TTRACINNG THHEE MMOTHHEERRLLINNEE Earth Elders, Decolonising Worldview, and Planetary Futurity A thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Geography by Amba Jessida Sepie 2018 Te Rāngai Pūtaiao |College of Science Te Whare Wānanga O Waitaha | University of Canterbury Ōtautahi | Christchurch Aotearoa | New Zealand Abstract On Earth Day in 1970, at the birth of the global environmental movement, it looked like there was hope. Almost half a century later, as we contemplate the Anthropocene, it appears that our hope may have been misplaced. Year by year, the socioecological issues afflicting our planet have only worsened under the direction of westernised corporate and governmental powers. Perhaps it is time for a culture change? This thesis proposes that the contemporary socioecological concerns humans share regarding our collective future hinges upon a renewal of our Earth ethic. I take indigenous and traditional voices seriously, and in doing so, collate some very old advice for how to live well with each other and Earth. Following their advice, I recommend that humans without secure cultural and ecological context apprentice to Elder guidance, as offered from their multiple, yet emplaced, positions with/in indigenous and traditional Earth minded land bases and cultures. Many Elders recommend that humans reindigenise to Earth in specifically emplaced ways, by committing to some worldview concepts that are very different from those that westernised peoples are accustomed to. Traditional and indigenous Elders, teachings, and elements of worldview conceive of the human being as a responsive, moral, intuitive, perceptive, and instinctual being that is a part of a complex web of kincentric relations. Respectful engagement with Elder wisdom, long ignored, is our first step. In pursuing planetary futurity, I engage with these voices in order to trace a path toward a renewed Earth community. Traditional human values of respect, responsibility, reciprocity, redistribution, and reverence, as based upon relationships, can be reignited as guiding principles in our communities, but only if we engage in processes of unlearning and remembering who we are as humans. To this end, I outline a framework for worldview transformation, as a component of necessary decolonisation and rematriation processes. Contents Abstract ........................................................................................................................................................................ 1 Authors Note on Style and Form ........................................................................................................................ i Giving Thanks .......................................................................................................................................................... vi Un-Customary Greetings.................................................................................................................................... ix Honouring the Elders and Ancestors ........................................................................................................... xiv Indigenous, Traditional, and Planetary Elders ..................................................................................... xiv Planetary Ancestors ....................................................................................................................................... xvii Work Published ..................................................................................................................................................... xx Introduction: You say you want a Revolution? ............................................................................................. 1 The Movement that Has No Name ............................................................................................................. 1 Living the Questions .......................................................................................................................................... 6 Securing Indigenous and Planetary Futurity .......................................................................................... 12 Caring for Earth as Kin .................................................................................................................................. 21 Chapter Outline ................................................................................................................................................ 26 Chapter One: Marking Out the Research Terrain .................................................................................... 29 1.1 Writing the Earthlife ................................................................................................................................ 30 1.2 Taking Seriously, Seriously ..................................................................................................................... 37 1.3 Method and Motivations ....................................................................................................................... 40 1.4 Complex Caveats ...................................................................................................................................... 46 1.5 Indigenous as Signifier, Indigeneity as Paradigm .......................................................................... 54 1.6 Reindigenisation ........................................................................................................................................ 59 1.7 Colonisation and Westernisation ........................................................................................................ 62 1.8 Excavating Biases ....................................................................................................................................... 68 1.9 Decolonisation ........................................................................................................................................... 78 Chapter Two: Worldview Metaphysics ........................................................................................................ 82 2.1 Introducing Worldview .......................................................................................................................... 82 2.2 Basic Elements of Worldview ............................................................................................................... 88 2.3 Worldview, Culture, and Religion ...................................................................................................... 91 2.4 Paradigm Shifts .......................................................................................................................................... 93 2.5 Changing the Story ................................................................................................................................... 96 Chapter Three: This Anthropocen(e)tric Moment .................................................................................. 99 3.1 Glaciers and Honeybees ....................................................................................................................... 100 3.2 Crisis of Perception ................................................................................................................................. 105 3.3 Remaking Language .............................................................................................................................. 116 3.4 The Difference that makes a Difference .......................................................................................... 119 3.5 The Point of Departure ......................................................................................................................... 124 3.6 Scholarly Obligations ............................................................................................................................. 132 3.7 Manifesto for Change ............................................................................................................................ 135 Chapter Four: Listening to the Elders .......................................................................................................... 143 4.1 Prophecies and Peacemaking ............................................................................................................. 148 4.2 Weaving the Four Directions ............................................................................................................. 155 4.3 Mending the Sacred Hoop ................................................................................................................... 159 4.4 Restoring the Balance ............................................................................................................................ 162 4.5 Picking up the Heart .............................................................................................................................. 172 4.6 How Do They Know? ........................................................................................................................... 175 Chapter Five: The Laws of the Mother ........................................................................................................ 182 5.1 The Ways of the Real Human Being ................................................................................................ 185 5.2 Ropes, Strings, and Relations .............................................................................................................