Knowledge Basket
“Tsu héidei shugaxhtootáan yá yaakhoosgé daakeit haa jeex’ a nakh has kawdik’éet’. “We will again open this container of wisdom that has been left in our care.”
– George Davis, May 29, 1980 Sealaska Eldersʼ Conference: Elders Speak to the Future
Welcome to the SIGN Knowledge Basket
About the Basket
The SIGN Knowledge Basket is a dedicated repository that gathers, preserves, and shares knowledge, histories, information, and research in various formats. Both Indigenous Knowledge, tribal publications, and scientific expertise are included in the repository and are complementary for a deeper understanding of our unique ecosystems and connections between people and place. The goal is to bring awareness to existing information that could support synergies, uplift projects, and foster collaboration in advocacy, research and policymaking. By fostering connections between knowledge systems, generations, and across the region, we hope to harness the power of knowledge and uphold wisdom in strengthened decision-making.
Disclaimer: We will earnestly try our best to ensure knowledge is respected with integrity, in ethical ways that are grounded in Indigenous data sovereignty principles, and that intellectual property rights are upheld. The reports and information curated are publicly sourced and discoverable, however, should you have any concerns or questions with that is currently presented on the portal, please reach our team. The ownership of documents in the collection remains with original authors and creators. If you would like to contribute to the basket or have feedback on functionality, our SIGN team will review requests upon receipt. We are excited to share this resource and system improvement is welcome.
Weaving the Basket
The art and practice of making a basket embodies storytelling, knowledge transmission and deep reverence for the land, air and water in which we source our basket materials.
Before you embark on your basket-making journey, you envision and design, taking stock of priorities and needs on why you are making a basket. As you embark, you notice the importance of having strong foundations, tools or methods for communication to steer towards your goal and be true to your vision. This powerful metaphor of weaving a basket shares how we practice knowledge transmission and learn about cultural protocols for caring for knowledge. Before you even start making a basket, you often think about the purpose. You have teachings passed on to you on how to make a basket. As you go out on the land to harvest materials, you are in a good mind and have a good heart. You ask for permission to pick bark from the tree and only take what is necessary. You have to process and soak and treat the materials with care. As the basket maker continues weaving, the basket forms an inner wall interlaced with an outer wall. It is the tension between these two walls that gives strength to the basket. For the basket maker, this strength from the tension between the two walls also gives the basket its integrity—a strong basket is a useful basket. In basket making, it is important to have balance all around the basket. The basket maker must continually turn the basket as they work to inspect for balance and evenness.
We hope that the SIGN Knowledge Basket can be a community-based resource in service to the region.
Start Weaving
Use the search bar to ask questions or filter by categories and themes. For example, you can search “what educational materials are there?” or “what information do you have on salmon?” and add a “Biological” or “Economic” to filter information.