Standing for Unči Maka (Grandmother Earth) and all Life: An Introduction to Lakota Traditional Sciences, Principles and Protocols and the Birth of a New Era of Scientific Collaboration

Lakota science and scientific systems were communally developed over thousands of years with sustainability, alignment and ecological balance as the goals. Lakota knowledge keepers, traditional leaders and scholars offer an introduction to Lakota scientific systems, principles and protocols to stimulate a much needed dialogue between Indigenous scientists and the mainstream scientific, economic and political communities. As is customary protocol-wise, the Lakota always follow &Scaron;ungwakaŋ, the Horse Nation. Here, the Lakota provide narrative correction with regard to their relationship with &Scaron;ungwakaŋ, their history, sciences, perspectives, scientific systems, and clarification regarding their sacred commitment to protect Unči Maka (Grandmother Earth) and all life. A case is made for the birthing of a new, truly collaborative era for Science that is based upon equality and mutual respect, fully embracing the contributions and concepts of unique scientific systems. With climate change upon us, the world can no longer afford to have Indigenous scientific systems suppressed or their voices actively ignored and silenced within science and academia. There is only one Earth, and she is calling out for us to come together for the protection of all life. Mitakuye Oyasiŋ.</p

Early dispersal of domestic horses into the Great Plains and northern Rockies

The horse is central to many Indigenous cultures across the American Southwest and the Great Plains. However, when and how horses were first integrated into Indigenous lifeways remain contentious, with extant models derived largely from colonial records. We conducted an interdisciplinary study of an assemblage of historic archaeological horse remains, integrating genomic, isotopic, radiocarbon, and paleopathological evidence. Archaeological and modern North American horses show strong Iberian genetic affinities, with later influx from British sources, but no Viking proximity. Horses rapidly spread from the south into the northern Rockies and central plains by the first half of the 17th century CE, likely through Indigenous exchange networks. They were deeply integrated into Indigenous societies before the arrival of 18th-century European observers, as reflected in herd management, ceremonial practices, and culture.</p