Sand Talk with Tyson Yunkaporta

I read "Sand Talk" by Tyson Yunkaporta a few years ago and came across this podcast last week. I cannot begin to list all the wonderful ideas and concepts explored in both the book and this episode. I really encourage you to read it, it will make you think again, that’s for certain. I took so many notes, I can’t tell you, but here are 4 bits that really stuck with me:

• When Tyson tells the story of how he approached an indigenous person from a romote town in Queensland. Specifically the fact that he didn’t go up and asked questions, but that he sat back and waited for that person to “invite him in” - the whole chain of events is so counter to how we westerners approach people and things. The shift in speed, approach, considerations, respect, what is considered polite or rude was absolutely fascinating to me. It’s around the 30mins mark, in the section “protocols for knowledge”

• One idea that really caught me off guard was Tyson’s discussion about violence. The moment I heard that word, my instinct was to reject it. Surely he can’t be arguing that violence is necessary? I was relieved to discover, after doing a bit of research, that I’d misunderstood what he was getting at. It wasn’t about celebrating violence, but asking us to think more carefully about where power sits in a society, who holds it, and who is/should be accountable. It also reminded me how quickly one loaded word can stop me from hearing the idea behind it.

• “Yarning is much more than just a story or conversation in Aboriginal culture. It is a structured cultural activity that is recognised even in research circles as a valid and rigorous methodology for knowledge production, inquiry and transmission. It is a ritual that incorporates elements such as story, humour, gesture and mimicry for consensus building, meaning making and innovation. It references places and relationships and is highly contextualised in the local worldviews of those yarning. It has protocols of active listening, mutual respect and building on what others have said rather than openly contradicting them or debating their ideas. There is no firm protocol of only one person speaking at a time, although the mutual respect protocol ensures that interjections are in support of what a speaker is saying, enriching what is being said. There is a lot of overlapping speech that makes yarning vibrant and dynamic and deeply stimulating. It is non-linear, branching off into diverse themes and topics, but often returning to revisit ideas in ways that find connections and correlations between diverse sets of data that would otherwise not be found in more analytical modes of dialogue…” I could keep going but will move onto the next idea…

• Tyson argues that we keep having these cultural revolutions (and spend so much time and energy policing that) when we should be thinking/having economic revolutions. The economic systems is what we need to be addressing and critiquing. I think agree with this, I mean it is hard to argue against the fact that a growth-based economic system demands inequality. As he puts it, « it demands a constant growing body of oppressed and marginalised people in order to work. » if anyone here disagrees, please let us know your thoughts or perspectives on this. Would LOVE to hear them!! 

https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/the-emerald/id1465445746?i=1000480895314

Jeanne