Two-Eyed Seeing in Knowledge Synthesis: Weaving together Western scoping review methods with Indigenous storytelling to explore Indigenous approaches to harm reduction

Using methodological approaches rooted in Indigenous ways of knowing and being can help to ensure that research findings are relevant and useful to Indigenous communities, while providing evidence for more responsive public health policy and practice. This article explores a practical application of a Two-Eyed Seeing approach in knowledge synthesis as part of Phase I of the First Nation Health Authority’s Indigenizing Harm Reduction Study. The Study aims to develop a First Nations harm reduction framework rooted in community knowledges in response to the disproportionate harms of the toxic drug emergency on First Nations people in British Columbia (BC). Our approach prioritized Indigenist research methods, centering relationality and storytelling in knowledge gathering, analyses, and validation activities, while weaving in a Western scoping review methodology. The literature review explored harm reduction among Indigenous communities globally. Conversational interviews and questionnaires gathered knowledge from individuals who identified as First Nations people who access harm reduction services or individuals who provide harm reduction services to First Nations people in BC. Weaving together these knowledge systems helped our team to develop a more wholistic understanding of existing harm reduction approaches and current needs of First Nations communities in BC, grounded in Indigenous values and lived experiences. This culturally relevant approach to knowledge synthesis contributes to the knowledge base on Indigenous research methodologies and presents a practical Two-Eyed Seeing framework for weaving together both academic and community-based evidence within healthcare contexts. We share this methodology as an offering for both Indigenous and settler scholars, care providers, and decision makers working in health to privilege Indigenous knowledges in developing evidence-informed policies and practices.