Indigenous Knowledge and Western Science: Dr. Gregory Cajete Talk

Dr. Gregory Cajete, Director of Native American Studies at the University of New Mexico, explains how Indigenous physicists not only observe the world, but participate in it with all his or her sensual being because everything in native thought is “alive” with energy. Cajete was speaking to an attentive audience at The Banff Centre as part of the Indigenous Knowledge and Western Science: Contrasts and Similarities event.
Dr. Gregory Cajete is a Tewa Indian from Santa Clara Pueblo, New Mexico. He is a Native American educator whose work is dedicated to honoring the foundations of indigenous knowledge in education. Dr. Cajete has served as a New Mexico Humanities scholar in ethno botany of Northern New Mexico and as a member of the New Mexico Arts Commission. In addition, he has lectured at colleges and universities in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, New Zealand, England, Italy, Japan and Russia. Dr. Cajete has authored five books and received several fellowships and academic distinctions.
Currently, he is Director of Native American Studies and an Associate Professor in the Division of Language, Literacy and Socio cultural Studies in the College of Education at the University of New Mexico. He worked at the Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe, New Mexico for 21 years. While at the Institute, he served as Dean of the Center for Research and Cultural Exchange, Chair of Native American Studies and Professor of ethno science. Dr. Cajete also designs culturally-responsive curricula geared to the special needs and learning styles of Native American students.

[@malissapurser1799]

I'm taking NESC 310 Native Science with Northwest Indian College. It is so amazing to put Native Ways of Knowing into words and be able to articulate them with other students. Thank you! Hanen Cn

[@TheAngryHippie]

How does this not have more views?

[@prodigalson6166]

I think this does not have more views because we are a socially primitive Society who do not understand our own system of government. Instead of building on our constitutional republic, which is founded upon natural law nomocracy, we degenerated rather quickly to that which we escaped from by the formation of the two party system and functioning as a democracy as opposed to natural law consensus. When examined, natural law is the core of American values, the Cowpens flag, predecessor to Betsy Ross, is our medicine wheel and functional as a schematic to understand the meaning of our government and Society. Sadly, when we adopted the Iroquois system of government, through the adoption of our constitution after the miserable founder of the Articles of Confederation, we took the car but left the motor needed to make it run. Suggested reading Remarks concerning the Savages of North America 1784 by Benjamin Franklin: Regrettably left out of the Federalist Papers HR 331 100th Congress 2nd session 1988 I am a firm believer that it is time we revisit the influence of Far Western Civilization upon these United States of America in order to correct our government system and Society. Of course I've been doing this for 40 years. Hopeful to publish my work within the next few years.

[@brenttaylor7196]

Because this is bullshit lol

[@flamz3660]

Damn Gregory you have no chill!

[@daviddelaney9885]

Science is a methodology, an approach, if you will, based on the objective pursuit of fact. It has no linguistic, cultural or racial predicates and this is what makes it wonderful. It knows no such biases or prejudices.

[@benjaminvega7186]

If only that were true

[@sallywagoner5294]

To be human is to have predicates and biases. Science is created by humans, therefore……

[@NCRonrad]

In an ideal world - the institutions of science are abject to social constructs not too unlike the church

[@pachacutiq]

Read: Bruno Latour - We Have Never Been Modern. You'll find that the practice of science is heavily influenced by a network of "social" factors (Latour avoids the use of abstractions like 'culture' and 'social', which you might like). There are a myriad of ontological assumptions in science, the most evident being the subject-object divide which is absent in indigenous knowledge. The subject-object relation is deterministic of the functions and interests of so-called "objective" science. I hope you will read into this because it's crucial to separate ourselves from the assumptions of Cartesian-influenced enlightenment, rather than to separate mind and body; self and other.

[@ricochetsixtyten]

Oh boy youre naive arent you

[@CranialMatters1]

LANGUAGE DIFFERENCES "Native science works with the rational and metamorphic mind simultaneously. Its processes are tied to: 1. creativity, 2. perception 3. image 4. physical sensing, and 5. intuition." When I consider this it becomes apparent that the thought process of the metamorphic mind has a grasp on processes that the rational mind has difficulty explaining. For example, someone who is on a mountain top can see a little bit further than the person who is on flat ground. Metaphors offer that perspective! Many specificities (individual circumstances) apply to metamorphic thinking. Similar to what I say about, "Some peoples kids!" So when it came to Native American's trading gadgets for vast quantities of land Native people thought Europeans were nuts to think they could possess land. In Native thinking that had no credibility because they thought how can anyone rationally possess (own) land? Native's were not familiar with manufactured laws. Throughout my life I have found it extremely difficult communicating "European" mentalities from my extended family to University students at Regis University. Living in thirteen states I developed an understanding that the majority of the people's I dealt with were shallow, narrow minded, self-centered, egotistical, and materialistic. That state of affairs is dibilitating to a healthy, well-rounded person. There is no balance between: Physical, Mental, and Spiritual well-being of self. Everyone understands the physical aspect, but many people are confused between mental spiritual aspects. I have come to believe that the Emotional aspects are what we as individuals learn about ourselves and how we fit in to the makeup of family, friends, and society. How we deal and feel with those circumstances makes the emotional fabric we cloth ourselves in. The spiritual aspect an intangible it is the metamorphic mind. When you put it all together what you feel is an intangible but it is real. What should be there is the insatiable fact that you can overcome anything, anyone, any force... Learning to reach that point is why you are here! I have 19 friends people I have met personally. People who have something in your character made you stand out. Something about you I could not dismiss. For the lack of a better term I will call it, "Panache". To me that means you have a "metamorphic mind", which means you think outside the box. If you didn't I don't think you would have kept me as a fb friend as long as you have. With that I would like to say it is good to make your acquaintance.

