If you’re following the #COP25 discussion, hopefully you’re reading a lot about indigenous people in conservation. Allow me to post a blog about how indigenous worldviews can differ from Western ones, and how that can change our perspective.
In general, Western cultures have a Judeo-Christian worldview that is influenced by Darwin. The universe is linear, with a start and an end, humankind is marching forward, the future is ahead of us, always improving, with the past behind us. The future is more important than the past. Young people are more important than old people.
That’s not always the case with indigenous people. You’ve probably seen the movie Moana, where Maui talks about, “knowing where you are by knowing where you’ve been.” Let me unpack that for you.
Indigenous people step backwards into the future, with the past in front of us. If you think about it, this logic makes much more sense. Wherever you are, (without using a mirror) can you tell what is behind you? Can you see what is front of you?
Applying this to worldviews, we cannot see the future, we can only predict it. We can, however, see the past. We have lived the past, and it has given us learning, knowledge, and experience.
Indigenous use the past, which is in front of us, to navigate backwards into the future, which we cannot see. Our ability to navigate purposely backwards into the future depends on our ability to look in front of us into the past. We use our learning, knowledge, and experience to predict where we are going.
Now take this to the next level. If your core worldview recognizes that the past is needed to navigate the future, what do you value? You value knowledge and wisdom, you give respect to your elders, care deeply about your ancestors, and the traditions and cultural practices they handed down to you.
The past is the source of knowledge, and we use it navigate our world. In the Judeo-Christian worldview, knowledge is new, and “discovered” by each successive generation; and it is used to move forward.
This is a short blog, not a doctoral thesis, so I’ll stop there. Of course indigenous people are influenced by western worldviews, and often share them. The very word “indigenous” suggests a power dynamic wherein a colonial entity has taken land, power, and control away from Native people.
But typically, Indigenous people are forced to understand the dominant culture’s worldview, whereas ours is ignored or ridiculed.
If you would like to know Indigenous people, as most people do not, I encourage you to make some new friends and to listen to our concerns.
I originally posted this as a thread on Twitter. Follow me!
In general, Western cultures have a Judeo-Christian worldview that is influenced by Darwin. The universe is linear, with a start and an end, humankind is marching forward, the future is ahead of us, always improving, with the past behind us. The future is more important than the past. Young people are more important than old people.
That’s not always the case with indigenous people. You’ve probably seen the movie Moana, where Maui talks about, “knowing where you are by knowing where you’ve been.” Let me unpack that for you.
Indigenous people step backwards into the future, with the past in front of us. If you think about it, this logic makes much more sense. Wherever you are, (without using a mirror) can you tell what is behind you? Can you see what is front of you?
Applying this to worldviews, we cannot see the future, we can only predict it. We can, however, see the past. We have lived the past, and it has given us learning, knowledge, and experience.
Indigenous use the past, which is in front of us, to navigate backwards into the future, which we cannot see. Our ability to navigate purposely backwards into the future depends on our ability to look in front of us into the past. We use our learning, knowledge, and experience to predict where we are going.
Now take this to the next level. If your core worldview recognizes that the past is needed to navigate the future, what do you value? You value knowledge and wisdom, you give respect to your elders, care deeply about your ancestors, and the traditions and cultural practices they handed down to you.
The past is the source of knowledge, and we use it navigate our world. In the Judeo-Christian worldview, knowledge is new, and “discovered” by each successive generation; and it is used to move forward.
This is a short blog, not a doctoral thesis, so I’ll stop there. Of course indigenous people are influenced by western worldviews, and often share them. The very word “indigenous” suggests a power dynamic wherein a colonial entity has taken land, power, and control away from Native people.
But typically, Indigenous people are forced to understand the dominant culture’s worldview, whereas ours is ignored or ridiculed.
If you would like to know Indigenous people, as most people do not, I encourage you to make some new friends and to listen to our concerns.
I originally posted this as a thread on Twitter. Follow me!