Systems Thinking Is Not Indigenous Holistic Thinking
Fresh Banana Leaves: Healing Indigenous Landscapes Through Indigenous Science
Indigenous holistic thinking is not systems thinking because many Indigenous peoples and communitiesWhat I have always been hoping to accomplish is the creation of community.Community is magic. Community is power. Community is resistance.Disability Visibility: First-Person Stories from the Twenty-First Century https://www.amazon.com/Disability-Visibility-First-Person-Stories-Twenty-First-ebook/dp/B082ZQBL98/ https://www.amazon.com/Disability-Visibility-Adapted-Young-Adults-ebook/dp/B08VFT4R9T/... More do not separate their world or landscapes into “systems” in the first place. I think that this is why the physicist’s argument over how holistic thinking is system thinking confused me, because as an Indigenous person I was never taught to think of everything separately. This is why pursuing Western education and higher academia made it difficult for me to truly comprehend the importance of this way of thinking as it compartmentalizes everything. Western knowledge has separated everything into either systems or boxes, which is why there is an array of disciplines within the environmental sciences and academia.
If someone were interested in learning more about fish health or biology, they would pursue fisheries. If someone were more interested in learning more about the oceans, they would pursue oceanography or marine sciences. While these disciplines, fisheries and oceanography, are two differentOur friends and allies at Randimals have a saying, What makes us different, makes all the difference in the world.Randimals We agree. Randimals are made up of two different animals... More systems, through “systems thinking” they can be connected. However, for Indigenous peoples, separating our world into systems is why many environmental or climate solutions are not effective and continue to fail to address the root of the problem. This is because when everything is separated into systems or boxes, more harm can be done with the solutions that are thought of.
Fresh Banana Leaves: Healing Indigenous Landscapes Through Indigenous Science
For example in 2018, Seattle passed a ban on plastic straws
When is a straw more than a straw? It depends on who you ask. A plastic straw is an access tool I use for nutrition as a person with a... More. This meant that restaurants or any places could no longer provide plastic straws and they had to provide either paper or other recyclable straws. However, with this ban on plastic straws, disabledThe label "disabled" means so much to me. It means I have community. It means I have rights. It means I can be proud. It means I can affirm myself... More individuals no longer had access to an essential tool and material they needed. Alice Wong wrote the following testimonial on why plastic straws are essential to disabled individuals in the article “The Rise and Fall of the Plastic Straw
When is a straw more than a straw? It depends on who you ask. A plastic straw is an access tool I use for nutrition as a person with a... More”:
A plastic straw is an access tool I use for nutrition as a person with a neuromuscular disability. When sipping a latte at my favorite cafe, I use a plastic straw because I am unable to lift a drink to my mouth and it is safe for hot liquids. Plastic straws are now seen as harmful and outmoded by environmentalists who are in favor of “safer” products (e.g., compostable, biodegradable plastics made of polylactic acid, silicone).
Wong’s testimony reveals the nuances and intersectionalities that are often dismissed within this systems thinking. The systems that came into play
Fresh Banana Leaves: Healing Indigenous Landscapes Through Indigenous ScienceThere is nothing more human than play. Humans were designed to learn in play. In fact, nearly all mammals evolved this way.Play's Power At our learning space, we provide learners fresh... More in this decision aimed to reduce the impacts of plastic straws, yet due to not linking the system of disability justiceDisability justice (and disability itself) has the potential to fundamentally transform everything we think about quality of life, purpose, work, relationships, belonging.Disability Visibility: First Person Stories from the 21st Century... More, they ended up causing more harm. Therefore, eliminating plastic straws is not an equitable decision given that it further harms a marginalizedFor me this space of radical openness is a margin a profound edge. Locating oneself there is difficult yet necessary. It is not a “safe” place. One is always at... More community
What I have always been hoping to accomplish is the creation of community.Community is magic. Community is power. Community is resistance.Disability Visibility: First-Person Stories from the Twenty-First Century https://www.amazon.com/Disability-Visibility-First-Person-Stories-Twenty-First-ebook/dp/B082ZQBL98/ https://www.amazon.com/Disability-Visibility-Adapted-Young-Adults-ebook/dp/B08VFT4R9T/... More. This is why environmental solutions are not as inclusive because we all know who these systems are primarily governed by. They are governed by those who hold on to powerThe 20th Century political scientist Karl Deutsch said, “Power is the ability not to have to learn.”I quote this statement often, because I think it’s one of the most important... More and privilegeTo not have conversations because they make you uncomfortable is the definition of privilege. Your comfort is not at the center of this discussion.Brené Brown Power can be understood as... More provided within the systems under settler colonialism that the United States operates under. Given this, it is also important to mention that as long as every system is influenced by and operating under settler colonialism, it will never be equitable or just toward Indigenous peoples. This is why many Indigenous peoples do not think within this system’s framework and everything is rather holistic. If we were to try to integrate systems thinking into Indigenous ways of knowing, I will say that we think within one system that encompasses everything. As my father recounted in his interview
While the autistic individual is interviewing, they will often be acutely self-aware and preoccupied by their own nervousness and internal coaching, and be simultaneously experiencing two conversations at once—one that is shared... More, it is hard to fully explain how we as Indigenous peoples think, but we know that everything is interconnected with our environments. This is why our worldviews as Indigenous peoples are distinct from Western worldviews.
Holism is a core stance for learning that centers around the interconnectedness of all aspects of life.
Holism is the concept of viewing the world as a complex, interconnected system. It emphasizes the importance of understanding the relationships between all aspects of life.
Relational worldviews are essential to understanding holism and its implications for learning. It is important to recognize that all aspects of life are interconnected and to think holistically when designing learning experiences.
Learner-centered pedagogy is an approach to teaching and learning that focuses on the individual needs and interests of the learner creating agency and empowerment.
Re-Humanizing Education: Exploring Thematic Design | SLIDE DECK (1)
Everything is interconnected, even during our environmental and climate justice movements. We do not just advocate for our rights and natural resources, as it should be if we were applying this systems thinking into our ways of knowing. We also advocate for language, genderDue both to their ability to denaturalize social norms and to their neurological differences, autistic individuals can offer novel insights into gender as a social process. Examining gender from an... More, spirituality, and everything else that is integral to our identity as Indigenous peoples. Everything is interconnected ultimately to our environment through our cultural valuesRemind yourself that shared values, rather than shared beliefs, are what matter when it comes to interacting with others, and that there is no replacement for doing the hard work... More and ways of knowing.
Fresh Banana Leaves: Healing Indigenous Landscapes Through Indigenous Science
Further readingThere are three types of reading: eye reading, ear reading, and finger reading.The Dyslexia Empowerment Plan: A Blueprint for Renewing Your Child's Confidence and Love of Learning Most schools and... More,