There are approximately 500 million Indigenous Peoples in the world. Wherever their homeland, they have endured a similar fate at the hands of colonizing powers. That fate has included assaults on their language and culture, commercialization of their art, and use of their plant knowledge in the development of medicine, all without consent or benefit to them. And the assault continues. In discussing these issues, the authors review how legislative schemes in countries with Indigenous populations along with the work of the United Nations and other international bodies impact on Indigenous Peoples. The authors also illustrate why current legal regimes are inadequate to protect Indigenous heritage, language and knowledge and put forward ideas for reforms. Some of the specific topics covered in this book include: Eurocentric views on what constitutes cultural and intellectual property; what constitutes Indigenous knowledge and who may use it; the importance of preserving Indigenous languages; the relationship between Indigenous languages and culture; how knowledge is transmitted in Indigenous communities; issues in performing arts and artwork; and proposals for creating a legal regime that will help revive and protect Indigenous knowledge and require consent for its use.

Pt. 1. The lodge of indigenous knowledge in modern thought. Eurocentrism and the European ethnographic tradition. What is indigenous knowledge? -- Pt. 2. Towards an understanding of the rights of indigenous peoples to their knowledge and heritage. The concept of indigenous heritage rights. The importance of language for indigenous knowledge. Decolonizing cognitive imperialism in education. Religious paradoxes. Paradigmatic thought in Eurocentric science. Ethical issues in research. Indigenous heritage and Eurocentric intellectual and cultural property rights. -- Pt. 3. Existing legal regimes and indigenous knowledge and heritage. The international intellectual and cultural property regime. The Canadian constitutional regime. The Canadian legislative regime. -- Pt. 4. The need for legal and policy reforms to protect indigenous knowledge and heritage. Rethinking intellectual and cultural property. Current international reforms. Enhancing indigenous knowledge and heritage in national law. Canadian policy considerations. -- Conclusion.