This project examines three indigenous communities — Huichol Wixárika; Chumash; and Inuit — the knowledge systems that undergird them, and their respective methods of knowledge organization and transmission, to expose the connection between communities’ values and epistemological practices.. Each case study focuses on epistemological characteristics and cultural experiences that impact their knowledge practices and traditions.  Huichol communities are located in Jalisco and Nayarit, Mexico, and rely on Shamans as knowledge carriers who orally and performatively transmit Huichol knowledge and traditions through sacred rituals. Master weavers use pictograms to transmit knowledge through various objects, in which features like color and shape have specific meanings. Chumash tribal traditions and culture were obliterated during the Spanish Colonization and Mission Era. In the 1960’s there was a reawakening of the heritage and with the help of anthropological findings, the Chumash are rebuilding their spiritual practices. Inuit Indigenous peoples inhabit the territories of Greenland, Canada, and Alaska. The principles embodied in the Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit, or Inuit traditional knowledge, on one hand define the norms of social conduct, and on the other guide the ways in which knowledge is transmitted intergenerationally. By building awareness of different knowledge transmission practices, and thus exposing some of the profound epistemological commonalities as well as differences that emerge from different communities’ identities, practices, and values, this project highlights the need for library professionals to approach patrons in ways that are both compatible with and considerate of their specific knowledge system.

About

This project was developed as part of the INFSTD212 Values and Communities class taught by Ulia Gosart in Fall 2021 at University of California, Los Angeles.

The team, in alphabetical order:

Josephine Camacho is pursuing an MLIS degree from the department of Information Studies at UCLA with a specialization in Informatics. Her work focuses on the anatomy of technological systems, and the political and social implications they have on society. She earned a B.A. in Sociology and Intensive Literature concentrating in Spanish, Latino, and Latin American literature from University of California, Santa Cruz.

Rochelle Johnston is pursuing an MLIS degree from the department of Information Studies at UCLA with a specialization in Informatics. Her work centers on government regulations relating to personal privacy, as well as on the corporate collection and use of digital data. She earned a B.A. in English from California State University, Bakersfield..

Pietro Santachiara is the Bernard and Martin Breslauer Fellow and a PhD student in the department of Information Studies at UCLA. His research deals with knowledge organization and modelling, classification of cultural heritage artifacts, and digital humanities. He holds a MSc from University of Lugano (Switzerland).