u/Infinite_Owl25

I am in the field of Natural Resources, and something that comes up frequently in studying and discussion of plants, ecosystems, agriculture, and humans' interactions with the earth, is the knowledge that Indigenous peoples had and still have about these topics. I understand that there is obviously a stereotype that takes these ideas too far, but there are certainly practices and knowledge about the natural world that are far more sustainable than many of the current practices in the US. Some examples just to be clear about what I am talking about would include: techniques of agriculture and controlled burns, what plants grow well together, and the Forestry techniques of the Menominee. Additionally, while not related to sustainability, knowledge about foraging and how to prepare various plants as food such as syrup from maple trees, making sumac into a lemonade-like drink, and even popping corn.

My question is how should those like myself who are not Indigenous people approach these sorts of traditional knowledge? I see many people who are passionate about the natural world/foraging/gardening/etc. embrace and utilize many of these ideas, but given that many of these ideas are very tied to Indigenous cultures and sometimes spirituality (like with some of the food examples I provided), I wanted to inquire about how these should be approached. Should they be used as long as their source is acknowledged, should they be left alone to the cultures that created these practices? I would appreciate any replies and resources on this topic

Appropriation of Indigenous cultures through names and imagery is obviously very prevalent, as evidenced by the post I just happened to see on this subreddit (https://www.reddit.com/r/IndianCountry/comments/1u5jc32/random\_uses\_of\_native\_tribe\_names\_for\_products/) before making this post.

I wanted to ask about a particular example, which is the Native Hawaiian word Wiki. This isn't a name of a tribe like in the post linked above, but it is still an Indigenous word that is used very commonly on the Internet: Wikipedia, 'Wiki' as a general term for a database, subreddit Wikis like this subreddit has, etc.

How are usages of Indigenous words like this viewed by Indigenous people themselves?

As a note, I have made a similar post in r/NativeHawaiian , but I thought I would ask here has well

I want to start by acknowledging the fact that my difficulties in boycotting are nothing compared to the actual suffering that Palestinians are experiencing. I live in the US, so I strongly believe that I should use my situation to support Palestine and other people who are suffering however I can.

I have recently been frustrated by the fact that complicit companies are so difficult to avoid. There are obvious ways that it makes it more difficult to find products, like not being able to use large platforms like Amazon, eBay, or Facebook, but also there are entire categories of products which are essentially all complicit, like electronics. Many of the complicit companies also own large amounts of brands and products, which makes it very difficult to find products that aren't connected. It seems like generally the advice on this subreddit and on the BDS subreddit is to buy secondhand products, but most of the major secondhand platforms are complicit too, like eBay and Facebook as I mentioned above. Additionally, there are some people I have seen comment (on this subreddit and maybe the BDS subreddit as well, I do not remember), who say that even buying secondhand is problematic since it gives resale value to products from complicit companies.

I think one of the other things I have had difficulty with is whether the purpose of boycotting is specifically to create change, or if it is to avoid my own personal compliance. For example, in a previous post here (https://www.reddit.com/r/BoycottIsrael/comments/1rq8ayl/how_much_of_a_connection_should_we_be_concerned/) I asked about the fact that even libraries are still involved with buying products from complicit companies. I don't know what to do in situations like that, since my checking out items from the library probably has little to no effect on their giving money to companies like Blackstone​, but I also feel wrong doing so knowing that connection is there.

If anyone has advice on these topics, I would greatly appreciate it​.

Many of the main companies that are popular to invest in are complicit in the genocide, as well as numerous other human rights violations. What is the best alternative? Are there specific investment funds or ways to invest that avoid these complicit companies?

Many of the main companies that are popular to invest in are complicit in the genocide, as well as numerous other human rights problems. What is the best alternative? Are there specific investment funds or ways to invest that avoid these complicit companies?

I am looking for brands that sell basic clothing items (like plain t-shirts, shorts, pants, socks, underwear) that are inexpensive, if possible. It seems like every major clothing brand is connected to Israel, and I have only seen a few alternatives listed on sites like Disoccupied, most of which seem to be on the more expensive side.

The two brands that seemed like possibilities that were listed as safe alternatives by Disoccupied were Honest Basics and Pact, but it seems that Honest Basics does not ship to the US anymore, and I saw comments saying that Pact has inconsistent quality. I know that thrifting is usually the safest option, but some clothing items I would only want to buy new for the sake of hygiene.

Does anyone have any suggestions?

Thank you!

I am looking for brands that sell basic clothing items (like plain t-shirts, shorts, pants, socks, underwear) that are inexpensive, if possible. It seems like every major clothing brand is connected to Israel, and I have only seen a few alternatives listed on sites like Disoccupied, most of which seem to be on the more expensive side.

The two brands that seemed like possibilities that were listed as safe alternatives by Disoccupied were Honest Basics and Pact, but it seems that Honest Basics does not ship to the US anymore, and I saw comments saying that Pact has inconsistent quality. I know that thrifting is usually the safest option, but some clothing items I would only want to buy new for the sake of hygiene.

Does anyone have any suggestions?

Thank you!