When considering using Indigenous Knowledge in research, teaching, etc., it should always be done with respect. Brigitte Vézina’s paper discusses a moral rights approach to respecting Indigenous cultures. Moral rights are part of copyrights in Canada and they grant creators the right of attribution (or paternity) and integrity.

“[Traditional Cultural Expressions - TCEs] are often interwoven with cultural significance as well as spiritual or sacred meaning. They are also expressed and preserved according to traditions that may be executed and transmitted only within fixed parameters. Maintaining the overall integrity, context and holistic essence of TCEs is fundamental for the proper representation of Indigenous cultures. When TCEs are used in derogatory, offensive or fallacious ways, that meaning is diluted — indeed, lost” (Ensuring respect for Indigenous cultures: A moral rights approach, Vézina, 2020).

To learn more about how you can respectfully use Indigenous Knowledge, see the following resources:

• Antoine, A., Mason, R., Mason, R., Palahicky, S. & Rodriguez de France, C. (2018). Pulling Together: A Guide for Curriculum Developers. Victoria, BC: BCcampus.
  https://opentextbc.ca/indigenizationcurriculumdevelopers 
• Udy, V. (2014). The appropriation of Aboriginal cultural heritage: Examining the uses and pitfalls of the Canadian intellectual property regime. Robic. https://www.robic.ca/en/publications/the-appropriation-of-aboriginal-cultural-heritage-examining-the-uses-and-pitfalls-of-the-canadian-intellectual-property-regime/ 
• Vézina, B. (2020). Ensuring respect for Indigenous cultures: A moral rights approach. Centre for International Governance Innovation, 243. https://www.cigionline.org/publications/ensuring-respect-indigenous-cultures-moral-rights-approach/