Building a Framework for Indigenous Astronomy Collaboration: Native Skywatchers, Indigenous Scientific Knowledge Systems, and The Bell Museum

Abstract

Hundreds of years ago, colonization happened. Today we are still living out the ripple effects of this history. How does this relate to science, informal science education, and institutions that promote science communication? What obligations or considerations should a science museum have before integrating Indigenous knowledge into their existing programming? Presented in this document is the process of building a framework intended to provide a roadmap for developing Indigenous astronomy programming which can be a model for other institutions that may be interested in collaborating with Indigenous communities.