Welcome
We’re going to check in first. In your groups, talk about what you found interesting or compelling in the reading.
Traditional Knowledge
What traditional knowledge do you have that you have not learned in school or university, but instead in your community? What do you know that you think other people should also know?
Write for 10 minutes. Then we’ll share in groups.
Pooling our Traditional Knowledge
Paste one thing that you want to share on the Traditional Knowledge Wall on padlet: https://padlet.com/paramiuniversity/waysofknowing
Discussion
- What traditional knowledge do you have that you think should be more widely known?
- Are traditional forms of knowledge in your community under threat? If so, what are the threats?
- How can these traditional forms of knowledge be protected and preserved?
The council of Pecans
In this section, Kimmerer tells the story of her grandfather gathering pecan nuts. The story also takes us into the late 19th and early 20th century history of North America, and the removal of indigenous peoples from their homelands. And it explores the mysterious phenomenon of “mast fruiting.” We’ll watch this video about indigenous schools first.
- In what ways have traditional forms of knowledge been suppressed by more dominant forms of knowledge in your community?
- Kimmerer writes, “All flourishing is mutual.” What does she mean by this? And is she right?
- What is mast fruiting? What does it say about the natural world?
- What does Kimmerer learn from the pecans? And how? What does it mean to learn not just about, but also from the natural world?
If you are interested in mast fruiting, this article on the history of the term is fascinating.
Homework
The homework for next time is to read the section on the Three Sisters. It’s reading 2. As usual, feed back on the discussion board.