[@chastitywhore6141]

+Jody Sanchez I drew a happy face. Is that science?

[@CranialMatters1]

That is a pickle. lol

[@JetBob84]

You just said a whole bunch of nothing.

[@prodigalson6166]

Jody Sanchez I think in Western paradigms it is more clearly expressed that native science is an intj approach to science as opposed to Western science which is an istj approach to science. Native science tends to focus on the social application, or metaphysical application, of knowledge as opposed to Western science which is more interested in tinkering with the technicalities of process in the physical, physics, application of science. I perceive these as two halves of the same Apple and that both are legitimate approaches to knowledge but are better to be used synergistically in obtaining a better understanding of our world.

[@prodigalson6166]

Bob Leiweke not Mensa material are we Bob?

[@sallywagoner5294]

Western science yes is based on hypothesis, and reductionism. That is fine for an inquiring mind. But does this justify spending billions of dollars on supercolliders to find that “unified field”. What is being referred to as Indigenous Science is about resonance with the world around and within us, and how that relates to sustainability and balance. Which one might be most beneficial for our planet, for all the entities who live here in a tapestry of interdependence, and for us humans.

[@lstarrtna4288]

Beautiful. I get it>):+;

[@lyndalovon]

I resonate with this!!!❤

[@2000brettpaul]

'Native knowledge' or 'indigenous thinking' cannot be shown to be a single body of knowledge or thought. The oral or recorded versions of knowledge and the physical way that these different sets of people interact with the world are very different.Stealing bits and pieces from science 'GUT', 'Fractal' 'Resonance' does not make thinks clearer.I believe there is native knowledge - which has its own value. However, now there is a new movement of people fortunate enough to have been educated in the scientific method, who are now using their background as their research 'USP'. In the process they have invented the term 'Native Science', which is clearly not rooted in what we now describe as the 'Scientific Method' of enquiry.The observations of the native peoples of the heavenly bodies were clearly the work of thoughtful people just as intelligent as peoples in other places. However, they were unfortunately constrained by an oral storytelling tradition, and a lack of a formalised method of enquiry.

[@prodigalson6166]

Paul Brett oh really Paul? Clearly you are not well versed in different disciplines. Gregory cajeta is clearly expressing an intj approach to science as opposed to an istj approach to science. Now look at the camera and say duh and I would ot suggest you not attempt to join Mensa.

[@2000brettpaul]

Nothing you have said goes against anything that I have stated. However, I fear that your combative tone suggests that you have not really understood my comment or your comment in relation to it. I wish you good luck my friend.

[@richardhead9818]

@@prodigalson6166 your comments on this video have proven to be consistent in that they say almost nothing of use or value

[@prodigalson6166]

@@richardhead9818 all you are doing is ethnocentricly superimposing a noun based worldview on a verb based paradigm. If you don't understand something be man enough to admit that you are dumbstruck

[@prodigalson6166]

@@richardhead9818 I really am tired of left-wing people like yourself running around trying to conquer the world. That's okay we've got Trump in office. We're sweeping you left-wing people aside; don't think you are going to stop academic freedom

[@Mr88Andrew88]

Lmao what a load...

[@myobmyob8362]

This is native religion not native science. Science is creating a hypothesis that makes predictions and then testing through experimentation. Where are the predictions??? What can you 'do' with this?

[@erinhayward1679]

see my comment to Bob above.

[@prodigalson6166]

Religion is not a construct of Far Western Civilization. The Western concept of religion, like art, is alien to Native Americans. It can be said that Western Civilization is linguistically built upon the noun ( objects/ materialism) whereas Far Western Civilization is linguistically built upon the verb ( action/ relationship). Sir, if you were listening rather than convincing yourself that you automatically do not agree, in ethnocentric arrogance, you would have learned this from the lecture itself. Additionally it was stated that native science is a metaphorical term in and of itself. I would sincerely hate to see your GPA, I would surmise that it is rather embarrassing

[@brettknoss486]

, what does this mean? The point is that religion is a belief system, whereas science is a system of inquiry.

[@RedhairedCrow]

That is entirely a whiteEuropean perspective that always is dismissive, disdainful and primitizing of anything not European, but especially Indigenous knowledge. They label and define what they don't know just to fit into their structures of value and worth. They wrongly categorize and mislabel other peoples, cultures and belief systems because they are so rigid in thinking. They try to force fit others into their shape of the universe and living, which is linear and limited. Its a sad way to be, and its no wonder many are envious of Indigenous freedoms and beauty, and try to emulate or appropriate it.

[@adi2k88]

@@RedhairedCrow ​ @Prodigal Son Found the critical theorists. This is not a normative judgement of whether ethnic knowledge is good or bad. It's just not a science like math, physics, chemistry etc. which are falsifiable.

[@johnmurray3888]

A rambling incoherent lecture that absolutely did not "resonate" with me. Given that Indigenous Knowledge is so valuable, and that elders maintain that a person who abuses drugs and alcohol cannot hold traditional knowledge, why of why do so many young natives gravitate to the downward spiral substance use? I'm willing to consider the evidence that Native Science is not an oxymoron; alas Dr. Gregory Cajete hasn't proved diddly-squat. How, for instance, would natives know about fractals? Fractals can only be seen throught the aid of powerful computers - technology they have appropriated from the White Man. How can star gazers contribute to modern Astronomy if they never invented a telescope?