Restoring the Kinship Worldview

I have been intrigued lately by books and articles lifting up indigenous voices in the ongoing concerns about climate change and restoring an awareness of our relationship to the earth.

The editors have brought together the thoughts of 28 indigenous people, from around the world, to reflect on aspects of climate, culture, and human interaction with the natural world.  After each monograph, the editors add their own reflections on the topic.  Four Arrows is a professor of educational leadership at Fielding Graduate University, and related to the Oglala Lakota peoples.  Darcia Narvaez is professor emerita of psychology at the University of Notre Dame.

The theme of the book revolves around the contrast between, Common Dominant Worldview Manifestations; and Common Indigenous Worldview Manifestations.  For example:

Common Dominant Worldview                                Common Indigenous Worldview

2.   fear-based thoughts and behaviors                  Courage and fearless trust in the universe

7.    earth as an unloving “it”                                    earth and all systems as living/loving

16.  disbelief in spiritual energies                                        recognition of spiritual energies

34.  social laws of society are primary                                laws of nature are primary

36.  autonomy sought on behalf of self                               autonomy sought to better serve others

40.  ignorance of importance of diversity                aware of vital importance of diversity

            Just a note on the distinction between “Dominant” and “Indigenous worldview.  Sometimes dominant is referred to as colonizing world view, or as Larry Rasmussen referred to it, the “settler world view.”

David Abram says this about the book:  “A richly creative approach to teaching Indigenous wisdom.  Lending their ears to a diverse array of mostly contemporary Native voices, Four Arrows and Darcia Narvaez take each brief quote as the seed for conversation regarding one or another element of the kincentric worldview – a vision of our earth not as a collections of objects and objective, mechanical processes, but as an interactive community of sensitive and sentient powers:  a communion of subjects.”

Of interest to those in northern Minnesota is the article by Winona LaDuke, Ojibwe and founder of the White Earth Land Recovery Project, and inducted into the National Women’s Hall of Fame.  She was active in protesting the Dakota Access pipeline.  Her article is titled: “Laws of Nature as Highest Rules of Living.”  She states:  “So we can say whatever we want to in our little human minds, but in the big picture of things, its natural law in the end.  …. So we say that natural law is the highest law, higher than laws made by nations, states, and municipalities.”

The book has extensive notes and index to help suggest further reading and scope of the topics covered.  I found the content of the indigenous authors’ writings challenging and enlightening, especially in revealing a whole new way of looking at our relationship to the earth, each other, and how we conduct ourselves in the world.  As the editors conclude in the introduction:  “First Nations people remain on the front lines in defending what biodiversity remains on Mother Earth, and they need our prayers and supportive actions.”

John Hanson