Read the first ~30 pages

Quotes

The war between good and evil is in reality an imposition of stupidity and simplicity over wisdom and complexity. (3)

In my travels I saw that it was our ways, not our things, that grounded us and sustained us. (7)

Our knowledge endures because everybody carries a part of it, no matter how fragmentary. (12)

Any discussion of Indigenous Knowledge systems is always a polite acknowledgment of connection to the land rather than true engagement. It is always about the what and never about the how. (17)

between 3 and 3.5 stars. this is definitely one to keep and to reread. i think that how much i understand, absorb, and relate to each time i read this will be a reflection of me, not the book. (same with the rating. so i'm giving myself a 3.25 in comprehension/reflection this time.) i love the way he shares with us. the way he brings us in to the stories, the physical world (with how he makes something to go with each story, sometimes taking months to do so), the drawings, all of it. this is pretty stunning, and perhaps the most accessible book i've read on this way of thinking and living.

i think, in particular, i loved the way he described time as being nonlinear (or a word similar to that), and how he made a physical object for each of these chapters. he brought us these stories in such a way that he brings the words, the symbolism, the representational drawing, the carving he made, the conversation he had with an elder. it's a multi perspective way of looking at each of these lessons and stories, just as he's saying that living is a community thing, and that we can work together in so many ways that we aren't.

"The ability to write fluently in the language of the occupying power seems to contradict an Indigenous author's membership in a community that is not supposed to be able to write about itself at all."

"What I say will still be subjective and fragmentary, of course, and five minutes after it is written it will already be out-of-date -- a problem common to all printed texts."

"'Creation time isn't a 'long, long ago' event, because creation is still unfolding now and will continue to unfold if we know how to know it.'"

"Every time you meet someone and establish your relationship to that person, you are brining together multiple universes."

"First Peoples' Law says that nothing is created or destroyed because of the infinite and regenerative connections between systems. Therefore time is nonlinear and regenerates creation in endless cycles."

"It would take centuries to transition from human domestication and recover our exceptional physical and mental powers as a custodial species. It takes a few generations for pigs to get over it when they escape into the bush. At first they remain the fat, pink, stupid beasts they were selectively bred to become over centuries of captivity. But soon they grow black bristles and long tusks, each generation becoming faster, stronger, smarter until the formidable razorback emerges. I often wonder what men and women would transform into outside of captivity." ( )

Complex adaptive systems (us too) yarning about living in a complex dynamic worlds. ( )

Profound. ( )

Not only does Yunkaporta provide his own interesting and expansive perspective in this books, but he also consults with many other indigenous people to share their perspective. I especially enjoyed his section on gender roles and the input he got from the expert he consulted for that section.

I listened to the audiobook, which was read by the author and which I highly recommend. Because this book is about getting insight into indigenous thinking, it's especially helpful to hear it in the voice and delivery of the author himself, who is an engaging and very conversational speaker. Because the images in the book are very important to guiding the topic of each section, the publisher provided these illustrations in an online supplement for the audiobook, so it's easy to refer to them when they're indicated in the audio.

I find myself thinking back to this book regularly, and I'm sure I'll listen to it again in the future and get even more out of it. ( )