Indigenous Philosophy Resources

Grre

Hey everyone! I'm taking an Indigenous Women's History course this summer and I'll be writing a final paper for it in the next few weeks-the paper is open ended, it just has to be related to the course (Indigenous history/philosophy/Indigenous women etc.) This is my first time taking an Indigenous Studies course (I'm a final year Philosophy major) but I've studied intersectional feminist theory and related historical disciplines, so I'm likely going to be writing it on something to do with the role of colonization supplanting matriarchal Indigenous systems/beliefs and the devaluation of Indigenous women overall (very vague still, but I've only started the course this week). I'm also considering my paper to be a comparative study somewhat, between Indigenous epistemologies and the mainstream philosophical view of objectivity/Truth/rationality, which I've already written and studied before in my previous philosophy classes (mostly focused on the recent research regarding epistemic injustice, alternative epistemologies, and recognizing how Judea-Christianity underpins mainstream Western philosophy from Platonism all the way up to the Enlightenment). Or I'm considering drawing comparisons between the colonization of Europe by the Romans/Christians, the attendant witch trials (genocide) and the later colonization of Indigenous peoples.

As a non-Indigenous person who's only had a very passing introduction to Indigenous philosophies, I'm just wondering if anyone knows any good books/journals/thinkers that may be relevant to my search. Since this is so open-ended and I'll have to craft an original thesis myself (a task hard enough in my mainstream PHIL courses!) I'm really hoping to find some relevant material, preferably recent material and written by Indigenous scholars (to privilege the voices of the people I'm writing about). If anyone has any suggestions for resources, or even their own insight/thoughts I'd love to hear it!

*Just to clarify the focus of my paper will be on Canadian/North American Indigenous peoples, not Australian Aborigines or other Indigenous groups (as this is a Canadian history course).

tim wood

↪Grre

How about life beliefs of Pacific Northwest Indian women as inferred from and through religion, legend, myth, magic, practices, crafts, maybe with a sub-section on language.

Starting here:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indigenous_peoples_of_the_Pacific_Northwest_Coast

Obviously needing to be pared down to something manageable. It might, for example, morph into creation myths influenced by the sea. Or the meaning and significance of Totems. Or a day in the life of (e.g.) three women. In my humble opinion a fantastic area for study and thought. If you write it, I volunteer to be a proof-reader.

counterpunch

Indigenous to where? We all came from Africa about 70,000 years ago.

*Just to clarify the focus of my paper will be on Canadian/North American Indigenous peoples, not Australian Aborigines or other Indigenous groups (as this is a Canadian history course). — Grre

Surely you mean early colonialists!

javra

As a non-Indigenous person who's only had a very passing introduction to Indigenous philosophies, I'm just wondering if anyone knows any good books/journals/thinkers that may be relevant to my search. — Grre

Partly due to being peeved at some former poster (who's been known to ask false questions :grin: ) some roundabout input that I hope might be of help.

Both Joseph Campbell and Micea Eliade are known to have addresses pre-Abrahamic religious beliefs in general. I don't recall either focusing in on the female aspects of indigenous peoples of the North Americas, but they both hold notable interpretations regarding what we'd term nature-based religious practices. Despite his faults, for some reason Eliade's book "The Sacred and the Profane" comes to mind as a good introduction to perspectives of indigenous peoples. It's been some time since I've read it, but I found an online synopsis of it here. And at under 260 pages, the book itself is not too long of a read. BTW, briefly skimming through the synopsis, I can find parallels to the Native American notions of a Sky Father and Earth Mother.

Hope this might inspire some ideas for your project. But yes, now that I think of it, a good sum of authors that I've read on this subject have a European ethnicity ... and those that haven't have been from the East.

Grre

↪javra

↪tim wood

Thank you for both your suggestions!

