Worldview literacy has been at the core of Kindred’s work since 2010, when Lisa Reagan, Kindred World’s founder and Kindred Magazine’s editor, was trained as a Worldview Literacy Facilitator at the Institute of Noetic Sciences, IONS. Read her story of the early days of worldview literacy at Kindred and its tie-in to presenting our nonprofit work’s framing from a holistic worldview:
Moving Toward Wholeness: Are We?
How Worldview Literacy & Evolved Nest Science Supported One Family’s Journey Toward Wholeness
Tyson Yunkaporta: Poetry (Done Right) Reveals The Indigenous Worldview
Our “Science-Fictiony” Worldview Lens: Do We Ever Know What Is Happening?
In 2020, Lisa, as Kindred’s editor, was honored to work with Four Arrows to present the Worldview Chart to the Kindred Community and world. You can download the poster as a PDF below.
Read more about decolonizing and re-indigenizing ourselves – a worldview shifting process here.
WORLDVIEW LITERACY PROJECT RESOURCES
Check out Kindred’s Worldview Literacy Project to discover a 90 day engagement guide for self-study or community learning with the Worldview Chart by Four Arrows: www.WorldviewLiteracy.org.
DOWNLOAD YOUR CHART
Download a color Worldview Chart in PDF here.
Download a black and white Worldview Chart in PDF here.
BUY A POSTER of the Worldview Chart here.
FAQs
What’s a worldview?
A worldview is a delocalized general sense of how the world works. It’s a cosmology about what humans are, what they should learn, how they should behave and their purpose; how humans relate to the rest of the manifest natural world; and what is our relation to the unmanifest, the spiritual?
Worldview and TEK
Worldview differs from traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) that is localized knowledge Indigenous/First Nation Peoples develops from deep experience in a particular landscape.
So, there are two kinds of Indigenous knowhow missing in the dominant culture that are apparent around the world in First Nation Peoples: the Kinship worldview and TEK. Our book focuses on the former.
How did we lose the Kinship worldview?
Our baselines for normality shifted over time in terms of child raising and cultural practices, downshifting human nature to primate levels. Allowing unfettered inequality has led to endemic Wetiko virus (cannibalistic greed). Modern societies operate trauma-inducing pathways instead of the wellness-promoting pathway we evolved.
How does the Kinship worldview differ from the dominant one?
See the Worldview Chart. Worldview” does not belong to a race or group of people, but Indigenous cultures who still hold on to their traditional place-based knowledge are the wisdom keepers of this original Nature-based worldview. All people are indigenous to Earth and have the right and the responsibility to practice and teach the IW precepts. All have the responsibility to support Indigenous sovereignty, dignity, and use of traditional lands.
“For non-Indians who are concerned about misappropriation, see the peer reviewed article,“The Indigenization Controversy: For Whom By Whom.”
The Worldview Chart and introduction was created by Wahinkpe Topa (Four Arrows), a.k.a. Don Trent Jacobs, Ph.D., Ed.D. and originally published in The Red Road (chanku luta): Linking Diversity and Inclusion Initiatives to Indigenous Worldview, 2020. The chart is featured in Restoring the Kindship Worldview, 2022, by Four Arrows and Darcia Narvaez, Ph.D.
Seven Considerations for Using the Worldview Chart
By Four Arrows
1. Understand “Worldview”: Consider “worldview” as a set of fundamental, and often uninvestigated, beliefs that manifest in primary aspects of cultures, religions, educational institutions, economic systems, sports, science, and media. Not all individuals within these systems believe all the precepts on one side of the chart or the other, but enough support, tolerate, or comply, whether forced or not, allowing these systems to operate in ways that ultimately reflect either the “Dominant Worldview” or the “Indigenous Worldview.”
2. Distinguish Between Worldviews: The “Dominant Worldview” refers to beliefs that emerged around ten thousand years ago, reflecting human-centeredness and a sense of human superiority over nature. It also generally describes the consequences of colonialization. The “Indigenous Worldview” refers to beliefs that guided humanity for most of our history. It is nature-centered and understands humans to be interconnected partners with other sentient beings that make up the rest of the world.
3. Practical Phrasing of the Contrasting Worldview Precepts: The chart uses well-researched and practical contrasting worldview beliefs to help individuals “walk in balance” by recognizing the degrees to which they engage with the precept. One may believe in the Indigenous worldview precept but still live in ways that help maintain the Dominant worldview precept in life systems. For example, consider the contrasting precept pairs described in #12 on the chart. While an individual may espouse the Indigenous perspective that “words are sacred and truthfulness is essential,” the use of “words to deceive self or others” is a prominent reality in most Dominant Worldview systems listed in #1. For positive transformation, the person studying the chart should do so with honest self-reflection. Acknowledging the degree to which one is engaging or supporting the Dominant side and the reasons for it, and using other related precepts, one can make affirmations for transformation, using trance-based learning (and believing in it as per the Indigenous worldview precept) to actualize it in one’s life.
4. Interconnected Precepts: Many people hold beliefs represented on both sides of the chart in varying degrees. However, the precepts are highly interconnected and ultimately inseparable. One cannot pick and choose a few Indigenous worldview precepts while practicing a number of Dominant worldview precepts to rebalance life systems. Each Indigenous worldview precept must be lived as interrelated for a life system to be considered balanced via the Indigenous Worldview. For example, one may decide to no longer support rigid hierarchy or strict authoritarian control and may begin transformational work with much success. However, if they continue to have low respect for the feminine or see humans as superior to animals, the Dominant worldview is maintained.
5. Non-Binary Thinking: The Indigenous worldview precept about non-binary thinking is crucial for understanding the two sides while realizing the goal of moving toward the proven healthier Indigenous Worldview precept. Seeking complementarity between the two sides is not about acceptance of or compromise with the Dominant Worldview. Rather, it is about understanding the Dominant worldview precepts empathetically and holistically in ways that complement or enhance the ultimate embracing of the Indigenous pathway for rebalancing life systems, always recognizing the tension and potential of the contrasting pairs.
6. Contemporary Indigenous Cultures: Individuals in contemporary cultures we define as being Indigenous may or may not still live according to the original “Indigenous worldview,” depending on the degree of colonization they have suffered. However, where this worldview is still operating in the categories described in #1 above, life systems are proven to be healthier. We define this nature-based, interconnected, non-materialistic, spiritual, kinship-oriented worldview that potentially belongs to all people as “Indigenous” to recognize its “indigenous” (small i) aspect and to recognize the groups most likely to still express it. (See ProvenSustainable.org for contemporary examples).
7. Misappropriation vs. Embracement: While misappropriation of Indigeneity is a real problem, studying, teaching, or embracing Indigenous Worldviews is not misappropriation. The “Indigenous worldview” belongs to all creatures on Mother Earth. With a good heart and being an ally of the remaining First Nations as one can, restoring the Indigenous worldview should be a goal for all of us. Indigenous place-based knowledge, however, can only belong to each of the unique Indigenous cultures or First Nations. To have such knowledge requires fluency in the language, intimate knowledge of traditional ceremonies, generations of handed-down wisdom about local flora and fauna, etc. Saving such cultural knowledge and giving sovereignty to those who have it is a vital goal for everyone.
« Back to Glossary Index
Comments are closed.