What is Etuaptmumk (Two-Eyed Seeing)?

Elder Dr. Albert Marshall defines Etuaptmumk (Two-Eyed Seeing) as “learning to see from one eye with the strengths of Indigenous ways of knowing, and to see from the other eye with strengths of Western ways of knowing, and to use both of these eyes together.” (Bartlett, Marshall, & Marshall, 2012, p. 335).

Two-Eyed Seeing generally means weaving together Western science as a way of knowing with traditional or Indigenous knowledge. It means acknowledging different perspectives and engaging with various forms of knowledge, research, worldviews, and values in a co-learning journey that is built on respect, community, meaningful relationships, and reciprocity. Bartlett, Marshall, and Marshall (2012) explain this concept in more depth and explain how “we need each other and must engage in a co-learning journey.” (p. 331)

To learn more about how Two-Eyed Seeing can inform your practices and research, review this 2020 Reconciling Ways of Knowing panel discussion with Mi’kmaq Elder Dr. Albert Marshall, Dr. Jesse Popp, Dr. Andrea Reid, and Deborah McGregor (Jaquie Miller as the moderator) and this article by Reid et al. (2020), “‘Two-Eyed Seeing’: An Indigenous framework to transform fisheries research and management“.

References

Bartlett, C., Marshall, M., & Marshall, A. (2012). Two-Eyed Seeing and other lessons learned within a co-learning journey of bringing together indigenous and mainstream knowledges and ways of knowing. Journal of Environmental Studies and Sciences, 2(4), 331–340. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13412-012-0086-8

Reid, A. J., Eckert, L. E., Lane, J.-F., Young, N., Hinch, S. G., Darimont, C. T., Cooke, S. J., Ban, N. C., & Marshall, A. (2021). “Two‐Eyed Seeing”: An Indigenous framework to transform fisheries research and management. Fish and Fisheries , 22(2), 243–261. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/faf.12516