KNOWLEDGE KEEPERS to Premiere on NOVA, PBS This September
The film features knowledge keepers from First Nations and Native American communities across North America.
NOVA has announced KNOWLEDGE KEEPERS, a new documentary examining how First Nations and Native American communities have developed scientific knowledge rooted in relationships with the environment and passed it down through generations. The special is set to premiere on PBS at 9pm ET/8c, with streaming available on the PBS website and the PBS App.
KNOWLEDGE KEEPERS premieres on Wednesday, September 23, 2026 at 9pm ET/8c on PBS (check local listings) and streams at pbs.org/nova and the PBS App.
For millennia, Indigenous communities in North America have practiced science and engineering. In a fascinating exploration of human ingenuity, KNOWLEDGE KEEPERS reveals how deeply-held cultural traditions inform remarkable innovations, from ancient sea farming techniques that optimize ecosystems to celestial navigation methods perfectly adapted to extreme environments like the frozen Arctic. Viewers will learn how centuries of observation, experimentation, and adaptation have forged solutions to complex challenges like living in the harsh climate of the desert Southwest. Today, knowledge keepers fight to preserve this ancient expertise and consider how it could transform our future.
KNOWLEDGE KEEPERS features unique insights from many experts including Roberto Nutlouis, farmer and Executive Director of Nihikeya, a grassroots organization focused on restoring regenerative Diné ecological, cultural, social, and economic systems and lifeways, guided by traditional knowledge, teachings and practices, based in Pinon, AZ; Ryan Spring, the Cultural Research Assistant for the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma in Calera, OK; Nicole Norris, a shellfish aquaculture specialist from Halalt First Nation in Nanaimo, Canada; Octavio Cruz, a marine manager from Pauquachin First Nation in Victoria, Canada; and Fred Sangris, Chief of the Yellowtail Dene First Nation in Yellowknife, Canada.
Major funding for KNOWLEDGE KEEPERS is provided by the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation.
Original funding for NOVA and this program is provided by Carlisle Companies, Viking Cruises, the NOVA Science Trust with support from Margaret and Will Hearst, and PBS viewers.
For more on the NOVA Science Trust, including a full list of supporters, visit pbs.org/wgbh/nova/funders.
About GBH
GBH is the leading multi platform creator for public media in America. As the largest producer of content for PBS and partner to NPR and PRX, GBH delivers compelling experiences, stories and information to audiences wherever they are. GBH produces digital and broadcast programming that engages, illuminates and inspires, through drama and science, history, arts, culture and journalism. GBH is the creator of such signature programs as MASTERPIECE, ANTIQUES ROADSHOW, FRONTLINE, NOVA, AMERICAN EXPERIENCE and ARTHUR and MOLLY OF DENALI and a catalog of streaming series, podcasts and on-demand video. GBH's television channels include GBH 2, GBH 44, GBH Kids and national services GBH WORLD and Create. With studios and a newsroom headquartered in Boston, GBH reaches across New England with GBH 89.7, Boston's Local NPR; CRB Classical 99.5; CAI, the Cape and Islands NPR station, and NEPM in Springfield. GBH is a pioneer in delivering media to audience members who are deaf, hard of hearing, blind and visually impaired. With PBS LearningMedia, GBH creates curriculum-based digital content for educators nationwide. GBH's local programming includes Boston Public Radio, GBH News Rooted, Stories from the Stage, The Culture Show, The Curiosity Desk, and High School Quiz Show. GBH has been recognized with hundreds of the nation's premier broadcast, digital and journalism awards. Find more information at gbh.org.
KNOWLEDGE KEEPERS is a NOVA production by Hokan Media LLC in association with Vision Maker Media for GBH. The film is written, produced, and directed by Daniel Golding, with Chris Neighbors serving as co-producer, Rob Tinworth as editor, Maureen Barden Lynch as senior producer, and Ben Sweeney as coordinating producer. Julia Cort and Chris Schmidt serve as executive producers for NOVA, which is produced by GBH.
