OPTIONAL THEME:
KNOWLEDGE AND INDIGENOUS SOCIETIES
Aerial footage an “uncontacted” Brazilian Amazon tribe.
Photo: G.Miranda/FUNAI/Survival
The forest is not a resource for us,
it is life itself.
Evaristo Nugkuag, AguArunA ACTIVIST
Colonization and globalization has made us more aware of the power of traditional knowledge and the linguistic diversity of indigenous peoples. They have also been the main cause of their erosion and/or demise.
The class activities presented below invite students to investigate what we can learn from traditional ways of being and knowing; as well as examining ethical perspectives on specific cases of issues like exploitation, degrees of assimilation, and cultural appropriation.
CLASS ACTIVITIES
Defining “indigenous”
The meaning of indigenous
Going deeper
Nacirema
Canonical 1956 case study
What can we learn from traditional societies?
Revisiting and further refining our original definition of indigenous societies
Embodied and embedded
Exorcizing cultural relativism
What is moral relativism?
Taking a stand
Indigenous Questions
Indigenous themed written assignment
Robin Mildjingi and his grandson Gasier of the Yolngu people outside the front of their house in the Aboriginal community of Ramingining in East Arnhem Land, Victoria, Australia.
Photo source; David Gray, Reuters (2014)
KNOWLEDGE QUESTIONS
The new Theory of Knowledge Guide (2020) provides 385 Knowledge Questions for student exploration. Here are some personal favorites for Knowledge and Indigenous Societies.
SCOPE
Does the emphasis on holistic knowledge found in some indigenous societies avoid a limited understanding of reality resulting from the compartmentalization of knowledge?
How have government education policies and systems compromised the transmission of indigenous knowledge?
PERSPECTIVE
To what extent is our perspective determined by our membership of a particular culture?
To what extent does the fact that most early literature on indigenous societies was written from a non-indigenous perspective affect its credibility?
As an “outsider,” can we know and speak about the knowledge held by a different cultural group?
Does the term “indigenous” knowledge” necessarily suggest power divisions between a dominant and non-dominant group?
METHODS AND TOOLS
What is the role of oral tradition in enabling knowledge to be handed down through generations?
What role do objects and artifacts play in the construction and sharing of knowledge?
What is the role of folklore, rituals and songs in acquiring and sharing knowledge?
ETHICS
To what extent does deliberate disinformation by educational institutions and governments threaten indigenous knowledge?
Is cultural appropriation an example of a violation of collective intellectual property rights?
CONNECTING TO THE CORE THEME
What ethical concerns are raised by the commercialization of indigenous knowledge and cultures?
The United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) pdf. was adopted by the General Assembly in September 2007 by a majority of 144 states in favor, 4 votes against (Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the United States). Some years later the four countries that voted against have reversed their position and now support the declaration.