This paper explores aspects of Indigenous knowledge on several levels and examines the role of Indigenous knowledge in Indigenous empowerment as the number and influence of Native people in academia increases. Indigenous peoples worldwide have a common set of assumptions that forms a context or paradigm--a collective core of interrelated assertions about Indigenous reality. Indigenous knowledge is spiritually based and spiritually derived. To remove the spiritual foundation of Indigenous knowledge is to destroy its very soul--a fact not lost on colonialist regimes. Colonial governments and institutions deprecated Indigenous knowledge and cultures and thereby justified denying Indigenous peoples a meaningful political role. The first order of Indigenous self-determination is the task of revealing the Indigenous experience, long written out of official histories. Historically, Indigenous peoples have been dependent on non-Natives to assist in developing the necessary dialogue to resist domination and exploitation. The outcome has been a history of research by the dominant culture, within the dominant discourse. This discourse devalues Indigenous knowledge and is one strategy by which the West legitimatizes its own knowledge. Indigenous peoples must have an intellectual space in which to develop their own frameworks and methodologies regarding intellectual self-determination. These frameworks would then require the institutional support of the Academy and would engage "others'" discourse in a constructive manner. Instances of discourse between Indigenous Africans and Native Americans are described. (Contains 32 references.) (SV)