This session seeks to highlight the work of Indigenous ecologists. The invited speakers represent a small sample of the diversity of work by researchers with Native American backgrounds and identity and the ways in which traditional knowledge informs and drives their science. All of the session speakers work on complex, integrated systems. Their work spans social and technological systems, informing climate models with traditional knowledge, environmental justice and stewardship, and joining “big data” with place-based understanding. By encompassing a greater diversity of value systems and cultural heritage, the integration of traditional ecological knowledge and western scientific approaches can provide a more thorough and complementary picture of ecological systems. Work by each of the speakers illustrates the benefits of inclusion of traditional knowledge and perspectives in ecological studies, and the deeper understanding that can be achieved through long-term relationships with specific places.