GUIDELINES FOR RESPECTING CULTURAL KNOWLEDGE
Indigenous knowledge system: The unified knowledge
that originates from and is characteristic of a particular
society and its culture.
Informed consent: Consent that is granted only after one
understands all that the consent permits or prohibits and
the implications and possible effects of granting that
consent. Appropriate translation services need to be
provided for persons to be truly “informed” when more
than one language is involved.
Legal protection: Protected by the laws of a government or
society. Does not always have to be in written form
(some Native laws are passed on through oral tradition
and customary practice.)
Manuscript: A written document that may be presented to a
publisher or others.
Native: A member of an indigenous society, as distinguished
from a stranger, immigrant, or others who are not
considered full members of the indigenous society.
Native language specialist: A speaker of a language who is
recognized by other speakers of the language as being
fluent in the language and has the ability to translate and
interpret the language correctly.
Password protected: A method of protecting access to
information; requiring a person to know a password to
gain access to particular information.
Placed-based education: An educational program that is
firmly grounded in a community’s unique physical,
cultural and ecological system, including the language,
knowledge, skills and stories that have been handed
down through the generations.
Public domain: Something that is owned by the public and
is free from any legal restriction, such as a copyright or
patent.
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