LibGuides: Indigenous Studies: Citation & Writing Tools

Citing Indigenous Elders and Knowledge Keepers

APA (more information in the column to the right) has recently added specific directions for citing Traditional Knowledge or Oral Traditions of Indigenous Peoples. These may be found in "Section 8.9 Personal Communications" of the APA Publication Manual, Seventh Edition.

MLA (more information in the column to the right) citation style does not have a format for citing Indigenous Elders and Knowledge Keepers.

Thank you to Lorisia MacLeod, at Norquest College, who has developed the MLA citation template below in the spirit of wahkôhtowin and reconciliation.

MLA Style

Unlike most other personal communications, Elders and Knowledge Keepers should be cited in-text and in the reference list.

In-text

The MLA in-text citation format should be:

Delores Cardinal described the nature of the... OR The nature of the place was... (Cardinal).

Reference List

The citation format for the reference list follows the following format:

Last name, First name, Nation/Community. Treaty Territory (if applicable). City/Community they live in (if applicable). Topic/subject of communication (if applicable). Date Month Year.

For Example: Cardinal, Delores, Goodfish Lake Cree Nation. Treaty 6. Lives in Edmonton. Oral teaching. 4 April 2004.

Note: If you would like to approach an Elder or Knowledge Keeper for teachings, remember to follow protocol. If you are unsure what their protocol is, please ask them ahead of time.

The politics of citation: Is the peer review process biased against Indigenous academics?

Indigenous Writing Reference

Elements of Indigenous Style: A Guide for Writing By and About Indigenous Peoples by Younging, Gregory
Call Number: PN 147 Y68 2018
ISBN: 9781550597165
Publication Date: 2018
Available in library as a Book and online as an eBook.

Elements of Indigenous Style provides guidelines to help writers, editors, and publishers produce material that reflects Indigenous people in an appropriate and respectful manner.
Indigenous Writes by Chelsea Vowel
Call Number: OUR STORIES E 78 C2 V69 2016
ISBN: 9781553796800
Publication Date: 2016
In Indigenous Writes, Chelsea Vowel initiates myriad conversations about the relationship between Indigenous peoples and Canada. An advocate for Indigenous worldviews, the author discusses the fundamental issues--the terminology of relationships; culture and identity; myth-busting; state violence; and land, learning, law and treaties--along with wider social beliefs about these issues. She answers the questions that many people have on these topics to spark further conversations at home, in the classroom, and in the larger community.
So You Want to Write about American Indians? by Devon Abbott Mihesuah; Devon Miheusah
Call Number: PN 146 M54 2005
ISBN: 9780803282988
Publication Date: 2005-04-01
So You Want to Write about American Indians? is the first of its kind--an indispensable guide for anyone interested in writing and publishing a novel, memoir, collection of short stories, history, or ethnography involving the Indigenous peoples of the United States. In clear language illustrated with examples--many from her own experiences--Choctaw scholar and writer Devon Abbott Mihesuah explains the basic steps involved with writing about American Indians.