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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.
If you are an Indigenous person and plan to include your own experiences or Traditional Knowledge in an essay, describe yourself using similar relevant details. However, there is no need to cite yourself in the reference list or in an in-text citation.
MLA style does not have a formal format to acknowledge Indigenous Elders and Knowledge Keepers in-text. In-text citations, therefore, should follow the same guidelines as a paraphrase or direct quote. When citing Indigenous Elders and Knowledge Keepers, consider identifying their nation or community in your prose as traditional knowledge can vary greatly among different Indigenous communities.
First Name Last Name (Traditional Name [if applicable]), nation/community, treaty territory [if applicable], where they live [if applicable], topic/subject of communication [if not mentioned in-text], interview [specify only if not clear from the main text], month, day, year.
When you use the name of the Elder/Knowledge Keeper in your sentence:
Delores Cardinal, from Goodfish Lake Cree Nation, described the nature of the ...
When you do not use the name of the Elder/Knowledge Keeper in your sentence:
The nature of the place was... (Cardinal).
or
The Indigenous peoples of Goodfish Lake Cree Nation hold that...(Cardinal).
More details on the MLA Style Center adaptation can be found at: https://style.mla.org/citing-indigenous-oral-teachings/
For example: “Story about the sisters of the river as told to [name of story keeper] by their grandmother [or the grandmother’s name]”
If it is not possible to discuss the description with the Knowledge Keeper, include only the essential information.
For example: "Oral teaching, Treaty 6"
Last name, First name (Nation/Community). City/Community they live. Description of teaching, Treaty (if applicable), Name of story keeper who passed on the teaching to the author (if applicable). Day Month Year, Location where teaching was given.
Cardinal, Delores (Goodfish Lake Cree Nation). Lives in Edmonton. Oral teaching, Treaty 6. 4 Apr. 2004, Canadian Native Friendship Centre.
Note: The above Works Cited template was released by the MLA Style Center in 2022, as an adaptation of guidelines for citing Indigenous Elders and Knowledge Keepers created by Larissa MacLeod, a member of James Smith Cree Nation, and staff at NorQuest College Indigenous Student Centre. The original guidelines created by MacLeod and NorQuest College were developed in the spirit of wahkôhtowin and reconciliation, and the staff at the NWP Learning Commons thank them for making it available.