Two-Eyed Seeing

About Two-Eyed Seeing

In 2004, Mi’kmaw Elder Albert Marshall introduced the term Etuaptmumk—or, “Two-Eyed Seeing”— as a way of understanding and applying both Indigenous Knowledge and Western science and worldviews to shape a more holistic perspective. In Elder Marshall’s words, Two-Eyed Seeing is: “learning to see from one eye with the strengths of Indigenous knowledges and ways of knowing, and from the other eye with the strengths of Western knowledges and ways of knowing, and to use both of these eyes together, for the benefit of all.”*

Key to this idea is equally valuing and applying both ways of knowing the world, not assimilating one viewpoint into another. Each perspective has its strengths in different forms and areas, with Indigenous Knowledge providing thousands of years of qualitative and holistic ways of knowing, and Western science offering a more quantitative and data-driven approach to understanding the world. This intertwining of different perspectives allows for a wider and deeper understanding of complex issues, including those found within the natural world.

Another core part of Two-Eyed Seeing is the focus on action and what happens after knowledge is imparted. Through the Two-Eyed Seeing approach, knowledge transforms the person who receives it; learners become responsible to act on the knowledge they have gained. The focus is on bringing together people, regardless of background, and using collective understanding to create a better future.

Two-Eyed Seeing has been adapted across Canada as an excellent model for understanding and addressing complex environmental problems. Click on each puzzle piece below to see some of the ways Indigenous Knowledge and Western science and worldviews have been used to better understand the natural world. Then, put the puzzle pieces together to form a complete Fraser River picture.

*Source: 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, 331–340. https://mikmawconservation.ca/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/Bartlett_Marshall-_2012.pdf