It seems like there was some comments made on this post which I'm now unable to view, however I can see the summary in the notifications and I would just like to respond...
@Bartricks
What might be surprising to you is that I am a fourth year philosophy student who is also currently attending law school at a different university-I am not "asking for people to do research for me", as someone who has had an article published in an undergraduate philosophy journal, currently preparing to apply to PhD programs and the like, I think I am quite capable of doing my own research :kiss:
Rather, I posted this in the hopes that there would be people more experienced than I in the field of Indigenous philosophy and scholarship, as aforementioned I am new to this area. I was also hoping that someone who identified as Indigenous/Indigenous ancestry may be willing to give their own perspective, as a non-Indigenous person I think its important to let the actual people I am writing and researching about share their experiences, perspectives, and insight. Lastly, given this is a philosophy forum where people are meant to discuss, share and suggest resources and research, and otherwise have good natured philosophical discourse, I am surprised at this comment. If someone was researching a topic I was very familiar with, for example, radical feminism or ASD, then I would be happy to share my insight and suggested reading lists/resources, that is what philosophy is all about isn't it?

TheMadFool

If it's any help, look here :point: Prehistoric female hunter discovery upends gender role assumptions.

Women actually hunted and, sorry guys, prey may have included men. :heart: :death:

jgill

I never thought of Native Americans having philosophies rather than simply beliefs, but, then, the word "philosophy" can be interpreted in more than the classical sense.

Bartricks

↪Grre

Well, I am giving you my perspective as someone who sets and marks student essays. But it seems such views are not allowed to be expressed here.

fdrake

This is my first time taking an Indigenous Studies course (I'm a final year Philosophy major) but I've studied intersectional feminist theory and related historical disciplines, so I'm likely going to be writing it on something to do with the role of colonization supplanting matriarchal Indigenous systems/beliefs and the devaluation of Indigenous women overall (very vague still, but I've only started the course this week). — Grre

I can't give you anything with that level of specificity (the Indigenous * gender) intersection, nor am I first nations. I'm also unlikely to throw you any bones you've not already chewed.

-I recall there being some interesting research at the intersection of Frantz Fanon's work and gender studies on a Google roam I went on, those keywords might get you something relevant.
-If you want to drop the "colonial mind prison" kind of perspective ("fighting colonialism with a colonised tongue" as Lowkey puts it), third world/Maoist Marxist Feminist perspectives might provide a relief, eg here.

I bring those up because to my mind there's a decent contrast between the study of Indigenous struggle in the wake of colonialism and the study of indigenous feminist praxis. Subordination from outside vs subordination within and both happening at once.

- Origins of the Family by Engels I guess would be a useful reference.

- Debt, the First 5000 Years has some amazing discussions of the mechanics of the colonial transition into patriarchy and its coupling to capitalist development from an anthropological perspective. I recall it ousting my previous, very wrong, impression that matrilineaity and patriarchy are inherently opposed...

James Riley

↪Grre

I see it has been four months. Did you finish? I'd love to read what you came up with.

P.S. I hope you didn't walk into a library and have the audacity to ask the librarian where to find X. They might very well have told you to go do your own research.

TheMadFool

Indigenous American Philosophy

Grre

↪CraigAten

↪James Riley

To reply to both of you - I did indeed finish the work and I was quite happy with it. I received a decent mark for it (87% which roughly translates to a first class on UK marking schemes). Unfortunately, since it was not a purely "philosophy" course (it was Indigenous Studies and obviously I used more anthropological/sociological case studies and the like) it was rejected from an undergraduate philosophy journal I submitted it to a few months later because it was not ~purely philosophical~ which makes sense but was disheartening nonetheless - I may return to the project at a later date, particularly if it relates to my graduate studies. If you'd like to read it @James Riley I'd be happy to send it to you to get your thoughts on it :)

The course was good, although while a final year course, dealt with stuff I had already learning in previous intersection feminist/Indigenous history courses, and because it was purely online - was not as thorough a course that I had originally hoped.

Thanks for all the great sources! I will surely look into them if I continue the project further.

James Riley

↪Grre

I would like to read it. I'll send you a PM.

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