Abstract
Although Indigenous Traditional Ecological Knowledge (ITEK) has often been used as a starting point to direct medical research, Indigenous communities are rarely given any share of the profit such efforts produce. This thesis explores the possibility of compensating Indigenous communities for contributions to medical research on the creosote plant (Larrea tridentata), a shrub native to the U.S. Southwest and a large portion of Mexico. It explores the history of bioprospecting, creosote’s chemical properties, use of creosote within Indigenous communities, and current medical research being conducted around the plant’s compounds. Ten open-ended interviews with individuals from Tribal Nations within creosote’s range provide baseline guidance for a potential compensation proposal regarding such medical patents involving the use of ITEK. Many of those interviewed were entirely against the philosophy of patents and hence wanted no affiliation with them, but others felt that a compensation plan could benefit Tribal Nations and Indigenous communities. For those interested in compensation, the strategy most individuals supported was a grant or scholarship to fund future practitioners of ITEK.