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"This book is about indigenous science: sustainable knowledge and practice of Indigenous peoples around the world which has usually been developed and handed down for generations, but which was often largely ignored by settlers in their lands. Such science has been passed on in performance, art, stories, and in embodied practice, so the book will necessarily examine the meaning of science, problematizing the idea that Western science is the only type that deserves that name, and drawing attention to someof its shortcomings. Methods of acquiring "science" are also examined, notably including a personal account of the author's dissatisfaction with her own undergraduate training, and a realization much later of the reasons for this disillusionment. Throughout the book, the author takes the reader with her on the learning process that brought its content to her attention, and therefore introduces the reasons for wanting to share the examples gathered"--
List of contents
Introduction 1. Fire and Water: Sustaining the Land 2. Making a Sustainable Living 3. Architecture and House Building 4. Health and Death 5. Calendars and Climate Change 6. Astronomy and Navigation Skills 7. Physics and Mathematics 8. Technology and Sustainability 9. Facing Both Ways Conclusion: "Seeing through Both Eyes" Science
Report
"An important contribution to the fields of Indigenous studies and sustainability, as it surveys various forms of what Westerners refer to as 'science' and highlights how Indigenous knowledge can be utilized to better inform policies and practices. ... book is filled with stories of Indigenous peoples who have a profound relationship with the land. ... This book may be most appropriate for scholars in the nascent stage of inquiry, although it may also benefit veteran researchers who deemphasize Indigenous epistemologies." (Jada Renee Koushik, NAIS, Vol. 3 (1), 2016)
"Knowing how culture embraces change is crucial for dealing with current and future environmental problems. Science and Sustainability does reinforce the fact that solving the world's ecological challenges requires more cooperative approaches, with the likelihood that certain sections of the community, particularly indigenous peoples, are likely to fare worse in the world to come." - Times Higher Education
