How does science treat non-scientific ways of knowing?

One thing I would like to do is to create a space to talk about two things: How can science and wisdom come closer together?
How can scientists and indigenous people come into mutually respectful dialogue? (And are there any good examples of this happening? I know of a couple here in Australia.)

Last week I went to a rally and walk for the National Day of Healing, which used to be called "Sorry Day." It started in 1999, with a movement for white Australians to say publicly, "I'm sorry" for the Stolen Generation (Aboriginal kids who were taken from their parents and adopted into white homes). On the first Sorry Day, there were about 40,000 people who turned out for the march in Brisbane, and almost twice that many in Sydney. Today there were less than a hundred of us, maybe 40 aboriginals, and 15-20 whites. (Though you can't tell by looking, so I'm not sure.) At the rally, there were some very sad stories of what Aboriginal people have gone through to try to find their families and their origins.

So, in the spirit of reconciliation, I'll just say here that I want to commend one scientific research/conmmercial project that is a (rare) example of what might possibly be a non-exploitive partnership between a scientist and a local Aboriginal tribe. Ron Quinn, a professor of chemistry at Griffith University here in Brisbane, is working to develop a painkiller from the bark of the mangrove tree. He learned about its painkilling properties from an Aboriginal group in the northwest of Australia, and under the terms of his grant to develop this painkiller, they get 50% of the proceeds from the sale of it. It's a rare example of acknowledging intellectual property rights, but at least there is one. (Ron Quinn's company generally appears to be a "bioprospecting" company that does not generally acknowledge aboriginal rights or contributions.)