Who We Are

The IKL is a unique research, engagement, and advocacy platform that responds to the need for Indigenous peoples to be placed at the center of a new way of thinking and research, learning, and practice.

The IKL vision emerged from the experiences, hopes, and dreams of Indigenous scholars and practitioners living in a world that continues to suffer from the legacy of colonisation, marginalisation, and injustices. Its founder, Krishna K. Shrestha, is an Indigenous academic and activist-scholar from Nepal’s Newar Indigenous community. Krishna has experienced all forms of discrimination and marginalisation that is associated with being an indigenous person. He thus recognizes and appreciates the power of indigenous knowledge in helping eradicate societal injustices. His active and sustained personal and professional engagements within the scholarly, policy, and practice domain of Indigenous and non-Indigenous learnings have provided a robust foundation of experience and networks, on which IKL is built.

The main IKL’s unique advantage is our specialized focus on engaged research on alternative data generation, advocacy and empowerment for Indigenous peoples.

Indigenous knowledge is collective knowledge. To this end, IKL strives to develop a strong team of Indigenous researchers, scholars, activists and community leaders. We plan on doing so via IKL programs with Indigenous knowledge keepers at the forefront.

The proposed IKL platform will attract and support a team of Indigenous researchers, knowledge keepers and practioners whose ambition is to weave Indigenous people’s thinking, policy and innovations into solutions for some of the most pressing issues of our time.

IKL aspires to be a ‘hub’ where Indigenous thinking can be applied to the issues that ‘scientists’ and ‘experts’ are currently working on across issues such as disaster resilience, environmental justice, climate change, food security, and inclusive development.