Rekindling Relations: Integrating Mvskoke Indigenous Knowledge for Bio-Cultural Climate Adaptation
A collaborative research team including the North Central CASC, University of Oklahoma, and College of the Muscogee Nation will conduct ethnographic interviews in the Mvskoke Language (Opvnvkv) documenting Mvskoke Indigenous Knowledge (IK) on several culturally significant species relevant to climate adaptation. The findings will support local management efforts by providing educational curricula on wild foods, scientific publications, and resources to support Mvskoke language revitalization efforts.
Project Summary
Across the United States, climate change and habitat loss threaten species and wild foods that are deeply tied to cultural identity, traditions, and language. Mvskoke Indigenous Knowledge (IK) offers invaluable insights to climate adaptation strategies for culturally and ecologically significant species within the southeastern homelands and current jurisdictions of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation. To support conservation efforts, this project seeks to integrate Mvskoke IK into climate adaptation strategies for culturally significant species and wild foods. Jaguars, in particular, are culturally significant as well as apex predators that play a crucial role in maintaining ecosystem structure, and their conservation has wide-ranging benefits for biodiversity.
This project aims to document Mvskoke IK to explore culturally appropriate conservation and climate adaptation approaches for local wild foods and culturally significant species, enhance understanding of jaguar historical distributions and inform conservation efforts, and support Mvskoke language and cultural revitalization efforts. To do this, focus group discussions will be hosted to co-design objectives and ensure ethical approaches. Additionally, ethnographic interviews will be conducted with nine Mvskoke elders in the Mvskoke language (Opvnvkv) to document IK on climate-vulnerable species.
Collected data will be transcribed, translated, and analyzed to create educational materials on wild foods, a Mvskoke language database for the College of the Muscogee Nation, a management report for the Muscogee (Creek) Nation outlining practical applications of Mvskoke IK, and an ethnobiology manuscript evaluating Mvskoke IK on jaguars as evidence of historical habitation in the southeastern region. By co-developing ethical and effective pathways for integrating Mvskoke IK into climate adaptation efforts, this project will contribute to conservation efforts while strengthening Mvskoke cultural heritage and resilience.
To complement Mvskoke IK insights, a national-scale species distribution model (SDM) will be developed to assess historical and future habitat suitability for the jaguar across the contiguous United States, with emphasis on the Southeast. The model integrates vetted global jaguar presence records with 26 candidate environmental and anthropogenic variables and span both baseline (2000–2014) and mid-century (2055, SSP3–7.0) time periods. This study will test IK-informed hypotheses regarding southeastern jaguar presence and may challenge prevailing assumptions in North American historical ecology, highlighting new opportunities for landscape-scale recovery planning that centers both cultural and ecological restoration.
- Source: USGS Sciencebase (id: 675094f1d34ed8d38585257f)
Brian W Miller, Ph.D.
Research Ecologist, North Central CASC
Meagan Oldfather, Ph.D.
Biologist, North Central CASC
Tony Ciocco (Former Employee)
Biologist, NC CASC
A collaborative research team including the North Central CASC, University of Oklahoma, and College of the Muscogee Nation will conduct ethnographic interviews in the Mvskoke Language (Opvnvkv) documenting Mvskoke Indigenous Knowledge (IK) on several culturally significant species relevant to climate adaptation. The findings will support local management efforts by providing educational curricula on wild foods, scientific publications, and resources to support Mvskoke language revitalization efforts.
Project Summary
Across the United States, climate change and habitat loss threaten species and wild foods that are deeply tied to cultural identity, traditions, and language. Mvskoke Indigenous Knowledge (IK) offers invaluable insights to climate adaptation strategies for culturally and ecologically significant species within the southeastern homelands and current jurisdictions of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation. To support conservation efforts, this project seeks to integrate Mvskoke IK into climate adaptation strategies for culturally significant species and wild foods. Jaguars, in particular, are culturally significant as well as apex predators that play a crucial role in maintaining ecosystem structure, and their conservation has wide-ranging benefits for biodiversity.
This project aims to document Mvskoke IK to explore culturally appropriate conservation and climate adaptation approaches for local wild foods and culturally significant species, enhance understanding of jaguar historical distributions and inform conservation efforts, and support Mvskoke language and cultural revitalization efforts. To do this, focus group discussions will be hosted to co-design objectives and ensure ethical approaches. Additionally, ethnographic interviews will be conducted with nine Mvskoke elders in the Mvskoke language (Opvnvkv) to document IK on climate-vulnerable species.
Collected data will be transcribed, translated, and analyzed to create educational materials on wild foods, a Mvskoke language database for the College of the Muscogee Nation, a management report for the Muscogee (Creek) Nation outlining practical applications of Mvskoke IK, and an ethnobiology manuscript evaluating Mvskoke IK on jaguars as evidence of historical habitation in the southeastern region. By co-developing ethical and effective pathways for integrating Mvskoke IK into climate adaptation efforts, this project will contribute to conservation efforts while strengthening Mvskoke cultural heritage and resilience.
To complement Mvskoke IK insights, a national-scale species distribution model (SDM) will be developed to assess historical and future habitat suitability for the jaguar across the contiguous United States, with emphasis on the Southeast. The model integrates vetted global jaguar presence records with 26 candidate environmental and anthropogenic variables and span both baseline (2000–2014) and mid-century (2055, SSP3–7.0) time periods. This study will test IK-informed hypotheses regarding southeastern jaguar presence and may challenge prevailing assumptions in North American historical ecology, highlighting new opportunities for landscape-scale recovery planning that centers both cultural and ecological restoration.
- Source: USGS Sciencebase (id: 675094f1d34ed8d38585257f)