socioenvironmental projects, and institutional build-up to meet the needs of Amazonian peoples. “I have found that indigenous concepts, methodologies and practices were absent and that the needs to comply with the timeline and formalities of state prevented the inclusion of Amazonian peoples,” Grefa said. Dr. Mohi Rua, Co-Director of the Māori & Psychology Research Unit, The University of Waikato, contextualized the precarity in the lives of the Whanau (Māori) and explained the government’s primary responses to precarity. “The precariat is defined by insecure employment, income insecurity, fewer political and economic rights, with Whanau having to perform a lot of work outside their paid jobs in appeasing the state, such as by queuing and form-filling,” Rua said. “The main responses to poverty are economic growth, which actually constitutes a pyramid scheme; crisis management through reliance on charity and philanthropy; government policies, such as aid for families; and the call to simply get a job to escape the poverty trap” he added. Moreover, Huiyu Lin, PhD Candidate, University of Washington, shared her insights on reclaiming Taiwan’s Indigeneity and Indigenous language reclamation. “We must focus on Indigenous perspectives and how they make sense and the importance of understanding the nuances of a specific community,” Lin said. “We have to cultivate an equal, authentic and reciprocal relationship between community and researchers,” she added. Presenters in the Asia-Pacific Indigenous Studies Seminar Series were Dr. Fredy Grefa, Professor, School of Social Sciences and Humanities, Universidad San Francisco de Quito (USFQ) Dr. Luke Hespanhol, Senior Lecturer in Design, The University of Sydney Prof. Linda Waimarie Nikora FRSNZ, Professor Co-Director of Ngā Pae o te Māramatanga, New Zealand Māori Centre of Research Excellence, The University of Auckland Prof. Tahu Kukutai FRSNZ, Co-Director of Ngā Pae o te Māramatanga, New Zealand Māori Centre of Research Excellence, and Professor of Demography based at Te Ngira – Institute for Population Research Prof. Jenny Lee-Morgan, Director of Ngā Wai a te Tūī Māori and Indigenous Research Centre, UNITEC Institute of Technology Dr. Mohi Rua, Co-Director of the Māori & Psychology Research Unit, The University of Waikato Dr. Shaun Awatere, Kaihaūtu Māori Research Impact Leader for Manaaki Whenua: Landcare Research, a Crown Research Institute Ms. Ja Yung Kim, PhD student, University of Auckland Ms. Huiyu Lin, PhD Candidate, University of Washington Prof. Brian Klopotek, Associate Professor, University of Oregon Ms. Karminn Cheryl Dinney Daytec Yañgot, Teaching Fellow / PhD student, University of the Philippines Dr. Elga Andriana, Researcher, Lecturer/Dr, Universitas Gadjah Mada Dr. Indra Yohanes Kiling, Senior Lecturer, Department of Psychology, Universitas Nusa Cendana Prof. David Evans, Professor of Special and Inclusive Education, The University of Sydney Prof. Jodie Hunter, Associate Professor, Massey University Moderators were Prof. Adrian Little, Pro Vice-Chancellor (International), The University of Melbourne Prof. Welyne Jeffrey Jehom, Senior Lecturer, Department of Anthropology and Sociology, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, Universiti Malaya Prof. Jessica Bissett Perea, Associate Professor of Native American Studies at the University of California, Davis Prof. Celina Solís, PhD candidate, The University of British Columbia For more information about the seminar series and the APRU working group on Indigenous Knowledges, please visit the event webpage here or contact us at [email protected]

The Fall 2021 Asia-Pacific Indigenous Studies Seminar led by the Universiti Malaya (UM) and University of California, Davis (UCD),  brought together the work of APRU members together to share knowledge, build connections between researchers, and enhance teaching programs in Indigenous and First Nations Studies. Many APRU members have world-leading departments and programs in the areas of Indigenous, First Nations, Māori, Pacific, or Native American Studies. While institutions conduct outstanding research in these fields, the deeply contextual nature of most Indigenous Studies has meant that there has been insufficient focus on how universities can practice and promote comparative research and teaching in this area. The Fall 2021 seminars facilitated fruitful exchanges between UM and UCD faculty, students, and alumni, who conduct research with, by, and for Indigenous Peoples and communities. Participants took the opportunity to explain how their respective universities are engaged in a wide range of relevant research areas. The four seminars focused on Land Rights and Management; Arts and Values; Living Languages; and Histories and Leadership. “We at UCD are strong in the fields of social, racial and environmental justice as well as inclusion, and Indigenous Studies are obviously tied to all these fields and constitute an important focus area within the UCD system” said Dr. Joanna Regulska, a UCD Professor of Gender, Sexuality, and Women’s Studies and UCD’s Vice Provost and Dean of Global Affairs. Dr. Yvonne Lim Ai Lian, UM’s Director of International Relations Office and Professor at UM’s Department of Parasitology, introduced UM’s reach out to the Indigenous peoples in the Malaysian Peninsular and Sabah in East Malaysia. The research team has some Indigenous members. “We are really proud to share the Indigenous peoples’ cultures, and there is a lot of great information we can share within the APRU Indigenous Knowledges Network,” Lim said. “I am really looking forward to a reopening of the borders after the pandemic to have the opportunity to travel and visit our peers in the network,” she added. Dr. Ruhana Padzil, Senior Lecturer at UM’s Department of Gender Studies, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, reported on her research on grassroots activism amongst Orang Asli, the oldest inhabitants of Peninsular Malaysia. Padzil’s research focusses on Orang Asli women activists in Leftists movements. “It is extremely interesting for me to learn how exactly these women joined the Communists and what their motivations were,” Padzil said. The APRU Indigenous Knowledges Network will continue to hold annual events and explore opportunities to expand into the Asia-Pacific region. The series was organized and led by Dr. Jessica Bissett Perea (Dena’ina [Alaska Native]) (Musicology), Associate Professor of Native American Studies, UC Davis; Dr. Welyne Jeffrey Jehom (Bidayuh) (Anthropology), Universiti Malaya; Dr. Patricia Nora Anak Riget (Bidayuh) (Linguistics), Deputy Director of International Relations Office and Senior Lecturer, Department of Asian and European Languages, Universiti Malaya; and Dr. Kamal Solhaimi Bin Fadzil (Anthropology), Senior Lecturer, Anthropology and Sociology, Universiti Malaya. The collaboration for the seminar series was initiated through the mentoring match between UC Davis and Universiti Malaya faculty of the APRU APWIL Mentoring Program, which has become a framework for success for other mentoring pairs of the program now and for the future. Read more about their experiences at here.