Donna x Kinship

“Many of the indigenous people and working people of the earth who never fully took off, even as they were subject to genocides, subject to all consolidations in the national states. Indigenous people are not just elsewhere, in the so-called non-West. The complex relations of local and indigenous, both of the human and non-human, have never left the earth, and have much to teach us.”
“One of the aspects of that is the forming of non biogenetic, non-reproductive modes of making kin with each other as human beings.”

What I get from her view on the usable knowledge of indigenous cultures, is that she sees opportunities to create bonds with the people who are part of those cultures. It’s an optimistic idea that could create new narratives about earth, though I also spot nativity in this idea.

Coming from my perspective as a descendant of indigenous habitants, I have learned to look back at my own history in order to create a vision on the future.
The principle of sharing is that all parties involved get a piece. Sharing indigenous knowledge would mean that indigenous folks would have to give aspects of their terrestrial ways to the ones who forgot what that means. Those are the same ones who in our collective history didn’t even try to share. They instantly claimed, went right for ownership and took our lands, people and lives.
While they were claiming materials, we were protecting lives.
And what will then be shared with the indigenous people, knowledge of the West? That is knowledge of the ones that created meanings such as colonialism, capitalism and individualism.

The indigenous beliefs of my ancestors are existent because of their close relationship to nature. One of their ancient traditions, called pela, is the tradition to makes villages more resilient by forming bonds with each other. The Alifuru believes that all natural things have a soul, protecting a village means protecting all of their nature.

As long as those ones can’t feel their own nature, I don’t see how they will succeed in protecting other’s nature.