By Steven Sukkau, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Winnipeg Sun
A Manitoba Métis scholar has launched a new podcast exploring what he describes as the overlooked role of Indigenous knowledge in shaping Western European science.
Stolen Science, hosted by Dr. Darrell Racine, is now available on YouTube and major podcast platforms. Racine, a professor emeritus of Native Studies at Brandon University, says the series draws on his doctoral research to examine Indigenous contributions to scientific development between 1670 and 1870.
“Indigenous people contributed far more to Western European science and culture than most history books acknowledge,” Racine said in a release. “This podcast is for Indigenous youth, so they can understand what their ancestors gave to the world, and so they can ensure their rights and their communities are protected going forward.”
Racine’s research, completed at the University of Oxford, argues that knowledge from Indigenous communities across Western Canada was incorporated into European scientific frameworks without recognition.
The podcast positions Indigenous peoples as active contributors to scientific and cultural developments during the fur trade era, rather than passive participants, and suggests that this history has been largely overlooked in mainstream narratives.
Aimed at both Indigenous youth and academic audiences, the series also examines the lasting impacts of that omission, including what Racine describes as persistent misconceptions in public and academic discourse.
The debut episode outlines the podcast’s central thesis and challenges arguments commonly used to dispute Indigenous rights in Canada. Future episodes will explore links between British imperial science and the Hudson’s Bay Company, and trace how knowledge from Indigenous communities in Western North America was absorbed into European institutions.
Gregory Kennedy, dean of arts at Brandon University, said the project reflects the kind of research the faculty aims to support.
“Stolen Science brings the rigour of doctoral research to a broad public audience in a way that is both accessible and urgently needed,” Kennedy said. “This podcast will change the way people understand the history of science, and the history of Canada.”
