Jane Lubchenco, PAS Academician; Oregon State University, Department of Integrative Biology

Abstract

The Biden-Harris Administration made historic progress in delivering on President Biden’s commitment to support Tribal Nations and Indigenous Peoples, including strengthening understanding and respect for Tribal sovereignty and Native history and elevating Indigenous Knowledge through formal White House Guidance to federal departments and agencies. Through this Guidance, the Administration formally recognized Indigenous Knowledge as one of the many important bodies of knowledge that contributes to the scientific, technical, social, and economic advancements of the United States and our collective understanding of the natural world.

1.    Introduction

Indigenous Peoples in the United States include members of the 574 federally recognized Native American Tribes and Alaska Native entities, Native Hawaiians and other Pacific Islanders, and other Indigenous peoples.

During his first week in office, President Biden pledged[3] to support Tribal Nations and Indigenous Peoples, strengthen understanding and respect for Tribal sovereignty and Native history, and address long-standing issues of importance to the Tribes and Indigenous Peoples. To assist in achieving that commitment, President Biden reactivated the White House Council on Native American Affairs (hereafter, the Council), initially established by President Barack Obama “to improve the coordination of federal programs and use of available federal resources for the benefit of Tribes and Tribal communities”. Composed of the heads of federal departments and agencies and White House offices, the Council focused on a wide range of issues, including Tribal-centric topics (Tribal treaty rights, Tribal homelands, sacred sites, and Native language) as well as Tribal perspectives on a broad range of other topics (climate change, health, education, economic development, energy, infrastructure, safety and justice).

The Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) is one of the White House Offices that compose the Council. Recognizing the importance of Indigenous Knowledge (IK) to the work of the Council and to a broad array of federal department and agency decisions, OSTP proposed the development of formal IK guidelines for departments and agencies.

The fact that the Office of Science and Technology Policy initiated and co-led the process is relevant to this Pontifical Academy of Sciences and Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences workshop. So, too, is the underlying premise of the U.S. work that IK is vitally important and relevant and should help inform government actions, alongside science and other forms of evidence, while respecting its origins and keepers.

In 2021, at the first White House Tribal Nations Summit of his Administration, President Biden announced a new IK Initiative. This announcement launched an IK working group, led by OSTP and another White House Office, the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ), and composed of representatives from more than 25 federal agencies. The working group was charged with consulting widely and producing a new policy on IK. The President’s announcement complemented the Administration’s commitment to scientific integrity and knowledge- and evidence-based policymaking.

The working group consulted widely with agencies, Tribal Nations and other Indigenous Peoples, knowledge experts, and the public. Engagement included formal Nation-to-Nation Consultation, meetings, and input from more than 100 federally recognized Tribes. The working group also held public listening sessions, convened Roundtables with Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islanders and with Native and Indigenous Youth, and held dozens of individual meetings with people with experience and expertise on IK. Finally, the working group released a draft of the guidance to Tribal Nations for consultation prior to finalizing the guidelines.

The resulting White House Guidance on IK[4] was released by OSTP and CEQ at the 2022 White House Tribal Nations Summit. The Guidance defines IK, directs U.S. departments and agencies to consider and where relevant apply IK in federal research, policies, and decision making, and encourages ongoing respectful engagement with Indigenous Knowledge-holders – as described in the next sections.

2.    What is Indigenous Knowledge?

Indigenous communities within the United States use a variety of terms including “Indigenous Knowledge”, “Traditional Knowledge”, and “Traditional Ecological Knowledge”. After extensive consultation with Tribes, Indigenous Peoples and experts, the working group decided to use “Indigenous Knowledge” to encompass all of these terms.

The Guidance defines IK as follows: “Indigenous Knowledge is a body of observations, oral and written knowledge, innovations, practices, and beliefs developed by Tribes and Indigenous Peoples through interaction and experience with the environment.”

The Guidance further clarifies that “IK is applied to phenomena across biological, physical, social, cultural, and spiritual systems. It can be developed over millennia, continues to develop, and includes understanding based on evidence acquired through direct contact with the environment and long-term experiences, as well as extensive observations, lessons, and skills passed from generation to generation.”

3.    What is the White House Guidance on Indigenous Knowledge?

Federal departments and agencies were already required by President Biden’s directive and by the Evidence Act of 2018 to use science, data, and evidence in their federal decision-making. The new IK Guidance directs them to also consider and, where appropriate, apply IK in their research, policy, and management decisions. And it assists agencies in (1) understanding IK and why it is relevant, (2) growing and maintaining the mutually beneficial relationships with Tribal Nations and Indigenous Peoples needed to appropriately understand and include IK, and (3) implementing the directive to consider and apply IK in their decision making.

