INDIGENOUS KNOWLEDGE IN ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT

Increasingly, federal environmental guidelines require developers to c onsider the ''traditional knowledge'' of aboriginal people in assessin g the impact of proposed projects on northern environments, economies, and societies. However, several factors have limited the contribution s of traditional knowledge to environmental impact assessment (EIA) in the North, including confusion over the meaning of this term, who ''o wns'' this knowledge, and its role in EIA. The term ''indigenous knowl edge,'' which comprises traditional and nontraditional, ecological and nonecological knowledge, is proposed as an alternative that should al low aboriginal people, and the full scope of their knowledge, to assum e integral roles in EIA. Experience gained in attempting to give abori ginal people a voice and an assessment role in the diamond mine propos ed by BHP Diamonds Inc. at Lac de Gras in the Northwest Territories ha s led to the development of a multiphased, holistic approach to involv ing aboriginal people and their knowledge in EIA. Because of their in- depth knowledge of the land, aboriginal people have a particularly imp ortant role to play in environmental monitoring and distinguishing pro ject-related changes from natural changes in the environment. However, the strengths of traditional and Western scientific knowledge in EIA will not be realized until both are recognized as parts of a larger wo rldview that influences how people perceive and define reality.