Indigenous Wisdom for Relating
I’ve compiled a self-paced online course bundle with a number of our Indigenous mentors and scholars of relating. When we consider the pillars of Hearth Science work, they derive from three primary streams: Polyvagal Theory and cutting-edge work in neuroscience and psychophysiology, The Evolved Nest work of Darcia Narvaez, PhD, which situates the story of safety and connection within the long lineage of the human evolutionary story, and Indigenous worldviews of relatedness.
In my own experience, as a younger person, even when I was seeking them out, it was challenging to enter into deep dialogue with Indigenous Elders (or even find them). Initially, I did not know where to look, or who to speak with to enter into such dialogues, and learning. Thankfully, this situation has changed over the past couple of decades (perhaps I’ve also gotten better at knowing where to look), with many more avenues to encounter Indigenous thought, worldview, and cosmology, as well as many more beautiful books expressing these things, which feels crucial to our survival.
This course bundle consists of the three primary dialogues. An extended conversation with ‘Kuuyux’ Ilarion Merculieff, President of the Global Center for Indigenous Leadership and Lifeways, a seminar presented by Tiokasin Ghosthorse of the Cheyenne River Lakota, and a polyphony of voices on Indigenous Cosmology, including Alika Atay, a 10th generation Hawaiian farmer, and Tashka Yawanawá, a chief of the Yawanawá people whose ancestral terrirtory is centered around Acre, Brazil.
Kuuyux Ilarion Merculieff
Tiokasin Ghosthorse
Tashka Yawanawá
As a white man raised in a modern context, I am also particularly interested in models of masculinity that are centered in stewardship, relatedness, and care. The contrast of this to the rapacious capitalism, narcissism, and selfishness I see in many modern men from our culture is quite alarming.
The course will be available until December 31, 2025. It is $299, and provides permanent access to these teachings. 50% of the proceeds from the sale of the course will go to Ilarion (his organization, GCILL- Global Center for Indigenous Leadership & Lifeways), Tiokasin (his organization, the Akantu Institute), and Tashka (his tribe, the Yawanawá).
You could also, if you felt so moved, make a donation directly to any of these worthy organizations
As an added incentive ;), I will provide a year of free subscription to this Substack for anyone who purchases this course. I believe that a year of this Substack is $100…
(If you would like to take advantage of this offer, and the email you would like the subscription to go to is not the same as the email you use to order the course, send us an email at support@restorativepractices.com explaining who you want the subscription to go to.)
Indigenous cosmology, across cultures, tends to be radically relational in its orientation, a strong corrective to the domination dynamics of modernity.
‘Kuuyux’ Ilarion Merculieff was among the last generation of Unangan people (Aleut) raised in a traditional manner in the Bering Sea. Born on the Pribiloff Islands, three hundred miles off the coast of Alaska, his people created a culture with the densest linear mile of population in the Americas, in a climate that is Artic, and fogged in most of the year. In their anthropometric kayaks, they plied the Pacific Ocean as far south as the tip of South America. Kuuyux - his name means a hand reaching out from the body- is a bridge from this culture to the world. He is President of the Global Center for Indigenous Leadership and Lifeways.
Tiokasin Ghosthorse is an enrolled member of the Cheyenne River Lakota, and a speaker of the old Lakhota language, which he calls a ‘non-mathematical quantum mechanical language of intuition’. An activist for peace, and on behalf of our Mother Earth, he is Founder of the Akantu Institute.
Alika Atay is a traditional Hawaiian farmer and activist. He was President of the West Side Mauna Kahalawai Chapter of the Maui Farmers United Union when this footage was recorded. Alika is a community leader, farmer, and mentor from a 10th generation Indigenous Hawaiian family. His relationship to the land is deeply spiritual and political in the sense that food sovereignty is at the heart of his concerns.
Tashka Yawanawá is Chief of the Yawanawá tribe in Acre, Brazil. During his tenure as chief, the Yawanawás have reclaimed ancestral territory and developed a lifeplan for their community.
Darcia Narvaez, PhD, is Professor Emerita in Psychology at the University of Notre Dame, and Developer of the Evolved Nest.
The course will be available through the end of the year.