The Guidance emphasizes that agencies should obtain consent from Tribal Nations and Indigenous Peoples prior to including IK in federal policy, research, or decision-making. The guidance makes clear that the U.S. government understands that Tribes and Indigenous Peoples may possess IK that is sensitive, sacred, or belongs to certain families or clans.

The Guidance formally recognizes Indigenous Knowledge as “one of the many important bodies of knowledge that contributes to the scientific, technical, social, and economic advancements of the United States and our collective understanding of the natural world”. An underlying assumption is that “use of multiple ways of knowing or lines of evidence can make for better-informed decision making”.

The Guidance also identifies promising practices, based on agency experience and Tribal and Indigenous input, for (1) collaborating with Tribal Nations and Indigenous peoples, (2) considering and applying IK in implementing statutory and regulatory requirements, and (3) respecting the decisions of Tribal Nations and Indigenous peoples on whether and how to engage in Federal processes.

In addition to the Guidance, OSTP and CEQ also released an Implementation Memorandum[5] which tasked agencies with reporting on progress within 180 days, and announced the formation of a new standing interagency group under the White House OSTP National Science and Technology Council that will assist in coordination and implementation of the new guidance across agencies.

4.    What has been the result of this new IK Guidance?

Prior to the Guidance, some federal agencies were already applying IK in their work, although how they were doing so varied considerably from agency to agency; many others were not considering IK at all. After the Guidance was issued, departments and agencies reviewed their practices, began to harmonize their approaches to IK, and started interacting more with each other, especially through the new IK Subcommittee.

This new IK Subcommittee became a productive community of practice that fostered meaningful collaboration, enabled identification of best practices and shared learning, and promoted problem-solving to address cross-cutting agency challenges. The Subcommittee also incentivized meaningful progress.

Several departments and agencies such as the Department of the Interior, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation have announced their own Indigenous Knowledge guidance that translates the more generic guidance of the White House policy into more granular direction tailored to the agency’s specific mission. The requirement for all departments and agencies to deliver a progress report stimulated considerable, productive discussions and exchanges within the Subcommittee and within the agencies.

Examples of the incorporation of IK into agency practices are emerging. For example, the Native American Tribal practice of routinely burning small patches of landscape to maintain culturally important plants and prevent large wildfires is now beginning to be incorporated into agency wildfire management practices.

A key to the success of this effort has been leadership from scientists and Indigenous experts across the interagency, but especially two scientists and the six Indigenous members of the Climate and Environment team at OSTP between 2021 and 2024. The latter included Native Americans, Alaska Natives, and a Native Hawaiian, all of whom brought deep expertise and lived experiences that greatly enriched and strengthened the work. Recognizing the benefits of Indigenous expertise, OSTP created a position dedicated to ‘Indigenous Engagement and Native American Affairs.’ This person was OSTP’s lead on the interagency IK Subcommittee and coordinated closely with the White House Council on Native American Affairs.

In summary, this new formal White House Guidance on IK and associated White House and agency positions were intended to make decisions made by agencies and the White House more robust, durable, and effective. It is too early to evaluate the full impacts of this work, but the initial progress is encouraging. Especially when confronting global challenges like climate change and loss of biodiversity which have significant consequences to human health, national security, and the economy, more pathways for inclusion of IK and Indigenous Peoples are urgently needed.

[1] Lubchenco served as Deputy Director for Climate and Environment at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy from February 16, 2021 to January 10, 2025, on loan to the White House from Oregon State University.

[2] As of January 13, 2025, Lubchenco resumed her positions as Distinguished University Professor of Integrative Biology and Valley Professor of Marine Biology at Oregon State University.

[3] U.S. Federal Register Notice 2021-02075 (86 FR 7491) Tribal Consultation and Strengthening Nation-to-Nation Relationships, Memorandum from President Joe Biden to the Heads of Executive Departments and Agencies. January 26, 2021 Federal Register :: Tribal Consultation and Strengthening Nation-to- Nation Relationships https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2021/01/29/2021-02075/tribal-consultation-and-strengthening-nation-to--nation-relationships

[4] 2022 November 30. White House Guidance on IK: Memorandum for Heads of Federal Departments and Agencies: Guidance For Federal Departments and Agencies on Indigenous Knowledge, from Arati Prabhakar, Assistant to the President and Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy and Brenda Mallory, Chair, Council on Environmental Quality https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/OSTP-CEQ-IK-Guidance.pdf

[5] 2022 November 30. White House Implementation of Guidance for Federal Departments and Agencies on Indigenous Knowledge https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/IK-Guidance-Implementation-Memo.pdf