The Pocosin's Lesson: Translating respect for Indigenous knowledge systems in environmental research

Abstract

Indigenous peoples living in what is now coastal North Carolina gave the name pocosin to a unique type of nonriparian wetland endemic to the region. Their Algonquian dialects are poorly documented in colonial records and have been dormant for centuries; not even contemporary Indigenous peoples in the region speak these particular languages. But for decades, environmental researchers and practitioners have asserted in publications, classrooms, and public-facing materials that pocosin literally translates to “swamp on a hill.” Despite widespread assertions, no evidence exists to support the claim. This article debunks the widely circulated translation and explains, more generally, how even well-intentioned efforts to acknowledge Indigenous peoples and their knowledge systems within Western scientific frameworks may cause harm by undermining those Indigenous peoples’ stewardship of traditional ecological knowledge or by reinforcing other aspects of colonialism. The lessons apply broadly to researchers, practitioners, and institutions that engage with Indigenous peoples and their knowledge systems.