Indigenous Resources - General Guide

NOTE: The formal APA Style guide does not have a format to acknowledge Indigenous Elders and Knowledge Keepers as a reference. This can be seen as devaluing the rich information provided by these sources.  To remedy this, the following template has been developed by Lorisia MacLeod and NorQuest College Indigenous Student Centre Staff for citing and referencing Indigenous Elders and Knowledge Keepers (CC BY-NC 4.0).   

How to Cite Indigenous Elders & Knowledge Keepers

Unlike other personal communications, Elders and Knowledge Keepers are cited in-text and in the reference list. The in-text citation should follow the same guidelines noted for a paraphrase or direct quote:

Name of Elder/Knowledge Keeper with year of communication.

Delores Cardinal described the nature of the... (2018).

OR

The nature of the place was... (Cardinal, 2018).

How to Reference Indigenous Elders & Knowledge Keepers 

Format:

Last name, First initial., Nation/Community. Treaty Territory if applicable. Where they live if applicable. Topic/subject of communication if applicable. personal communication. Month Date, Year.

Example:

Cardinal, D., Goodfish Lake Cree Nation. Treaty 6. Lives in Edmonton. Oral teaching. personal communication. April 4, 2004.

Note: If you would like to approach an Elder or Knowledge Keeper for teachings, remember to follow protocol or if you are unsure what their protocol is, please ask them ahead of time.

The official MLA style guide does not have guidelines for citing Indigenous Elders and Knowledge Keepers. 

The following template has been developed by Lorisia MacLeod and NorQuest College Indigenous Student Centre Staff for citing Indigenous Elders and Knowledge Keepers (CC BY-NC 4.0). 

MLA Style

Unlike most other personal communications, Elders and Knowledge Keepers should be cited in-text and in the Works Cited list. 

In-text:

The in-text citation should follow MLA guidelines for formatting in-text citations for paraphrasing and direct quotes. Include the Elder or Knowledge Keeper's last name. For example:

Delores Cardinal described the nature of the...

OR

The nature of the place was... (Cardinal).

Corresponding Works Cited list entry:

Last name, First name., Nation/Community. Treaty Territory if applicable. City/Community they live in if applicable. Topic/subject of communication if applicable. Date Month Year. 

For Example: Cardinal, Delores., Goodfish Lake Cree Nation. Treaty 6. Lives in Edmonton. Oral teaching. 4 April 2004.

Note: If you would like to approach an Elder or Knowledge Keeper for teachings, remember to follow protocol or if you are unsure what their protocol is, please ask them ahead of time.