I’ve lost count of how often I’ve been asked to write about re-Indigenising western spaces. It is an all-too-common request across academic and political landscapes, usually accompanied by well-meaning but patronising suggestions, reducing this wisdom to master the social media algorithm. This reduces the path to recovery from centuries of pain and trauma to clickbait.
I’m frequently tasked with rewriting entire educational curriculums, to again explain how to engage respectfully with Indigenous Knowledge Systems and create well-rounded, non-racist social workers, academics, and people. I’ve tried teaching, writing, and speaking out to achieve this, yet the message isn’t landing, and I’m exhausted. The root cause of this issue is painfully clear: non-Indigenous people continue to be either naively ignorant or, worse, wilfully blind to their vital role in decolonising and re-Indigenising.
First Nations Peoples are forced to navigate the fight, flight, fear, and fawn responses that shape our daily existence (Paredes, 2022). The ongoing and relentless racism of oppression and marginalisation we continue to endure (Levchak et al., 2018) is our daily reality and is woven into the fabric of our existence. So, when I offer guidance or solutions, the onus is on non-Indigenous people to manage their emotions (Gross, 2008) and develop a resiliency plan (Cullen & Pons, 2015) for the uncomfortable nature of their learning and unlearning. It’s easier to avoid this necessary hard work because, in most institutions, educational settings, and professional organisations, there are no consequences for non-Indigenous people who choose to ‘opt-out’, disengage, or ignore the voices of First Nations Peoples.
A barrier to change is western thinking. Western thought remains entangled in zero-sum power dynamics, the domination of nature, and supremacist ideals, such as the binary of +1 or -1 judgment (Ahmed, 2023). It remains transfixed on competition, deeply rooted in negative emotions like shame, guilt, embarrassment, and the fear of failure, predictably leading to fear paralysis (Stein, 2015), defaulting to inaction rather than risking discomfort.
This looks like:
- A lack of genuine preparation for learning and growth.
- A fixation on failure while remaining blind to successes.
- A conflation of someone’s work and their worth.
- A closed-minded attitude toward new and challenging ideas.
- A dogmatic belief that there is only one right way, rendering all other approaches wrong.
- A tendency to dominate discussions with simplistic black-and-white thinking, even when dealing with complex issues.
- A preference for hoarding power on an individualistic basis.
- A deliberate avoidance of both open and internal conflict.
- A lack of genuine engagement and interest among those in power to understand the views and empathise with the experiences of those whose lives they touch.
- A rigid belief in the possibility of absolute objectivity, linear thinking, and the exclusion of anything beyond reductive logic.
- A misguided belief that individuals deserve to be emotionally and psychologically comfortable, even when in the process of learning (Okun & Jones, 2000).
Respectful learning requires respect for the person sharing the knowledge and an understanding that the knowledge is shared because the learner is deemed ready and has committed to the responsibility that comes with the knowledge imparted. This responsibility might involve changing behaviours or maintaining specific values, such as humility. Reciprocity in this context doesn’t necessarily mean doing something in return for the person who shared the knowledge; instead, it means acting with the knowledge received.
With that in mind, here are my Top 5 Tips for students, educators, and practitioners when engaging with First Nations Knowledges. If you are being entrusted with this sacred wisdom, it is essential to learn and hold these teachings with the utmost respect.
- Emotional Regulation: Understand that defensiveness is a natural response to these teachings often linked to fear, whether it’s fear of losing power, privilege, or comfort. Learning to emotionally regulate these feelings is crucial for engaging constructively.
- Devise a Resiliency Plan: Prepare yourself for discomfort and conflict by role-playing potential scenarios before arrival. Focus on your responsibilities and accountabilities in resolving issues; don’t expect the instructor or others to handle this for you.
- Develop Cultural Humility: Embrace inevitable mistakes as learning opportunities (Fisher-Borne et al., 2015). Cultivate cultural humility by acknowledging your limitations and striving to understand and respect others’ perspectives.
- Future Planning: Reflect on how your actions today will impact people seven generations from now. Let this awareness guide your decisions that contribute to a positive legacy for future generations.
- Comfort in Discomfort: Embrace the discomfort that comes with deep learning. Real transformational growth and understanding often arise from moments of discomfort.
Non-Indigenous peoples living in so called Australia have shown us that they are not yet prepared to receive our knowledges or wisdoms. This brave undertaking requires them to decolonise their minds and de-westernise themselves rather than constantly burdening us to de-westernise everything around them. Believe me, we have tried. But the resistance to our knowledges, the incessant racism, and the lack of accountability and responsibility from non-Indigenous peoples continue to derail the progress. Until we can break the colonised lenses through which our work is read, until we know the readers are truly ready to be affected by and for us, we are merely blowing into the wind. Are you ready? Have you decolonised your lens before I begin to speak?
References
Ahmed, S. (2023). The feminist killjoy handbook. Random House.
Cullen, M., & Pons, G. B. (2015). The mindfulness-based emotional balance workbook: An eight-week program for improved emotion regulation and resilience. New Harbinger Publications.
Fisher-Borne, M., Cain, J. M., & Martin, S. L. (2015). From mastery to accountability: Cultural humility as an alternative to cultural competence. Social Work Education, 34(2), 165-181.
Gross, J. J. (2008). Emotion regulation. Handbook of emotions, 3(3), 497-513.
Levchak, C. C., Levchak, C. C., & Al-Sayed. (2018). Microaggressions and modern racism. Springer International Publishing.
Okun, T., & Jones, K. (2000). White supremacy culture. Dismantling racism: A workbook for social change groups. ChangeWork. http://www.dismantlingracism.org
Paredes, R. (2022). Understanding Trauma: The 6 Types of Trauma Responses. Understanding Trauma: The 6 Types of Trauma Responses. https://mindbetter.com/trauma-response-types/
Stein, E. (2015). Ignorance/Denial-Fear/Paralysis/Engagement/Commitment. The Radical Teacher, (102), 17-23.
Bio
Dr Bindi Bennett (she/her)is a K/Gamilaroi woman, mother, and social worker and is a Professorial Research Fellow at Federation University living, playing and working on Jinibara lands. She is a social justice scholar, a compassionate radical and activist requesting transformational change who is committed to improving and growing cultural responsiveness; re-Indigenising Western spaces; understanding and exploring Indigenous Knowledge Systems in research; and exploring the human-animal bond.
Orcid:0000-0002-0111-4670
