Native Science : Natural Laws of Interdependence

by Cajete, Gregory

• ISBN13: 9781574160352
• ISBN10: 1574160354
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 1999-11-01
• Publisher: Clear Light Pub

Summary

In Native Science, Gregory Cajete initiates the reader into a timeless tradition of understanding, experiencing, and feeling the natural world. He explores and documents the Indigenous view of reality--delving into art, myth, ceremony, and symbol, as well as the practice of Native science in the physical sphere. He examines the multiple levels of meaning that inform Native astronomy, cosmology, psychology, agriculture, and the healing arts.

Author Biography

Gregory Cajete, Ph.D., a Tewa Indian from Santa Clara Pueblo, is Assistant Professor at the University of New Mexico's College of Education, and former chair of Cultural Studies and dean of the Center for Research and Cultural Exchange at the Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe

Table of Contents

Foreword	ix
Leroy Little Bear, J.D.
Dedication and Acknowledgments	viii
Introduction	1	(10)
Telling a Special Story	11	(46)
First Insights	13	(7)
The Creative Context	15	(1)
Chaos Theory	16	(4)
Sense, Perception, and Creative Participation	20	(8)
Perceptual Blindness versus Creative Sensibility	22	(3)
Body Sense	25	(3)
The Metaphoric Mind	28	(3)
Native Stories of Creation and Emergence	31	(15)
Art as a Means of Ceremony and Transformation	46	(6)
Meanings and Possibilities	52	(5)
Philosophy of Native Science	57	(28)
Eco-Philosophy	58	(6)
Tenets of Native Philosophy	64	(2)
Process of Native Science	66	(5)
Native Science Practice	71	(11)
Guiding Stories	74	(1)
Guiding Thoughts	75	(2)
Native Science Paradigm	77	(5)
Meanings and Possibilities	82	(3)
The Ecology of Native American Community	85	(22)
We Are All Related	86	(4)
A Personal Story	87	(3)
For the Good of the People: Foundations for Leadership, Service, and Community Value	90	(1)
Workings of Native Community	90	(8)
Native Science Practice in Native Communities	98	(6)
Meanings and Possibilities	104	(3)
Plants, Food, Medicine, and Gardening	107	(42)
A Green Philosophy	108	(3)
Plants Are the Hair of Mother Earth	111	(4)
Plants and the Foundations of Health and Wholeness	115	(12)
The Ecology of Native Healing	118	(4)
The Quest for Healing Knowledge	122	(5)
Native Gardening	127	(13)
``Native People Loved Their Gardens''	129	(4)
Native Food Contributions	133	(7)
Native Permaculture and Agricultural Technology	140	(6)
Meanings and Possibilities	146	(3)
Animals in Native Myth and Reality	149	(28)
Animals and the Native Worldview and	150	(2)
Animal Nature	152	(4)
Our Relatives, the Animals	156	(9)
The Hunter of Good Heart	158	(7)
Animals in Myth	165	(2)
Animals and Spirituality	167	(1)
American Indian Animal Husbandry	168	(6)
Meanings and Possibilities	174	(3)
A Sense of Place	177	(38)
Living in Relationship	178	(8)
The Role of Language	183	(2)
The Human Body as Metaphor for Landscape	185	(1)
The Psychology of Place	186	(2)
Applied Technologies on Land, River, and Sea	188	(16)
Mining	189	(1)
Hydraulics	190	(7)
Transportation Systems	197	(7)
Sacred Space	204	(11)
The Mythic Body of the Landscape	206	(4)
Orienting to Place and Space	210	(1)
Meanings and Possibilities	211	(4)
Native Astronomy: A Skyward View	215	(44)
Living the Heavens: An Introduction	216	(10)
A Navajo Perspective on Cosmology and Astronomy	218	(8)
A Relational Philosophy: The Stars Are Our Relatives	226	(24)
Community: The Skidi Pawnee, Star People of the Plains	234	(3)
Star Visions and the Role of Plants	237	(5)
The Nazca Animal Geoglyphs of Peru	242	(4)
Place and Astronomical Orientation	246	(4)
A Cosmic Journey	250	(5)
Meanings and Possibilities	255	(4)
Creating New Minds and Worlds	259	(32)
A New Sun	260	(22)
Finding Face	265	(1)
Finding Heart	266	(1)
Finding a Foundation	267	(15)
Meanings and Possibilities	282	(6)
``Land and Stars, The Only Knowledge'' (Simon Ortiz)	288	(3)
References	291	(7)
Further Reading	298	(4)
Index	302